Patriots Hold Jarring Spot In Standings, Draft Order After Losing To Dolphins

The Patriots simultaneously have reached a new low and a new high in the Bill Belichick era. And both are a direct result of being a bad football team.

New England on Sunday suffered a 31-17 road loss to the Miami Dolphins. A few hours afterward, the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since 2015.

As a result, the Patriots now have the worst record in the AFC. Nothing that happens Sunday night or Monday night can change that.

On the positive side, if you can call it that, New England now is sitting pretty in the 2024 NFL Draft order. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

First, let’s look at the updated AFC standings, with teams below the line currently out of playoff contention.

(Note: The Chargers and Raiders will play Sunday night and Monday night, respectively.)

1. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
2. Miami Dolphins (6-2)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2)
4. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
5. Buffalo Bills (5-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
7. Cleveland Browns
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8. New York Jets (4-3)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
10. Houston Texans (3-4)
11. Tennessee Titans (3-4)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (3-4, at Detroit Lions)
13. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)
14. Denver Broncos (2-5)
15. Los Angeles Chargers (2-4, vs. Chicago Bears)
16. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-6)

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Now, let’s look at the current 2024 NFL Draft order:

(Note: The Bears’ second pick would leapfrog New England and move up from No. 5 to No. 3 with a win over the Chargers.)

1. Arizona Cardinals (1-7)
2. Chicago Bears (via 1-6 Carolina Panthers)
3. New York Giants (2-6)
4. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-6)
5. Chicago Bears (2-5)
6. Green Bay Packers (2-5)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (2-4)
8. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)
9. Denver Broncos (3-5)
10. Los Angeles Rams (3-5)

Strength of schedule is the first tiebreaker for determining which team gets the higher pick. The team with the lower opposing winning percentage gets the higher pick, with the logic being that teams facing a tougher schedule might not be as bad as their records indicate.

With that in mind, the Patriots currently have the 12th-easiest remaining schedule, and three of their remaining nine games are against teams currently in the top 10 of the draft order. So, while New England doesn’t control its own destiny for a top two pick, it has a clear path toward a top five selection.

Yes, that’s where we’re at now. Whether Belichick will accept that reality before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline remains to be seen.

Regardless, it’s about time to start freshening up on NFL draft prospects. You can click here for our updated breakdown of which players could make sense for New England.