'Chase Young Bowl' revisited: An NFL lesson in tanking for NY Giants. Ask Andrew Thomas

EAST RUTHERFORD - Andrew Thomas had already turned his focus to the 2020 NFL Draft, deciding he had played his last college game for the University of Georgia by opting out of the Sugar Bowl.

Just about everyone else expected the New York Giants and Washington to be doing the same when they met at FedEx Field in the game commonly billed as the "Chase Young Bowl," which at the time would ultimately be remembered for determining the future of a player who was nowhere near the stadium.

The outcome - Giants 41, Washington 35, in overtime - actually determined the future of two players.

That was four years ago.

When the Giants and Commanders cross paths in that building again Sunday, only one of those players will be there.

And it's not the one everybody anticipated since Washington dealt Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a compensatory third-round pick at the trade deadline three weeks ago.

"Honestly, I didn't know until after the fact [about the hype of the Chase Young Bowl], I didn't watch much NFL football back then," Thomas told NorthJersey.com in an interview for the "All In with Art Stapleton" podcast on Thursday. "I didn't think about picks and all that, just wanted to put my best on film at Georgia. After the fact, I heard a lot more about that stuff, but didn't pay much attention to it. If anything, I would've liked to have more matchups with Chase Young because he was a great player."

The Giants were immediately branded draft losers because they won the Chase Young Bowl, but they landed Thomas - so who really won? That was a game to determine which of the NFC East rivals would lose and ultimately get the higher draft pick - insignificant in the standings - with the opportunity to select Young, who was considered a generational pass rusher and the best player on every team's board after Joe Burrow.

The Giants won the game behind five touchdown passes from Daniel Jones, including his final throw in overtime to tight end Kaden Smith to clinch the victory. That result dropped Big Blue to fourth, allowing Washington to move up to No. 2, where four months later they welcomed Young into the fold.

Four seasons later, it's completely fair to ask a question that, at one point, seemed outrageous, yet not so much anymore: Did the Giants actually win the Chase Young Bowl twice with what they ended up getting as a consolation price?

Because Thomas is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, emerging as a cornerstone within the Giants' offense despite the freak hamstring injury that sidelined him for seven games earlier this season.

Washington shipped Young out of town. The Giants have Thomas signed through the 2029 season after he inked a five-year extension worth $117.5 million in July.

The Giants (2-8) are currently sitting at No. 2 overall in the projected 2024 NFL Draft order, with potential franchise quarterbacks Caleb Williams of USC and North Carolina's Drake Maye expected to go 1-2, and with Jones out for the season and set to undergo ACL surgery, any quest to select Williams or Maye likely hinges on more losing than winning over the final seven games.

The Chase Young Bowl did teach us a lesson in NFL tanking. Whether that changes how you view Sunday's eventual outcome any differently is a matter of perspective.

Shooting for a franchise quarterback is different than any other position. The science and luck in terms of evaluation and the process is the same.

"We always talked after games," Thomas said of Young. "We wanted both of us to succeed. When you play against good players, that brings your level of competition up."

Thomas sees value in being on the field over the next eight weeks, even though circumstances surrounding the team and his own future would suggest shutting things down. He was rolled up on by a defender in the first half of last Sunday's 49-17 loss to the Cowboys, and limped off with the medical staff after tweaking his left knee.

Thomas went from the field to the blue medical tent on the Giants' sideline and then to the cart, which brought him to the locker room for X-rays. Imagine the surprise for just about all in attendance when Thomas returned to the sideline and then the game, which he finished at left tackle battling Micah Parsons for the rest of the afternoon.

"He’s a tough kid and absolutely, you see him go down like that and just walking off the field, it’s never a good thing when you see a guy hurt like that," Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. "So it was great to have him back and great to get him back in the lineup. Obviously, I think the o-line kind of feeds off that, too."

Young had two sacks in his second-to-last game for Washington last month against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Thomas was still out of action, and he was looking forward to facing off in the rematch, but now that's not going to happen.

"I just want to be on the field," Thomas said. "You work so hard in the offseason, you only get a few opportunities, and I missed half of them. I want to be on the field and play. I work so hard to be here."

In a season of uncertainty, Thomas' presence with the Giants is something they know they can count on.

"Obviously things are not where we want them to be right now," he added. "You see who your true leaders are in times of adversity. It's easy for everybody to buy in when you're winning."

And when teams lose like the Giants have this year, it's a lot easier to root for draft position than a result that can change the course of a franchise months later.

What's in the best interest of the Giants?

If the Andrew Thomas Bowl taught us anything, it's that we just don't know for sure.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 'Chase Young Bowl': An NFL lesson in tanking for NY Giants