The Athletic has live coverage of the Steelers vs Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
We’re well into the “to tank or not to tank” portion of the NFL season. Though the reality is that coaches and players have too much personally invested in their performances to roll over on Sundays (or Thursdays or Mondays or the occasional Saturday), the bad teams tend to be … well, bad, and so it sure can look like teams are taking losses on purpose.
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The Patriots are a prime example this year. Their defense has been plenty good enough to win their last four games, but the offense is an unmitigated disaster and, thus, the losses are piling up. (Any suggestion that this is now playing out exactly as Bill Belichick planned — Caleb Williams or Drake Maye might be an express ticket back to competitiveness — probably gives Belichick too much credit here.)
On the flip side, we have the Cardinals. They could have bailed on this season and challenged for the No. 1 pick. Instead, they’ve won two of their last four, including Sunday’s rain-drenched victory in Pittsburgh. The No. 3 slot wouldn’t be bad, by any stretch (hello, Marvin Harrison Jr.), but Arizona is now on the verge of dropping out of the top five.
The Round 1 order coming out of Week 13, with picks 19-32 based on current playoff seeding:
(*denotes division leader)
GO DEEPER
NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Bears, Patriots land new QBs; Jayden Daniels crashes top 10
Panthers’ remaining schedule: at NO, ATL, GB, at JAX, TB
Remaining schedule: at PIT, KC, at DEN, at BUF, NYJ
Remaining schedule: Bye, SF, at CHI, at PHI, SEA
Remaining schedule: Bye, at LAR, at NYJ, SF, DAL
Remaining schedule: DET, at CLE, ARI, ATL, at GB
Remaining schedule: HOU, at MIA, WAS, at CLE, at NE
Remaining schedule: GB, at NO, at PHI, LAR, PHI
Remaining schedule: at MIA, HOU, SEA, at HOU, JAX
Remaining schedule: CAR, NYG, at LAR, at TB, ATL
Remaining schedule: at ATL, at GB, JAX, NO, at CAR
Remaining schedule: MIN, LAC, at KC, at IND, DEN
Remaining schedule: DEN, at LV, BUF, at DEN, KC
Remaining schedule: at KC, DAL, at LAC, NE, at MIA
Remaining schedule: at LAC, at DET, NE, LAC, at LV
Remaining schedule: at SF, PHI, at TEN, PIT, at ARI
Remaining schedule: at BAL, WAS, NO, at NYG, at SF
Remaining schedule: IND, MIN, at PIT, at KC, CLE
Texans’ remaining schedule: at NYJ, at TEN, CLE, TEN, at IND
Remaining schedule: at NYG, TB, at CAR, at MIN, CHI
Remaining schedule: at LV, at CIN, DET, GB, at DET
Remaining schedule: at CIN, PIT, at ATL, LV, HOU
Remaining schedule: NE, at IND, CIN, at SEA, at BAL
Browns’ remaining schedule: JAX, CHI, at HOU, NYJ, at CIN
Remaining schedule: PHI, at BUF, at MIA, DET, at WAS
Remaining schedule: TB, at CAR, IND, at CHI, at NO
Remaining schedule: BUF, at NE, LV, CIN, at LAC
Remaining schedule: at CLE, BAL, at TB, CAR, at TEN
Remaining schedule: at CHI, DEN, at MIN, at DAL, MIN
Remaining schedule: SEA, at ARI, BAL, at WAS, LAR
Remaining schedule: LAR, at JAX, at SF, MIA, PIT
Remaining schedule: TEN, NYJ, DAL, at BAL, BUF
Remaining schedule: at DAL, at SEA, NYG, ARI, at NYG
(Photo: Billie Weiss / Getty Images)
“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, is on sale now. Order it here.
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