The New York Giants upset the Dallas Cowboys at home in Week 18. That had massive ripple effects on the New York Jets’ picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Giants‘ win over America’s Team opened a door for the Jets to have the No. 2 overall pick in the first round. All the Jets had to do was lose to the Buffalo Bills in the regular season finale to clinch it.
No problem.
The Jets lost 35 to 8 to the Bills. It was the fifth straight loss by at least 23 points. The 14th loss of the season for the Jets clinched that second overall pick. If the Giants hadn’t beaten the Cowboys, that lofty selection wouldn’t have been possible.
The Jets Benefited Double From That Giants Upset Win Over Dallas
So the Giants’ win helped the Jets move up in the first round, but it also helped drop the Cowboys.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, the Jets struck a blockbuster trade with Dallas. They shipped off superstar defensive tackle Quinnen Williams for a package of picks, including a 2026 second-rounder.
The Giants beating the Cowboys made that second-rounder a better draft choice for the Jets. According to Tankathon, the Cowboys’ pick that belongs to the Jets now sits at No. 44 overall.
A Silver Lining to One of the Worst Seasons of All Time
This is only the third time in franchise history that the Jets have lost 14 or more games in a season. That infamous list includes 2020 (2-14), 1996 (1-15), and now 2025 (3-14).
While the team didn’t acquire the No. 1 overall pick, the No. 2 overall pick isn’t a bad consolation prize.
Four NFL teams finished with 14 losses this season. Thankfully for the Jets, their strength of schedule (.552) worked in their favor. That gave them the edge in the tiebreaker against two of the other three teams, who also finished with 14 losses.
An Embarrassing Merciful End to a Terrible Season for the Jets
Earlier this week, head coach Aaron Glenn said his goal was to be “competitive” against the Bills.
He was unable to accomplish that feat in either matchup against the Bills.
In Week 2, the Bills blew out the Jets at MetLife Stadium 30 to 10. The rematch was much worse.
Buffalo got 30 first downs, had over 470 net yards of offense, averaged 6.5 yards per play, rushed for over 211 yards, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
The Jets, on the other hand, only had nine first downs, finished with 122 total net yards, averaged 2.7 yards per play, finished with only 69 yards rushing, and averaged three yards per carry.
Brady Cook was an abomination. The undrafted free agent finished with 60 passing yards. He averaged 2.7 yards per pass, completed 50% of his passes, and just couldn’t move the ball consistently.
In a lot of ways, this was the season from hell for the Jets. Thankfully for the fans, it is all over. On Monday, January 5, the team can officially turn the page to the offseason. This is the perfect time of year for Jets fans. This is a time filled with hope, optimism, free agency dollars, and plenty of draft capital.
To turn this godforsaken ship around, the Jets need to nail those decisions. They have the resources to turn this thing around, but to execute it is a different matter entirely.
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