The New England Patriots delivered their supporters a great Christmas present on Sunday night, defeating the Denver Broncos 26-23 on the road.
Except that it isn’t as nice as it appears, at least from one perspective.
This win was a nightmare for New England in terms of their placement in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Patriots have been in the running for the top choice all season, but their chances have all but vanished. They are now two games ahead of the Carolina Panthers with the same number of games remaining, and even if they can miraculously get back into the race, they almost surely will not win the strength of schedule tiebreaker.
However, even before this game, the #1 pick appeared to be a long shot, which helps to lessen the blow.
What’s more heartbreaking is that New England may have played themselves out of a spot in the top three. Following Sunday’s play, the Patriots now possess the No. 4 pick in the April draft, trailing the Arizona Cardinals and the Washington Commanders by a tiebreaker.
For a long time, there have been two can’t-miss quarterback possibilities in this draft: Caleb Williams of USC and Drake Maye of North Carolina. The Patriots have been in excellent position all season to choose one of those two as their future quarterback, but that is no longer the case.
There are other solid quarterback prospects available, but they lack the same luster as the top two.
If the Patriots win another game, which is quite likely with a home game against the New York Jets to finish the season, they might be drafted as low as seventh. If they go on a tear and win both of their remaining games, they may potentially drop out of the top 10.