We have just a few of weeks left of the 2023 NFL regular season, and teams around the league are making their final postseason pushes. Playoff races are starting to take shape and there are some massive games left to be played on the schedule, which will certainly affect the seeding on both conferences.
NFL Draft Position Will Be Affected This Weekend
Huge draft positioning matchups coming up this week:
– Commanders (4-10) at Jets (5-9)
– Cardinals (3-11) at Bears (5-9)The #Patriots are also just one game back of the No. 1 pick after Carolina’s win on Sunday. There’s still a chance that could flip-flop in the final three… https://t.co/XxI3kaottu
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 19, 2023
But there are teams at the other end of the standings who have long been eliminated from contention, and their games this coming weekend will have big future implications, as well.
The race for the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is heating up. The Carolina Panthers have been the worst team in the league throughout most of the season thus far, and entered Week 15 with two-fewer wins than any other franchise. It looked as though they were headed for the distinction of having the worst record of any team, and were 2.5 point home underdogs against the Falcons last week.
But Bryce Young and company were able to pick up their second win of the season over Atlanta, clouding the projections for the top-5 of next year’s draft.
The Panthers, who have the unfortunate distinction of giving the Bears their first round pick next year, still have the worst record in the NFL at 2-12, but have just one fewer win than both the Cardinals and Patriots. Should Carolina find a way to win yet another over their final three, then it could be Arizona or New England that we see slide into the top spot.
Battle Of Two Bottom-Five Teams This Weekend
The Arizona Cardinals have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. pic.twitter.com/QjRIn1ucGK
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 18, 2023
There will be some shifting going on amongst the top (bottom?) ten this weekend. For the Week 16 slate in the NFL, there are two games that will feature four teams that are both currently one of nine worst.
In the early window on Christmas Eve, the 4–10 Commanders will be taking on the 5–9 Jets. New York could play themselves out of the draft’s top-10 should they come out with a win, though things are looking as rough as ever at the quarterback position. But Washington is dealing with similar issues, and the line is 3 points in favor of the home Jets.
On the late slate, the 3–11 Cardinals will take on the 5–9 Bears in a matchup of two teams that are currently listed in the bottom five. Chicago is in great shape when it comes to their draft capital for next year, given that they have rights to the Panthers’ pick as well as their own. But they would be in danger of falling out of the current 5th spot if they were able to beat the lowly Cardinals, as there are four other teams with 5–9 records and another three at 6-8.
The Bears will be the home team in Week 16, and will are currently listed as 4.5 point favorites.
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