Giants' Rooting Guide for 2024 NFL Draft Implications of Week 9
The New York Giants enter Week 9 as one of six teams with two wins or fewer in the NFL.
The Giants would have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, if the season ended before Sunday, but they could have dreams of picking even higher in April.
Only the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers need to win games to level the competition for the top pick between a handful of two-win teams.
The Giants could remove themselves from the top six in Week 9 with a road win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, Las Vegas could be reenergized by Josh McDaniels' firing and play a strong first game under interim head coach and former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce.
A loss to the Raiders would only be viewed as acceptable if the Giants gain ground in the draft order, which is a possibility given the matchups across the NFL.
Cardinals over Browns
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The Giants should be rooting for Kyler Murray to make his season debut on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
The more games Murray starts, the better it is for the draft stock of the Giants and other teams with one or two wins.
However, the Cardinals could go with rookie Clayton Tune at quarterback in place of Josh Dobbs, who was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday night.
Arizona may not want Murray's season debut to come against one of the best defenses in the NFL. But it would also be putting Tune in a less-than-ideal situation.
A win in Cleveland seems unlikely, but it is still something the Giants have to root for.
Arizona is one of two one-win teams in the NFL alongside the Carolina Panthers. There should be some hope the Cardinals catch the Browns off guard, like they did in their win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.
Panthers over Colts
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A Carolina win over the Indianapolis Colts seems more likely than an Arizona upset over Cleveland.
Carolina took a step forward in Week 8 with its win over the Houston Texans in a battle of rookie quarterbacks.
The Panthers need Bryce Young to continually improve during the second half of the season to feel confident about their future.
That future does not include a 2024 first-round pick, which belongs to the Chicago Bears, and that should give the Panthers way more incentive to win than the Cardinals.
Carolina is not helping itself by losing every game on the schedule. A few wins would do the franchise good as it tries to build back up under Young.
A home win on Sunday against the Colts and a Week 10 Thursday night triumph over the Bears could be enough to take the Panthers out of contention for the No. 1 overall pick.
Patriots over Commanders
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The Giants should have more faith in the two-win teams playing at home to clear themselves out of the No. 1 pick conversation than the pair of one-win squads.
The New England Patriots currently sit one spot beneath the Giants in the draft order. They have the most winnable home game between themselves and the Green Bay Packers, who are sixth in the projected order.
New England welcomes the Washington Commanders to Gillette Stadium. Washington is fresh off a 38-point concession to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington could be worn down by the divisional battle again. It lost 40-20 to the Bears four days after its first matchup with the Eagles.
The Commanders also go into Foxborough with a depleted defensive line after the trades of Montez Sweat and Chase Young.
Mac Jones may not face as much pressure as he typically does, which would be a welcome sight to an offense that needs to work things out after Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL last week.
A New England win over Washington will not be pretty, but if the Patriots get the job done, they could make the Giants feel safer inside the top five.
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