The Patriots are the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after their loss to the Bills

FOXBORO – The New England Patriots lost again on Sunday despite putting up a good fight in Buffalo and are currently the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with two weeks left in the season. That’s no bad consolation for such a frustrating year, because the Patriots should be able to acquire a game-changing talent or trade the pick for a nice bounty.

The Patriots got another assist from Mac Jones on Sunday as the former New England QB and his Jacksonville Jaguars lost 19-14 to the weak Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16. It was only the third win of the season for Las Vegas, and the first since September 29th.

This Raiders win coupled with a Patriots loss catapulted New England ahead of Las Vegas in the draft order. The Patriots and Raiders are currently among five teams with a 3-12 record, but the Patriots are the worst in the league with a batting average of .436, giving New England second place in the standings.

The Jaguars (.480 strength of schedule) are third in the draft order, followed by the Tennessee Titans (.512), Cleveland Browns (.532) and Raiders, rounding out the NFL’s 3-12 bracket.

All of those teams were overtaken by the New York Giants, who went 2-13 in the NFL following their loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Giants have lost 10 straight and finish the season 7-8 against the Indianapolis Colts in New Jersey and 12-3 on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Patriots remaining schedule

New England will finish the season with two home games, hosting the LA Chargers next Saturday and the Bills in Week 18. The 9-6 Chargers currently own the sixth seed in the AFC, just ahead of the 10-5 Baltimore Ravens and just ahead of the 9-6 Denver Broncos. So the Chargers absolutely have to win in Week 17.

The Bills, fresh off their 24-21 home win over the Pats, are 12-3 on the year could Play for the AFC’s No. 1 seed – but only if the Kansas City Chiefs lose their two remaining games: at the Steelers on Christmas Day and at the Broncos in Week 18.

There’s a good chance the Patriots finish the season at 3-14. However, if the Chiefs win on Wednesday, the Bills won’t play much longer in Week 18 and may rest their stars.

It’s no fun celebrating losses to improve a team’s draft position, and that’s even more true for the Patriots as it looks like they have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. It would be really nice to see them finish the season with at least one more win and start working towards something in 2025.

But the team desperately needs some top talent around Maye and should be able to fill a big need with such a high pick – whether it’s a left tackle or wide receiver.

As for the rest of the 3-12 teams, the Jaguars host the Titans before visiting the Colts to close out the season. The Browns host the Dolphins and visit the Ravens, the Titans play the Texans in Week 18 after visiting the Jags, and the Raiders visit the Saints and host the Chargers in the final two weeks.