Mac’s Picks hasn’t lost since Week 11 and is now up to 19-11 overall (11-4 on Giants games and 8-7 on Jets games).
Indianapolis Colts (7-8) at New York Giants (2-13)
Sunday 1p FOX
The Giants current situation is the perfect argument against those that believe “a true fan should never root against their team”. Giants fans have suffered through a 10-game losing streak, putting their team in position for the first pick in next April’s draft. However, 5 teams are 3-12, and each of them owns the strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Giants. Therefore, if the Giants beat the Colts on Sunday, or worse, the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, they could potentially drop back to sixth, where they were last April.
The #1 pick not only represents an opportunity for Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll (or their replacements) to take the quarterback they like most, it also gives them the opportunity to use it to fill another position (or two if its Travis Hunter), or trade it for multiple picks/assets. We’ve advocated for a lottery system in the past, but based on the current rules, fans have no choice but to root for the Colts.
The one fear is the Colts motivation could be sapped if both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers win on Saturday, which would eliminate the Colts from the playoffs. Nevertheless, we don’t expect the Giants to put up a fight, which will set up a dramatic finale next week against the Eagles.
Mac’s Pick – Colts 31 Giants 13
New York Jets (4-11) at Buffalo Bills (12-3)
Sunday 1p CBS
The last time the Jets beat the Bills in Buffalo was on December 29, 2019, when the Bills pulled Josh Allen after 5 pass attempts to rest him for the playoffs. This year, Allen has his team one win away from clinching the 2nd seed in the AFC playoffs, plus they will be extra motivated after last week’s sluggish 24-21 win over New England. Allen has played himself into MVP consideration (though our vote, if we had one, would be for Lamar Jackson), and has an opportunity to have a big day if the Jets can’t find their missing pass rush (just two sacks in the last 3 games).
The Jets are playing for pride and future employment, but a few players are trying to hit milestones. Garrett Wilson is just 13 yards away from starting his career with three consecutive 1000-yard receiving seasons. He’d become the first Jets player to accomplish that feat, and just the second (George Sauer 1966-68) to have 1000 yards in three consecutive seasons. Aaron Rodgers needs one touchdown pass to reach 500 in his career and is 226 passing yards away from catching Matt Ryan for 7th on the NFL’s All-Time List. Less likely, but still compelling, is the fact that Breece Hall is 226 yards away from his first 1000-yard rushing season, and Jamien Sherwood is currently 9 tackles behind the Colts’ Zaire Franklin for the league lead.
Mac’s Pick – Bills 27 Jets 17
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Disclaimer: Mac’s Picks is written for entertainment purposes only. “Mac” is not a professional prognosticator and doesn’t claim to be able to able to predict the future. Use this information at your own risk.
