3 biggest winners of NY Giants squandering hold on the No. 1 pick

For the first time since 2019, the New York Giants scored 40+ points in a game. Fittingly, this happened in a game in which the Giants could have improved their odds of securing the No. 1 overall pick.

New York's defense wasn't great on Sunday, but their offense led them to an unlikely win over an Indianapolis Colts team that was still alive in the AFC playoff race. While Giants fans got to see their team win at home for once, this victory did more harm than good for the franchise.

The Giants aren't eliminated from the No. 1 pick conversation, but their odds of securing the top pick and their quarterback of the future took a huge hit. These three teams are incredibly thankful for New York's win.

3. The Browns emerge as huge winners thanks to the Giants

The Cleveland Browns might have one of the worst-looking futures in the NFL, thanks in large part to Deshaun Watson, but they're thrilled with the outcome of Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium. The Browns are currently in the No. 4 spot as of this writing, but with a loss, they can leapfrog New York and move into the No. 3 spot.

On paper, the odds of Cleveland losing look good, considering their opponent is a Miami Dolphins team still in the playoff race, but with Tua Tagovailoa sidelined, who really knows who will win that game? They should be in a good position to lose their Week 18 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. If the Browns do lose out and guarantee themselves a top-three pick, there's a decent chance they'll be in a position to either take the best non-quarterback available or take one of the two best quarterbacks in the class.

It'd be interesting to see if the Browns would take a quarterback knowing Watson will be in the fold for at least a couple more seasons, but they will, at the very least, take a very intriguing player with the No. 3 overall pick if they're fortunate enough to end up with it.

2. The Titans are in prime position to take their QB of the future

The Tennessee Titans lost a game that they absolutely had to lose in their Week 17 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars to fall to 3-13 on the year. They're tied with the Giants and Patriots with that record. If the season ended as of this writing, the Titans would hold the No. 2 overall pick, one spot behind New England and one spot ahead of New York.

Assuming they remain in the top two, the Titans would have a clear opportunity to take their future signal caller. Will Levis has proven countless times that he isn't the long-term answer, and neither is Mason Rudolph. Malik Willis might've been, but oh well.

If they remain in the top two, the Titans will be able to select one of Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, or potentially a different quarterback they find appealing. No matter who it is, the Titans ensuring that they can get someone at the quarterback position is a huge win.

1. The No. 1 pick is now the Patriots' to lose

The Giants won their game, but the New England Patriots were the biggest beneficiaries of that win. They now control their own destiny in the race to earn the No. 1 overall pick. They were blown out in their game on Saturday, and with a matchup against the 13-3 Buffalo Bills on deck, Patriots fans have reason to be excited.

Assuming they do earn the No. 1 pick, the question then becomes what will the team do with it? The Patriots selected Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and based on how he's played, they should not select another quarterback at 1.01.

The Patriots could choose to select a player like Travis Hunter, who can make an impact on both sides of the ball, or they can shake things up in a major way by trading the selection to a team in need of a quarterback. Assuming they end up with this pick, it'll be fascinating to see what they decide to do with it.