With the New York Jets sidelined for Week 11’s Sunday games following a Thursday night loss, it was an important day for tracking the Jets’ draft-order implications.

Unfortunately for the Jets, just about every relevant outcome did not go their way.

The Tennessee Titans (1-9), New York Giants (2-9), and Cleveland Browns (2-8) all lost their games. Each put up a respectable fight, losing by one score apiece, but it doesn’t matter in the end. A loss is a loss when it comes to the NFL draft order, and with those three losses, the Jets have tumbled down the draft board.

After entering Sunday in possession of the third overall pick, the Jets have dropped two spots to the fifth overall pick.

  1. Tennessee Titans (1-9, .572 SOS)
  2. New York Giants (2-9, .540 SOS)
  3. Cleveland Browns (2-8, .485 SOS)
  4. New Orleans Saints (2-8, .494 SOS)
  5. New York Jets (2-8, .523 SOS)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7, .548 SOS)
  7. Washington Commanders (3-8, .509 SOS)
  8. Los Angeles Rams, via Atlanta Falcons (3-7, .511 SOS)
  9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-7, .517 SOS)
  10. Arizona Cardinals (3-7, .547 SOS)

The 2-8 Jets are tied with the Browns and Saints for the third-worst record, but the Jets rank third in the tiebreaker due to strength-of-schedule. There’s a fairly wide gap that separates the Jets from each team, and they may be too wide to close with just seven weeks remaining in the season.

The bad news for New York is that the gap grew even larger after Sunday, as the Jets did not get certain results to fall their way that would have closed the SOS gap between them and the Browns/Saints.

READ MORE: Jets DT Jowon Briggs’ numbers since the Big Q trade are startling

At 2-9, the Giants have leapfrogged the Jets by a half-game with their loss to Green Bay, although their schedule is stronger than the Jets’ at the moment, so the Jets would currently win the tiebreaker if the teams were tied.

Now at 1-9, the Titans have gained a full-game lead on the Jets for the first overall pick, although New York’s schedule is significantly weaker than Tennessee’s, which gives the Jets strong odds of winning a potential tiebreaker.

The 2-7 Raiders still have to play the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Las Vegas would tie the Jets with a loss, but the Jets would remain ahead due to their weaker schedule.

Here’s a look at the Week 12 schedule for some of the top teams in the order:

  1. Tennessee Titans: vs. Seahawks
  2. New York Giants: at Lions
  3. Cleveland Browns: at Raiders
  4. New Orleans Saints: vs. Falcons
  5. New York Jets: at Ravens
  6. Las Vegas Raiders: vs. Browns

While it remains indisputable that the Jets would benefit from victories by any of these teams, what will remain in question until the end of time is whether “tanking” is truly worth it. Scholars (fans on their couches) have passionately debated the conundrum for generations, and a definitive answer may never arise.

What do Jets fans think, though? Well, it depends on the fan.

Some would love to see Aaron Glenn’s young squad continue learning how to win, building a foundation similar to the one established by Lions head coach Dan Campbell early in his career.

Others, tired of watching decades of horrid quarterback play, are willing to suffer short-term pain for the long-term gain of netting the best quarterback in the 2026 draft.

The Jets’ players and coaches, though, are fully focused on defeating the red-hot Baltimore Ravens in Maryland.