The New York Giants picked up their first win of the season against Washington, but it’s hard not to think of the NFL Draft still. That’s because, while the win is nice, it looks like the Giants are still pretty far back from contending for the division unless this win sparks a sudden run of form. It will also take better performances. The Giants beat Washington by one point, and yet Washington is one of the other worst teams in the league right now.
While it’s not quite late enough in the season yet to have the debate about whether or not tanking should be the chosen path, and that debate is becoming a yearly trend now for the Giants, it is possible to keep track of the team’s draft position.
New York Jets are the big loser (or winner)
After getting shut out by the now 3-3 Dolphins, the Jets are both a big winner and loser in week three. Obviously, the ‘loser’ part is because they were shut out 24-0 and they’re still a winless team. Their fans are still very much in a similar spot to Giants fans right now and the team recently gave up star running back Le’veon Bell for nothing before Bell was quickly picked up by the Super Bowl contender Chiefs.
On that front, it’s not fun following the Jets right now. On the other hand, the combination of a Giants and Falcons victory and a Jets loss gives the Jets the sole possession of the number one overall pick. That’s probably a good thing for the Jets. It either means top quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence or a big trade haul in exchange for the pick. Assuming, of course, they keep their position through the end of the season.
As for the Giants, they’re now in third position behind Washington but ahead of a number of other 1-5 teams. There’s an abundance of bad teams this year in the NFL and it will probably make the race for the number one pick more interesting down the stretch if some of these teams don’t improve and pick up more wins.
Just because the Giants are now in the 1-5 group and not the winless group, however, doesn’t mean they won’t get the pick. Let’s not forget, after all, that Washington is also one of the worst teams in the league. The Giants pulled off a slim victory, but their performance doesn’t indicate that they’ll suddenly have a miraculous turnaround and jump out of the league’s basement, and contention for the top pick, soon.