5 winners from Week 14 of the 2019 NFL s...
09/12/2019 | Christian D'Andrea
The Giants, just like that, are in contention for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft
Once upon a time in 2019, the New York Giants were 2-2. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones led the team to a come-from-behind win against the Buccaneers in his first career start in Week 3, and then a 24-3 blowout of Washington in Week 4.
That was a long time ago. A 23-17 overtime loss to the Eagles in Week 14 was the Giants’ ninth consecutive loss. Even in a division without a winning record, New York is eliminated from postseason contention.
Head coach Pat Shurmur has searched for positives — like Jones recently throwing interceptions instead of fumbling, I guess? But the best news of all came in Week 13 when Washington, the Bengals, and the Dolphins all won. That was close to a best-case scenario for the Giants, who have a great shot at picking first in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Bengals still have the No. 1 pick, for now
A 22-6 win over the Jets was the Bengals’, and rookie coach Zac Taylor’s, first victory of 2019. That improved their record to 1-11 on the year. They lost to the Browns in Week 14, but there’s a chance Cincinnati gets another win before the season ends too.
Andy Dalton is back in the starting lineup after he was briefly benched in favor of fourth-round rookie Ryan Finley. Dalton could also get his star wide receiver A.J. Green back from injury soon.
Cincinnati ends the year with a likely loss against the Patriots before finishing with the Dolphins and Browns. It’d be shocking if the Bengals even stayed competitive with New England, but picking up a win in its last two games is possible.
And if the Bengals win again, the Giants are well positioned to jump the line:
The full draft order can be found here, but the important takeaway regarding the Giants is this: The NFC East being awful is a blessing. Playing in the NFL’s worst division means the Giants have a strength of schedule so low that New York will probably win any tiebreaker in the draft order.
If the Giants lose their last three — against the Dolphins, Washington, and the Eagles — they’ll own the first or second pick in April. If they lose two and find a win, their strength of schedule will almost definitely guarantee the Giants a top two pick anyway.
Even if New York picks behind the Bengals in 2020, that’s a great situation for the team.
The Bengals likely want a quarterback; the Giants don’t
Jones has taken his fair share of lumps during an up-and-down rookie season. But New York has no reason to consider giving up on its top-10 draft pick after only one year like the Cardinals did with Josh Rosen.
When the draft comes in the spring, the Giants will probably be more concerned with either improving a defense that’s one of the NFL’s worst, or protecting Jones. Their top targets could include Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young or Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas.
The Bengals, on the other hand, are in the market for a new quarterback. While Andy Dalton has been an above-average game manager for much of his career in Cincinnati, the team will have a chance to upgrade the position. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow seems like the clear-cut candidate to be the future of the Bengals.
Whether the Giants pick ahead of or behind the Bengals, both teams will probably get the player they want.
