Where Patriots Now Fall In NFL Draft Order, AFC Playoff Standings

There are two ways to look at the Patriots’ dramatic home win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

On the one hand, it’s a season-saving victory that enables you to squint and see a path to the playoffs for New England. But on the other hand, it puts a serious dent in the Patriots’ chances of landing a franchise-altering top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Here’s the updated draft order, via NFL.com:

1. Chicago Bears (via 0-6 Carolina Panthers)
2. Arizona Cardinals (1-6)
3. Chicago Bears (2-5)
4. Denver Broncos (2-5)
5. New York Giants (2-5)
6. New England Patriots (2-5)
7. Green Bay Packers (2-4)
8. Tennessee Titans (2-4)
9. Los Angeles Chargers (2-4)
10. New Orleans Saints (3-4)

And here’s the current AFC playoff picture, with teams below the line outside of postseason contention:

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

So, yeah, it’s not looking good on the draft front.

New England still could land a very good pick, but if it wants Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, it probably will need a top three selection. Otherwise, the Patriots would need to trade up, and that could be hard to do with nearly every team in the top 10 needing a new quarterback.

As for the playoff stuff, let’s talk if New England beats the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. If that happens, the Patriots, who already have the best AFC East record at 2-1, would be 3-5 overall and 3-1 in the division. Their next three games are against the Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants — all bad teams.

But a loss? That basically would end their season and cement their status as no-doubt sellers ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.