To Tank Or Not To Tank? That's The Question For The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots received an incredible Christmas gift over the weekend, courtesy of the New York Giants.
The Giants had the worst record in the NFL entering Week 17 and were on track to secure the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. After releasing quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this season, New York put itself in position to draft a new franchise QB.
But the team on the field had other plans, and they beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. That vaulted the New England Patriots into the top spot on the NFL Draft board. If the Patriots lose in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills, they receive the top pick in the draft.
That would put New England in an incredibly enviable position, given that they already have a franchise quarterback in rookie Drake Maye. The Patriots could trade the pick to the highest bidder, perhaps the Giants, and use the assets to start building a team around Maye.
The New England Patriots could sit Drake Maye in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills to give themselves a better chance of losing and securing the #1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
(David Butler II/Imagn Images)
There's just one small problem: the Buffalo Bills likely aren't going to play any of their starters on Sunday. Buffalo clinched the #2 seed in the AFC, and they have nothing to play for in Week 18. They can use the game as a pseudo-bye week to rest likely MVP Josh Allen and the rest of the players they'll need for a deep playoff run.
The Bills backup quarterback is Mitchell Trubisky, the probable starter against the Patriots.
UPDATE: Josh Allen will start and perhaps play one series to keep his starting streak alive, according to Bills' coach Sean McDermott.
So, what does New England do? Do they start Drake Maye, or sit him for the season finale? Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was non-committal when asked about the possibility of sitting Maye to put the team in the best position to lose, which is best for the long-term future of the franchise.
Jacoby Brissett started the first five games of the season for the Patriots, and they went 1-4. He filled in when Maye got hurt for a start against the New York Jets in late October, and New England won that game.
So, two of the team's three wins this season came with Brissett starting. Now, if the Patriots really want to go into full-tank mode, they wouldn't play Brissett, either.
They could instead start Joe Milton, who the team selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and would be making his NFL regular season debut.
The New England Patriots and head coach Jerod Mayo need to lose in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills to secure the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
(David Butler II/Imagn Images)
That certainly puts them in the best position to lose, but would also send the clear message that they are, in fact, trying to lose against the Bills.
While that makes the most sense, it's still a tough decision to make; purposefully entering an NFL game with the intention of losing could come with backlash.
Patriots fans already want Jerod Mayo fired, and that's a possibility. He might want some assurances from ownership that he's going to stay with the team before making such a bold call.
The Patriots are currently three-point underdogs against the Bills on Sunday.