Week 17-Draft Implications

-Coast

The Bills have a 100% completely meaningless football game tomorrow. The Jets are playing for nothing which makes beating the Jets pointless. If the Jets needed this game, I would want the Bills to play spoiler but since the Jets have clinched already, the Bills should forfeit if they could.

The Bills currently are in a battle for the 2nd pick in the draft. Having the 2nd pick could be huge because the Bills will get Luck if he is passed on by the Panthers, the Bills could get the best defensive player in the draft and having the 2nd pick could make trading for Luck easier.

The Bills are 4-11, tied with the Bengals and Broncos. The team with the weakest strength of schedule picks first. Currently, the Bills have the best strength of schedule out of those three teams and therefore, should they be tied, the Bills would pick last. The Bengals play the Ravens in Baltimore. Baltimore is still in the hunt for a first round bye and therefore will be going all out for this one. It is likely they will win. Denver plays the Chargers at home in a meaningless AFC west battle. San Diego is playing for nothing while Denver is being led by an interim head coach and a QB looking to prove they belong in the league. Denver could definitely win this game and probably will. Predictions, assuming the Bills lose to the Jets.

• Bills 4-12, loss to Jets
• Bengals 4-12, loss to Ravens
• Broncos 5-11, victory over San Diego

If this scenario plays out, the Bills will pick third. What if Buffalo wins? Well, in that case, we must consider all the five win teams: Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, Arizona, Cleveland and Houston. Here are their week 17 match ups and predictions.

• Dallas is playing at Philadelphia who is playing for nothing and will be without Vick. Kitna is playing for a job in the league as a backup and Garrett is trying to prove to Jerry Jones he belongs. Dallas needs this win and will probably get it on the road pushing them to 6-10.
• The Vikings play at Detroit and are in a similar situation as the Cowboys. Leslie Frasier is looking to prove he can be the Vikings head coach after their big win at Philadelphia Tuesday. The incentive to win and the fact that the Vikings just have more talent than Detroit will put them over the top. Detroit will finish at 5-11.
• The 49ers and Cardinals play each other. San Francisco fired their coach and are a complete mess. I don't even know who plays QB for the Cardinals. One of these teams will win, it doesn't matter who, so I will go with 'Zona. Arizona finished 6-10 leaving the 49ers at 5-11.
• The Browns are playing the Steelers at home with a chance to play spoiler. The Steelers need a win to clinch the division and a first round bye. The Browns have beaten some good teams this year, but they won't get it done Sunday and will finish at 5-11.
• The final 5-10 team is Houston, perhaps the biggest disappointment of the 2010 season. Gary Kubiak is probably going to lose his job regardless of the outcome Sunday against Jacksonville. They are facing Trend Edwards so I will take the Texans and they will finish 6-10.

Based on the above predictions, the teams finishing 5-11 if the Bills win will be:

• Buffalo
• San Francisco
• Cleveland
• Detroit
• Denver

If my predictions play out, which they always do, and the Bills win, which they always do when it screws them over the most, they will pick 7th. With a loss, they most likely will pick 3rd. That is a huge difference. The Bills need to lose the football game tomorrow, simple as that.