The only thing New York Giants fans could reasonably be excited about this season is the hope of a new era in 2025, starting with a quarterback they select first in the NFL Draft. Shedeur Sanders, hoping to be the first pick, even had Giants cleats in his locker during Colorado’s bowl game on Saturday.

The one thing no one took into account was that the Giants actually won a game and messed up all those draft plans.

NFL teams don’t tank. It’s constantly talked about among fans, but it almost never happens. The Giants players and coaches don’t care about draft position. Perhaps the fans in the stands were looking forward to another loss, but the Giants played their best game in months, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 45-33, knocking the Colts out of the playoffs.

Drew Lock completed 7 of 8 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. New York returned the first kickoff of the second half with a touchdown. The Fox broadcast team said it was the first time since 1949 that the Giants had returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown. Malik Nabers had a great game and the Giants held off a still-living Colts team in the upcoming postseason.

The Giants took the time to finally play well. It was the first time they scored 40 points since December 22, 2019. They hadn’t even scored 30 in a game this season.

The Giants’ win will change the entire outlook of the draft. The Giants, who were the only team with just two wins this season, no longer have the inside pick they need at the first pick. According to Tankathon, the New England Patriots take over first place with a week to go. The Giants’ win pushed them out of the top two for now, which may have put them out of position to get a top quarterback in the draft or cost them additional picks in a trade-up.

One can definitely argue that the first choice isn’t worth it anyway. Miami’s Cam Ward and Sanders are the top quarterback draft prospects, and there’s skepticism about both. Neither is a sure franchise quarterback. But the Giants would at least have a choice between the two if they secured the No. 1 pick. Now they’ll probably have to wait and see what’s in store for them, or if someone jumps over them in a trade to get Ward or Sanders.

Without a quarterback, it’s hard to have hope. The last time the Giants were looking to pick a quarterback in the top 10, they drafted Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. That led to six losing seasons as the Giants hoped Jones would develop into a top player. And when the Giants finally threw in the towel on Jones and cut him that season, they went back to square one. But by Sunday, they hoped they would have a few months to figure out whether Ward or Sanders would be the right quarterback to lead the team for the next few years and hopefully beyond. Now they are at the mercy of what happens to the teams in front of them. Or maybe they’ll take a break in Week 18 and move up again.

It’s just a reminder that teams don’t tank. Players don’t care if they get an optimal draft pick because that new player could take their job away. All coaches are focused on winning, as Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce emphasized to everyone last week when he said, “We’re not doing this for anyone’s draft projections.”

The Giants won and the locker room will be a happier place this week. The sadness for the front office could be felt in April.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 17 of the NFL season:

WINNER

Sam Darnold: With every game, Darnold earns money for his next contract.

If you were waiting for Darnold to turn into a pumpkin, he made you wait another week. Darnold threw for 377 yards and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25. The Vikings play the Detroit Lions next week with the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line.

Darnold was very good, as he has been for most of the season. He had three touchdowns. Darnold only has a one-year deal and the Vikings have a difficult decision to make in the offseason considering they have first-round draft pick JJ McCarthy coming back from a knee injury. If Darnold maintains this level of play for the rest of the season, he will get big money, whether from the Vikings or someone else

Kenny Pickett: He has already reached the stage of his career where every opportunity to play matters.

The former first-round draft pick is trying to revive his career after his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers ended badly and abruptly. The Dallas Cowboys aren’t the toughest opponent right now, but they’ve been playing pretty well lately. And Pickett was impressive in a 41-7 win. He left the game due to injury in the third quarter after taking a hit from Micah Parsons, but by then he had already helped the Eagles to a 27-7 lead. He did his job and more. Saquon Barkley, who passed the 2,000-yard mark this season, helped set the mark. Barkley had 167 yards on 31 carries and is just 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. And the Eagles finish next week with… the Giants, Barkley’s old team.

