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Race to the No. 1 pick: Titans’ win over Chiefs turns it into four-team race

2026 NFL Draft Outlook Shifts Dramatically After Titans Upset Chiefs

Summary:

The Tennessee Titans (3-12) significantly altered the 2026 NFL draft landscape with their 26-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, dropping their own top-pick odds below 1% while boosting opponents’ positioning. The Raiders (2-13) and Giants (2-13) now hold nearly identical 48% odds for the No. 1 selection according to The Athletic’s projection model, with their Week 17 showdown serving as a decisive draft-order pivot point. Kansas City’s quarterback crisis (Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL and Gardner Minshew’s knee injury) unexpectedly positions them for a potential top-10 selection. Meanwhile, Cleveland (3-12) saw their No. 1 pick odds surge 12% after losing running back Quinshon Judkins to a severe leg injury.

What This Means for NFL Fans & Fantasy Managers:

  • Monitor Raiders-Giants Week 17 matchup – The loser gains 62-67% No. 1 pick odds, potentially determining draft order for star QB prospects
  • Reassess Chiefs dynasty value – Mahomes’ recovery timeline and potential top-10 draft capital could reshape Kansas City’s offensive weapons
  • Track strength of schedule (SOS) tiebreakersTeams like Tennessee/Arizona face draft-position penalties due to tougher opponents
  • Beware late-season “winning culture” impacts – Tennessee’s momentum hurts draft position but could benefit QB Cam Ward’s development

Original Post:

The Tennessee Titans essentially eliminated themselves from the running for next year’s No. 1 draft pick after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 26-9.

The Titans entered Sunday winless at home this season and had the second-best chance of securing next year’s top pick. However, both of those outcomes changed while the Chiefs’ nightmare season continued to spiral. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew left the game early with a knee injury, just one week after starter Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, and now the Chiefs suddenly find themselves within range of a top-10 pick. (Their odds are about 52 percent, according to The Athletic’s NFL Simulator, with them projected to pick at No. 10.)

Tennessee (3-12) has won two of its last three games, with remaining matchups against the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans’ odds of securing the No. 1 pick are less than 1 percent, and no combination of results alters those odds, according to the simulator. The Titans’ chances of selecting in the top five have even dipped to below 50 percent.

That’s because, with the New York Giants facing the Las Vegas Raiders next week in a battle of the league’s two remaining two-win teams, it is guaranteed that at least one team will finish the season with three wins. Even if the Titans lost their final two games to finish 3-14, their strength of schedule is significantly higher than the other potential three-win teams and thus they would lose the tiebreaker.

So, while Cam Ward won’t be welcoming another No. 1 pick to the Titans — or reaping the benefits of a trade — Tennessee is at least building a bit of late-season momentum for its franchise quarterback.

As a reminder, the draft order presented here is based on Austin Mock’s projection model, which includes where each team is expected to finish this season rather than how the draft order currently stacks up. Also worth noting: The Arizona Cardinals are still technically in the mix for the top pick. Similar to the Titans, their strength of schedule is high enough that they are unlikely to win any tiebreakers, though their odds to maintain a top-five pick are about 73 percent.

Let’s take a look at how teams still in the running for No. 1 fared in Week 16.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-13)

One week after being shut out 31-0 against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Raiders put up a good fight against the Houston Texans. The 23-21 loss was the Raiders’ closest game since they lost by 1 point against the Jaguars in overtime. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had the best game of his young career, scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown of 50 or more yards.

The Raiders still have the best odds of securing the No. 1 pick, though their odds have dipped and are basically even with the Giants. The model has generally viewed the Giants as stronger than the rest of this group in the mix for the top pick, though that seems to have changed after New York’s latest loss.

The Giants and the Raiders meet Sunday in Las Vegas in what will be a huge swing game. A Raiders loss would bump their odds to about 62 percent, while a win would knock them to about 4 percent. The Raiders also have a Week 18 game against the Chiefs — now down to their third-string quarterback — that could loom dangerous for fans who are dreaming of the top pick.

Remaining schedule: vs. New York Giants, vs. Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants (2-13)

The Giants are on a nine-game losing streak and haven’t won since early October. Their latest 16-13 result against the Minnesota Vikings gave their No. 1 pick odds a big boost and the model now views them as virtually the same as the Raiders.

The Vikings’ defense completely shut down rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense. Their 141 yards of offense were by far their lowest total of the season, and Dart finished with just 33 yards on 7-of-13 passing. A top pick in next year’s draft would be a rare highlight after a frustrating season for the Giants and help them turn the page under a new coach. The Giants fired Brian Daboll in November.

An all-important game in Las Vegas next week could decide who makes the first pick. If the Giants lose, their No. 1 pick odds launch to about 67 percent. If they win, the odds tank to less than 1 percent. Like the Raiders, their path to the top pick is rather clear: Lose the last two games, and the No. 1 pick is theirs.

Remaining schedule: at Las Vegas Raiders, vs. Dallas Cowboys

New York Jets (3-12)

In their first game since firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, the Jets’ defense showed progress. They (barely) broke their two-game skid of allowing more than 30 points, but the offense was a completely different story in the 29-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Saints (5-10) were previously in the running for the top pick, but a three-game winning streak has eliminated them from contention.

The Jets’ odds for the top pick boosted slightly after Sunday’s result, but still rank last among the teams in the running.

Remaining schedule: vs. New England Patriots, at Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns (3-12)

The Browns’ 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills was far from their worst showing of the season. But an offense that has struggled all year continued to come up short and miss opportunities to take control. Cleveland will also now be without rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, who was carted off the field in the second quarter with a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula.

The loss boosted Cleveland’s No. 1 pick odds by about 12 percent. If they lose their remaining two games and the Giants and Raiders each win one game, the Browns are expected earn the top pick by the strength of schedule tiebreaker.

Remaining schedule: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, at Cincinnati Bengals

Draft Strategy Resources:

People Also Ask About NFL Draft Position:

  • Q: How does strength of schedule affect NFL draft order? A: SOS serves as the primary tiebreaker between teams with identical records, favoring teams with weaker opponent win percentages.
  • Q: What quarterbacks are projected top-5 in 2026? A: Early mocks feature LSU’s Bryce Underwood, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Texas’ Arch Manning as potential elite prospects.
  • Q: Can teams trade draft position during the season? A: No – draft pick trades can only be finalized during the draft or through offseason negotiations.
  • Q: How do compensatory picks impact draft order? A: Compensatory selections (awarded March 2026) add 32+ picks after Round 3 but don’t affect top selection order.

Scouting Perspective:

“Late-season draft positioning creates franchise-altering dilemmas,” notes former NFL GM Randy Mueller. “While organizations like Tennessee may regret wins that cost them a top QB, developing competitive culture around young quarterbacks like Cam Ward has tangible value beyond draft capital – a nuance analytics models often undervalue.”

Key Terms:

  • 2026 NFL Draft order projections
  • Strength of schedule tiebreaker NFL
  • Top NFL draft pick odds 2026
  • Patrick Mahomes injury draft impact
  • NFL draft position tanking strategy
  • Raiders vs Giants draft implications
  • Quinshon Judkins injury replacement

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