Bears' win over Vikings helps Patriots further lock in to top-three draft pick
BOSTON -- The bottom of the NFL standings continues to sort itself out, and the Chicago Bears are in ideal position.
The Bears own the Panthers' first-round pick in 2024, which could well result in Chicago landing the No. 1 overall pick. The Bears themselves are also having a rough season, so they'll land another high draft pick for next year's draft. But the team doesn't have to worry about their own pick that much, as the 1-10 Panthers appear to be on track to deliver the best pick in the whole draft.
So when the Bears beat the Vikings in a rather unique football game on Monday night, it was cause for good feelings in Chicago.
It was also good news in New England.
With the win, the Bears improved to 4-8 on the season. That puts the Bears in a three-way tie for the fourth-worst record in the NFL, and they now have two more wins than the Patriots and Cardinals.
NFL Draft Order, After Week 12
1. Carolina (belongs to Chicago), 1-10
2. Arizona, 2-10
3. New England, 2-9
4. Chicago, 4-8
5. Washington, 4-8
6. NY Giants, 4-8
Given the way the Patriots have looked lately, and given the reality that they don't really have a quarterback right now, it's going to be difficult for the Patriots to even get to four wins. So even if the Bears, Commanders and Giants all go winless between now and Week 18, the Patriots still will most likely end the year owning a top-three pick.
The Patriots' upcoming schedule includes a home date with the Chargers this week, a road game on a short week in Pittsburgh next Thursday, a Monday night meeting with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs the next week, and a trip to Denver on another short week for a Sunday night game on Christmas Eve against the Broncos. After that, the Patriots travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in Week 17, before hosting the Jets in Week 18.
The Patriots have proven with their Week 7 upset of the Bills that they can pull off an unexpected upset, but they're certain to be underdogs in all of those games except for Week 18. But if Aaron Rodgers returns before then, the script could flip on that one, as well.
Of course, this is sports, so anything can happen. But at this point, the likeliest scenario for the Patriots is that they end up with third pick at worst in next year's draft.
