The New England Patriots were officially eliminated from playoff contention in the AFC on Sunday, but they still have something to play for.
Sort of.
The Patriots are in a competitive fight for positioning in the 2024 NFL Draft order. They currently own the No. 2 pick with a 3-10 record at the bottom of the conference standings, but they have very little margin for error.
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If the Patriots lose their remaining four games, they will be guaranteed a top-three pick. But if they win one or more games, they will put themselves at risk of falling several spots in the draft order. Even a drop of two to three spots could be monumental depending on how the draft ultimately shakes out and where the top quarterbacks are selected.
Here's the updated top 10 of the draft order:
10. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-8
9. New York Jets, 5-8
8. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-8
7. Chicago Bears, 5-8
6. Tennessee Titans, 4-8
5. New York Giants, 4-8
4. Washington Commanders, 4-9
3. Arizona Cardinals, 3-10
2. New England Patriots, 3-10
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers, 1-12)
Luckily for the Patriots, two of the fpur-win teams right in front of them in the draft order entering Week 14 -- the New York Jets and Chicago Bears -- won on Sunday. The Jets beat the Houston Texans and the Bears defeated the Detroit Lions.
These results shrunk the group of four-win teams to three. Two of them -- the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants -- play on "Monday Night Football" to wrap up Week 14.
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The Giants (4-8), who occupy the No. 5 spot in the draft order, host the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium. This is a tough matchup for the Giants. The Packers have won three in a row and four of their last five. They also have a slim lead over the Los Angeles Rams for the third and final wild card playoff berth in the NFC, so New York should get Green Bay's best effort.
The Titans (4-8), who occupy the No. 6 spot in the draft order, are in Miami to play the Dolphins. This is an important game for the Dolphins as they try to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Miami would go back ahead of Balimore in the standings if it beats Tennessee on Monday night. The Titans have won just two of their last six games, with those victories coming against a pair of bad NFC South teams in the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons. A blowout win for the Dolphins wouldn't be surprising.
The Patriots' odds of landing a top-three pick in next year's draft are currently at 62 percent entering Monday's games, per ESPN Analytics.
These odds will improve if the Titans and/or Giants win on Monday night.
Therefore, as hard as it might be, Patriots fans should be rooting for both the Giants and Titans in the final matchups of Week 14.