The bye week means Patriots fans are spared the unpleasant internal battle of knowing it’s probably better for their team to lose for draft positioning and at the same time not wanting to watch that occur.
But there are still football games this weekend and Patriots fans hoping to land in a top draft spot have rooting interest in several of them. Here’s what New England fans should be hoping for:
Cardinals (2-8) at Texans (5-4) — The return of Kyler Murray to the Cardinals lineup could drastically impact who is the Patriots’ quarterback in 2024. On one hand, he makes Arizona a better team and could lead them out of a spot where they’re positioned to draft his replacement which would be good for Patriots fans dreaming of Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. If not he could be a trade option for New England. Arizona has a tough game this week but they have winnable games left against the Bears and Rams. ROOT FOR: Cardinals
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Titans (3-6) at Jaguars (6-3) — This game has obvious draft implications as well as an interesting subplot. For draft reasons, Patriots fans should be rooting for the Titans to add a fourth win, which would give them two more than New England. But if the Patriots are hoping Mike Vrabel might be their next head coach, more Tennessee losses might make the Titans less likely to stand in his way of leaving. ROOT FOR: Titans
Cowboys (6-3) at Panthers (1-8) — There is no game this year that Dallas can’t win and no game they can’t lose. For all of their talent, they’ve dropped a couple of stinkers. The Bears have the Panthers’ pick so Carolina has no real tanking incentive. A Panthers win would open the door to the Patriots moving up to the No. 1 overall pick. It also makes it more likely that Mike McCarty would get fired. There have been rumors (and they’re just rumors) that the Cowboys could be interested in Bill Belichick if the Patriots let him go. ROOT FOR: Panthers
Bears (3-7) at Lions (7-2) — A win for Chicago in this classic rivalry would put them two victories clear of the Patriots. ROOT FOR: Bears
Chargers (4-5) at Packers (3-6) — The Patriots are rooting against the Packers for two reasons. 1. Obviously they’re close in record. 2. A loss for the Chargers means their record would be worse when the Patriots play them. Strength of schedule is a tie-breaker if teams have the same record so weakening the Chargers helps the Patriots as well. Root for: Packers
Giants (2-8) at Commanders (4-6) — Can the Giants beat anyone with Tommy DeVito at quarterback? The Patriots should hope so. ROOT FOR: Giants
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Jets (4-5) at Bills (5-5) — The Jets have two more wins than New England with Zach Wilson at quarterback. Let that sink in. If Aaron Rodgers returns at anything close to full strength they should win a couple more games. But just in case it would help if they won again. ROOT FOR: J-E-T-S etc. etc.
Seahawks (6-3) at Rams (3-6) — The Rams have plummeted hard, but they get Matt Stafford back and are playing at home. ROOT FOR: Rams
