Welcome to “Mac’s Picks for Week 17”.
New England Patriots (12-3) at New York Jets (3-12)
Sunday 1p FOX
Organizations tank —players don’t. Coaches? Rarely. That’s what makes Brady Cook’s third consecutive start very telling. Following last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, Glenn explained his decision to start Cook, “I think he gave us the best chance to win. “but we also want to evaluate where he’s at. We had two guys who were hurt, we know that. But he wouldn’t be in there if he didn’t give us a chance to win.”
In addition to playing a raw rookie QB, the New England Patriots are still motivated. They are chasing the Denver Broncos for the first-round bye and need a win to keep their hope alive. Speaking of hope — the Jets do still have a slim shot at the first overall pick. Obviously, they need to lose out, but the teams they are battling have winnable games left on their schedule.
The New York Giants (2-13) have the Las Vegas Raiders (2-13) and Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1). After the Giants game, the Raiders finish with the reeling Kansas City Chiefs (6-10). The Cleveland Browns (3-12) have a tough one Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) but finish with the disappointing Cincinnati Bengals (5-10).
Depending on your perspective, there’s still plenty to play (or tank) for.
New England Patriots 31 New York Jets 13
Mac’s Pick — Patriots (-13 ½)
New York Giants (2-13) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-13)
Sunday 4:05p CBS
“The Battle for First Overall” gets a rare 4p time slot for the New York Football Giants. Now, I agree that securing the top pick, and then shopping it to a QB-hungry team, would be an ideal position for GM Joe Schoen or his successor. However, I am not 100% convinced that teams would be willing to pay a bounty for Fernando Mendoza.
To test my theory, we are going to take a quick ride on the ProFootballNetwork.com NFL Mock Draft Simulator. We’re going with a one-round draft just to see what trade offers we receive when Big Blue is on the clock:
- Cleveland Browns offered picks #3, #27, #38, #69, and their first-round pick in 2027.
- New York Jets offered picks #4, #18, #35, and two of their three first-round picks in 2027 (the ones belonging to the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts).
- New Orleans Saints offered picks #8, #41, #72, and their first-and-second-round picks in 2027.
- Pittsburgh Steelers offered picks #21, #53, #78, and their first-and-second-round picks in 2027.
The simulator doesn’t pretend to be predictive, and I’m willing to bet that Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey are not willing to send 4 first-round picks and a high-second-round pick to their MetLife roommates for a QB that was not considered a top NFL prospect six months ago. I also believe the Saints will give Tyler Shough a full season to prove himself before considering dipping back into the QB pool.
However, all four proposals, including the realistic ones, would be bounties. Therefore, I expect Giants fans to root for Geno Smith on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, I think the Giants simply better than Vegas.
New York Giants 26 Las Vegas Raiders 19
Mac’s Pick — Giants (+2 ½)
MAC’S PICKS SEASON RECORD
Versus the point spread: 10-20
On the moneyline: 17-13
Bonus picks: 1-1
MAC’S PICKS DISCLAIMER
Mac’s Picks is written for entertainment purposes only. While “Mac” comes from gambling lineage, he knows he can’t actually predict the future. Therefore, use this information at your own risk.
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