Pickett, who filled in because Jalen Hurts was sidelined with a concussion, had 133 yards and a passing touchdown in the first half and a rushing touchdown on a tush push on the final play of the second quarter. The Eagles needed to keep winning to maintain their lead in the NFC East (they hadn’t yet prevailed before Week 17) and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Pickett’s number was called Sunday and he got through. It’s the type of performance that can lead to Pickett getting contracts.

Lamar Jackson’s MVP chances: Josh Allen could still be leading the MVP race, but he hasn’t done anything to pull away either.

Allen had an absolutely good performance in Week 17. The Buffalo Bills defeated the New York Jets 40-14. Allen had two touchdowns, including one after a nice catch by Amari Cooper. The Bills withdrew Allen in the fourth quarter, preferring not to pad his stats late in a blowout. He had 182 passing yards and 17 rushing yards. The Bills won big, but it was the second straight quiet performance for Allen.

There was nothing wrong with Allen’s performance, but stats matter when Jackson has been on fire lately. The Bills may not care about Allen’s stats or the MVP considering they are one of the best teams in the NFL and a threat to win a Super Bowl as the No. 2 seed in the AFC. They proved that again by destroying the Jets.

It’s a two-man race for the MVP award, and maybe three or four if Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs or if Saquon Barkley breaks Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.

Allen had a big lead just a few weeks ago. The race seems very close with a week to go. And Allen might not play next week because the Bills secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC with Sunday’s win.

Baker Mayfield: He was so good with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that Mayfield will likely give his offensive coordinator a head coaching job for the second straight year.

Mayfield had a fantastic season with Liam Coen calling the shots and rising up the list of potential head coaches in the offseason, and he played well again on Sunday in a dominant 48-14 win over the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield had 359 yards and five touchdowns. He has 39 touchdown passes with a week left this season.

The Buccaneers have a good chance of winning the NFC South and they won’t have an easy game in the wild card round. Mayfield, whose career stalled just a few years ago, is now playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

LOSER

All Browns-Dolphins fans: Imagine sitting in the rain in Cleveland in late December watching Dorian Thompson-Robinson take on Tyler Huntley.

Those who stuck it out deserve a pat on the back, even if they’ll never get those three hours back. The Dolphins won 20-3 and stayed alive in the AFC wild card race. The Browns were terrible on offense, which was always the case when Thompson-Robinson was in the starting lineup. Huntley played well in place of Tua Tagovailoa, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another 53 yards and a score.

The Browns, who fell to 3-13, were long ago out of the playoff race. Their fans are hoping for better results next season. That won’t happen unless the team finds a more viable option at quarterback.

Tennessee Titans, with a silver lining: The Titans were absolutely terrible throughout December. They haven’t won a game all month. On Sunday they played the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the worst teams in football, and lost 20-13.

But it could turn out well. The Titans are moving further up the draft order – the Jaguars’ win helps the Titans’ draft position, so it was a double dip for Tennessee in the loss – and they need a quarterback. Will Levis was traded away and it’s hard to believe Tennessee would be happy going into 2025 if he was a key part of their plans. If the Titans get far enough in the draft to select Ward or Sanders, the losses won’t feel as bad.

Overall, nothing that happened in Brian Callahan’s first season as head coach of the Titans can be viewed as good news for the franchise.

New Orleans Saints: For some teams that finish the season poorly, there is hope in the offseason. Is there much hope for the Saints?

The Saints are so bad that they were beaten 25-10 at home by a Las Vegas Raiders team that came into the game 3-12. New Orleans’ late-season struggles, which included being shut out by the Greens on Monday night of Week 16. The Bay Packers can be blamed largely for the injuries. That doesn’t mean the outlook for next season is much better.

The Saints cannot be comfortable with Derek Carr at the quarterback position. They’re well over the salary cap again, so there will be some cuts. There is some young talent in the squad, but not so much that there would be a realistic goal of a quick recovery in 2025.

Sunday was another bad day for the Saints. There are likely many more to come.