2024 NFL Draft order: How win vs. Steelers impacts Patriots' pick position
2024 NFL Draft order: How win vs. Steelers impacts Patriots' pick position originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots' five-game losing streak ended Thursday night with a 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road.
After scoring just one touchdown in their three previous games, the Patriots found the end zone three times (!) in the first half against the Steelers. And as bad as the Patriots offense has looked in recent weeks, the Steelers offense with backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky at the helm looked even worse.
The victory improved the Patriots' record to 3-10. The Arizona Cardinals -- who have a Week 14 bye -- also are 3-10, but the Patriots still own the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft because of the strength of schedule tiebreaker. The Patriots' strength of schedule is .524, while the Cardinals are at .558 with four games left for both teams. The team with the weaker strength of schedule gets the better draft pick.
The Patriots are now in danger of falling into the No. 4-to-No. 8 pick range because that's where the four-win teams currently sit in the 2024 draft order. If the Patriots don't win another game, they'll be guaranteed a top-three selection. A fourth victory would put the chances of landing in the top three in serious jeopardy. The worst-case scenario for New England is winning another game and dropping from the No. 2 or No. 3 pick all the way down to potentially No. 7 or No. 8.
The Patriots do have a tough remaining schedule, which bodes well for their chances of finishing with a top-three pick.
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They host the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 15, then they travel on the road to play the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively, before finishing up against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. The Jets game is easily the most winnable of the bunch, but New York has a pretty good defense, so we might get another low-scoring matchup between these rivals -- just like Week 3.
Here's the updated order for the top 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. This article has been updated through all Week 14 games.
10. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-8
9. Tennessee Titans, 5-8
8. New York Giants, 5-8
7. New York Jets, 5-8
6. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-8
5. Chicago Bears, 5-8
4. Washington Commanders, 4-9
3. Arizona Cardinals, 3-10
2. New England Patriots, 3-10
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers, 1-12)
