Giants' Rooting Guide for 2025 NFL Draft Implications of Week 18

Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season could wind up being a critical turning point in the franchise's history. The Giants are among the most likely teams to draft a quarterback this spring, but they have to be in position to do it first.

Heading into Week 18 there are four teams with three wins and another five that have won four games this season. The NFL's bottom tier is bigger than usual and it's going to lead to a lot of scoreboard watching on the final Sunday of the regular season.

For the Giants, a chance to draft either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward without trading up, they might have to land one of the top two picks. For that to happen, the Giants will need to lose to a Philadelphia Eagles team that will be resting some starters and hope for a few other results to happen.

Here's a look at the current draft order going into the weekend, where the Giants stand and what outcomes could help them out before the final draft order is established.

1. New England Patriots (3-13)

2. Tennessee Titans (3-13)

3. Cleveland Browns (3-13)

4. New York Giants (3-13)

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)

6. Carolina Panthers (4-12)

7. New York Jets (4-12)

8. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)

9. Chicago Bears (4-12)

10. New Orleans Saints (5-11)

Order via Tankathon

The Giants 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts might have been their best performance of the season, but it didn't do them any favors in their pursuit of finding a franchise quarterback. The victory put them in a four-way tie with the Patriots, Titans and Browns at 3-13.

Unfortunately, the Giants happen to have the best strength of schedule among the four teams so they are currently slated to pick fourth.

Of course, a win against the Eagles could push the Giants even further down the draft order. As previously noted, there are five teams who are right behind New York with four wins. The Giants .551 strength of schedule is higher than all but one of them.

The Giants might have to do some serious maneuvering up the board if they end up beating the Eagles. Head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed that he'll be resting starters, including Saquon Barkley, so it's hard to know what exactly the Eagles lineup will look like and if the Giants have another performance in them like last week.

Regardless, here's a look at some of the results they should be rooting for.

Browns over Ravens

Unfortunately, this is not likely to go in the Giants favor. If the Ravens were resting their starters it would give Cleveland the opportunity to pull off the upset. However, the Ravens need a win over Cleveland to clinch the division. The Browns have also opted to give Bailey Zappe the starting nod. He's the fourth starter for Cleveland this season and he hasn't taken a snap since 2023 when he started six games for the Patriots.

Titans over Texans

Don't give up on hope in this one. The Titans last win actually came in Houston back in Week 12. They've had a few close calls since then including two one-score games against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Switching to Mason Rudolph has seemed to provide some spark for the offense. Both he and Will Levis are expected to see action on Sunday.

The Texans don't have a reason to play their starters from a playoff seeding standpoint. They are locked in as the four seed as the AFC South champion. However, DeMeco Ryans told reporters, "Everybody will be outh there and playing and we'll see how the game goes."

Translation: If the Titans are going to win, they will have to beat the Texans starters.

Patriots over Bills

The Patriots aren't necessarily a threat to draft a player the Giants want. They have their quarterback in Drake Maye. They just need everything else. However, moving up from the four spot makes it easier for the Giants to either draft their quarterback or trade up for one.

The Patriots aren't likely to beat the Bills, but they are going to get help from the fact that Buffalo isn't likely to be at full strength. Josh Allen will get the start at quarterback, but head coach Sean McDermott said it will be a "blend" of both starters and other players on the field against the Patriots.