The New England Patriots' hopes of landing a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft are riding with ... Jacoby Brissett?
The Washington Commanders named Brissett their starting quarterback for their Week 17 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, relegating Sam Howell to the bench after the second-year QB threw a pair of interceptions in last week's loss to the New York Jets.
Why should Patriots fans care about the Commanders' quarterback situation, you ask? Well, New England and Washington both enter Week 17 with 4-11 records, but at the moment, the Commanders have the rights to the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, while the Patriots are at No. 4. The first tiebreaker for draft order is reverse strength of schedule, and Washington has the slim edge with a combined opponent winning percentage of .518 compared to New England's .522, per Tankathon.
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That means the only way the Patriots can vault to No. 3 is if the Commanders win. Which is why they should be rooting for an old friend Sunday at FedExField.
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Brissett was drafted by the Patriots in the third round in 2016 and got a chance to start two games as a rookie due to Tom Brady's suspension for Deflategate and Jimmy Garoppolo's shoulder injury. Brissett went 1-1 as a starter, leading a surprising 27-0 win over the Houston Texans but falling to the Buffalo Bills the following week.
The 31-year-old is on his fourth team since that season but has given the Commanders a spark in back-to-back weeks. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns in relief of Howell in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams, then went 10 for 13 for 100 yards and a score in the second half last Sunday.
Brissett faces a tall task against the 11-4 49ers and their third-ranked defense this weekend, and if he remains the starter, he'll get another stiff challenge in Week 18 in the Dallas Cowboys. Washington should be a heavy underdog in both games, so Patriots fans probably shouldn't bank on getting any help from the Commanders.
But if Brissett can somehow pull off an upset this Sunday or next -- and if the Patriots lose their final two games against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets -- he'd be doing his former team a massive favor and potentially set New England up for a chance to land a highly-touted quarterback prospect like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.