With two weeks left on the NFL’s regular-season calendar, several fan bases find themselves in an unusual situation. There are 14 teams with records of either 8-7 or 7-8. All of them still have viable playoff aspirations, but nearly all of them could also find their way into a top-10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, too.
It’s an especially pronounced phenomenon in the South divisions of both conferences.
In the NFC, Tampa Bay leads the South at 8-7, with the Falcons and Saints each 7-8. New Orleans plays each of its division foes in the final two weeks; if the Saints win out, they’re in decent shape for a playoff berth and perhaps a division title. But if they lose both, a top-10 pick is very much in the cards.
The AFC South is just as contrived. Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville are all 8-7. If the Texans win out, they’re guaranteed a playoff berth. Lose out and they’re in real contention for a top-10 pick — which they’ve already traded to Arizona.
Here’s the current draft slot and order of the cluster of 7-8 teams. Note the Packers and Vikings play one another in Week 17, with the winner looking good for a wild card berth and the loser looking good to seize a top-12 pick.
10. Falcons
11. Saints
12. Packers
13. Raiders
14. Broncos
15. Vikings
Now for the teams entering the final two weeks at 8-7. Getting a top-10 pick is effectively, if not mathematically, out for nearly all these teams, but the range between picking 13th and 23rd is wide open.
16. Texans (traded to Cardinals)
17. Steelers
18. Bengals
19. Buccaneers
20. Colts
21. Seahawks
22. Jaguars
23. Rams
It’s going to be a fascinating final two weeks for fans of these teams, vacillating between postseason dreams or a much better draft slot.