Not all New York Jets fans are invested in tanking (Aaron Glenn certainly isn’t). If the mere sight of the “T” word makes you physically recoil, it is a perfectly understandable response.
Those fans are well within their rights to continue rooting for wins. At the same time, the fans who prefer to tank are well within their rights to root for losses. Sports are entertainment, and fans can root for whatever they please.
All we’re here to do today is relay the facts to you. And here’s what Jets fans need to know going into Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons: There are massive NFL draft implications on the line today.
Jets’ Week 13 draft rooting guide
The Jets could go to sleep tonight in possession of the first overall pick, or they could fall as low as seventh.
Here is the draft order going into Week 13’s Sunday games:
- Tennessee Titans (1-10, .574 SOS)
- New York Giants (2-10, .546 SOS)
- New Orleans Saints (2-9, .492 SOS)
- New York Jets (2-9, .526 SOS)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-9, .554 SOS)
- Cleveland Browns (3-8, .482 SOS)
- Washington Commanders (3-8, .515 SOS)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-8, .565 SOS)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8, .521 SOS)
- Miami Dolphins (4-7, .484 SOS)
The Jets are currently in possession of the fourth overall pick. They’re tied for the third-worst record with New Orleans and Las Vegas, but the Saints have the weaker strength-of-schedule, yielding them the tiebreaker victory. The Jets, though, have a weaker schedule than Las Vegas, placing them second out of the three teams.
As their schedules currently stand, the Jets must finish with an outright worse record than New Orleans to leap them in the draft order. That makes the teams’ Week 15 meeting in the Big Easy a massive one for the futures of both quarterback-needy franchises.
The good news for the Jets is that they are currently equipped to beat the Giants and Titans in a tiebreaker. Strength-of-schedule is constantly changing, but at the moment, the Jets are comfortably ahead of both teams in the tiebreaker.
With that in mind, the Jets can finish Sunday with the first overall pick if they get the following results:
- Jets (+3) lose vs. Falcons
- Titans (+6.5) win vs. Jaguars
- Saints (+5.5) win @ Dolphins
The Jets would have an outright worse record than the Saints while entering a three-way tie for the worst record (2-10) with the Titans and Giants. In all likelihood, the Jets will still have the weakest strength of schedule among the three teams by the end of today, putting them in possession of the first overall pick.
The Giants, however, will take the field on Monday Night Football as 7.5-point road underdogs against the Patriots. If the Giants lose as expected, they would hop into the first overall spot by way of having the worst outright record (2-11). The Giants will have their late bye in Week 14.
In the event that the Jets defeat Atlanta, it would be helpful for the future of the franchise to see wins from teams below them in the draft order. If the Jets win and the following three teams also win, the Jets would stay in the fourth slot.
- Browns (+5.5) win vs. 49ers
- Raiders (+9.5) win @ Chargers
- Commanders (+6.5) win vs. Broncos
Any of those three teams would leapfrog the Jets with a loss and a Jets win, giving New York a floor of the seventh overall pick by the end of today.
The Cardinals (3-8) could also tie the Jets with a loss and a Jets win, but the Jets have a substantial strength-of-schedule advantage that Arizona cannot make up in one day, so the Jets are safe from the Cardinals for now. Still, it would be beneficial for the Jets in the long run if Arizona (+3.5) picked up a road upset in Tampa Bay.
Last but not least, Jets fans should continue rooting against the Indianapolis Colts, as the Jets own Indy’s first-round pick in 2026. With quarterback Daniel Jones playing through a fractured fibula, the Colts could be in dire straits despite their 8-3 record.
Today’s game is a massive one for the fate of New York’s first-round pick. Indy is hosting the red-hot Texans (6-5), who are quickly closing in on the Colts after ripping off three straight wins. With a home game against Indy scheduled for the season finale, Houston would be squarely back in the AFC South race with a win today.
The 7-4 Jaguars are also nipping at Indy’s heels. With Jones not at full strength and each of the Colts’ final six games against teams above .500, the Colts are suddenly in danger of missing the playoffs entirely. If they miss the dance, it will guarantee that the Jets’ pick lands in the top 18.
To summarize, here is your Week 13 rooting guide to bolster the Jets’ future:
- Titans (+6.5) win vs. Jaguars
- Saints (+5.5) win @ Dolphins
- Texans (+3) win @ Colts
- Cardinals (+3.5) win @ Buccaneers
- Browns (+5.5) win vs. 49ers
- Raiders (+9.5) win @ Chargers
- Commanders (+6.5) win vs. Broncos
- Giants (+7.5) win @ Patriots
