2024 NFL Draft order: Patriots' win helps Cardinals and Commanders move into top three
In his 24 seasons with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick hadn't had a losing record against any team in the NFL. The New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks both have .500 records against The Hoodie, but no team can say that it has the upper hand.
Well, the Denver Broncos, who were 10-10 heading into their Sunday night game against Belichick’s Patriots, attempted to give him his lone blemish in that regard. Denver needed to win to keep its playoff hopes in good standing. And New England, who needs a new quarterback next season, went into the game owning the second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Belichick said No. 2 pick be damned; if this is his final season leading the Patriots, it'll be on his terms. And while those terms yielded arguably New England’s best performance of the season and a win, it also might prove critical to the Patriots’ chances of drafting one of this draft’s two top quarterback prospects.
New England dropped to No. 4 in the draft order, and helped the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders each move up a spot to Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. And both those teams face a top NFC team in Week 17, with the Cardinals visiting the Philadelphia Eagles and the Commanders hosting the San Francisco 49ers.
With the 49ers' loss on Monday, it has opened the door for the Eagles to overtake them as the top seed in the conference. All that means is that these bottom-dwelling teams will likely get the very best version of both teams late in the year.
Lone top-10 matchup features Falcons visiting Bears
Unlike Week 16, when spectators were treated to a handful of games between teams in the top 10 of the draft order, this weekend offers only one such contest. The Atlanta Falcons, who still find themselves trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South title race, head to Soldier Field to take on the Bears.
In a similar matchup last week, Bears quarterback Justin Fields continued his hot late-season streak against the Cardinals. He scrambled for the game's first touchdown, rushed nine times for 97 yards and threw for 170 yards, a score and an interception.
Fields helped Chicago to a 27-16 win over Arizona at home. And if the Bears decide to trade the quarterback, well, Fields is also helping the front office with his strong performances to close out the season.
All things considered, this has the makings of a good game. Atlanta needs to win out to keep its playoff hopes alive, while Fields seems to be on a mission to prove that he can be the guy in Chicago.
Bird land: Cardinals face the Eagles on the road
The good news for the Cardinals is that it looks like there's not much threat of them losing the No. 2 pick with this matchup.
With the 49ers' loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, the Eagles and 49ers once again share the same record. San Francisco holds the tiebreaker with the head-to-head victory, but both teams now need to play their best ball to solidify the top seed.
So why is that very bad for the Cardinals? The Eagles are heavily motivated, especially after snapping their three-game losing streak against the New York Giants, and this has all the makings of a tune-up game for Philadelphia. All season long, the Eagles have heard about how they're not the same, dominant team as last year. (And they're absolutely not, to be clear.)
But against a lowly opponent ... at Lincoln Financial Field ... and with a shot at capturing the top seed, anticipate the Eagles putting on a show for New Year's Eve. But don't forget, Arizona fans: A loss maintains the second spot in the draft, so there's a silver lining.
Commanders welcome the 49ers to FedEx Field
And this brings us to our second game with a similar vibe. Commanders fans, don't expect the 49ers to be particularly good guest on Sunday afternoon. With its loss to Baltimore, San Francisco has now opened the door for the Eagles to swoop in — get it? — and snatch the No. 1 seed from their clutches.
The 49ers were embarrassed at home by the Ravens. Quarterback Brock Purdy played the worst outing of his career with a four-interception performance and left the game due to injury, although he's expected to be fine going forward. If this game against the Commanders doesn't have all the ingredients for a beatdown, then what does?
Chase Young returns to FedEx Field for the first time since Washington dealt him to San Francisco at the trade deadline, so there's a matchup to watch there. The Commanders look like they may turn to veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett after he nearly led Washington to its second comeback win in as many weeks this past Sunday.
Will San Francisco's offensive line be in any better shape after losing players left and right against the Ravens? San Francisco has a lot to lose if it doesn't handle its business on this cross-country trip.
Who will pick No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Here is the current 2024 NFL Draft order entering Week 17:
Arizona Cardinals
Washington Commanders
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Chicago Bears
Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos
Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Seattle Seahawks
Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns)
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Baltimore Ravens
Latest Yahoo Sports mock draft top 10 (from Dec. 28)
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
2. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
3. Washington Commanders: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
4. New England Patriots: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
5. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
6. Los Angeles Chargers: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
9. New York Jets: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
10. Atlanta Falcons: Brian Thomas, WR, LSU
Who will be taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The Carolina Panthers tried to make things very interesting against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, taking the game all the way down to the wire.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had his best game as a pro. He logged his first 300-yard passing game, as well as his second contest with multiple passing touchdowns, and he didn't turn the ball over while being sacked only twice. This was the first game since Oct. 8 against the Detroit Lions that Young was sacked less than three times and only the third time season that that has happened.
So even though Carolina loss, it was one where there were some feel-good elements. The Chicago Bears felt even better because a win would have put the Panthers' No. 1 pick (which the Bears own) in jeopardy.
Based on the conversations our Charles Robinson has had with front-office executives around the league, the general consensus is that Chicago deals Fields to a quarterback-needy team, and then drafts USC's Caleb Williams. The Bears already passed on the chance at C.J. Stroud, and having a rookie contract on the books works better for Chicago.
