Hogs Haven
The Commanders got some help from the teams near them in the draft order last week to set up an exciting finish to the race for draft position.
Most importantly, two of the three teams that were two losses ahead of them won their Week 17 games to fall within striking distance. The New York Giants beat the hapless Raiders, as expected. But the jewel in the Week 17 crown was the 3-12 Browns’ surprise victory over the 9-6 Steelers. That upset win opens up two avenues for the Commanders to overtake the Browns in the final week of games.
If the Browns beat the Bengals and the Commanders fail to defeat the Eagles, Washington will overtake Cleveland in the draft order. Alternatively, it is also possible for the Commanders to overtake the Browns via the Strength of Schedule (SOS) tiebreak, if both teams lose or with this weekend. But doing so will require the right combination of wins by Browns’ opponents and losses by Commanders’ opponents. Wins by all of the Commanders’ divisional rivals in Week 17 made that a little more challenging. But there is still a realistic possibility of getting past Cleveland, even if they finish with the same W-L record as Washington.
The Commanders also got all the help they needed from the teams behind them to contain the damage if they do upset the Eagles in the season finale. The New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals were hanging on Washington’s shoulder at 5-10 heading into Week 17. A victory over the Cowboys would have dropped the Commanders behind the Saints, with a possibility of falling behind the Bengals as well, if both teams had lost their games. Instead, the Saints extended their winning streak to four games with a 34-26 victory over the Titans and the Bengals made it two in a row with a 37-14 beatdown of the Cardinals.
As a result of the Saints’ and Bengals’ wins, the Commanders’ seventh overall position in the draft order is now safe. With the next three teams behind them sitting at 6-10, it is no longer possible for the Commanders to be overtaken from behind, even if they win their final game. Assuming at least one QB and perhaps an OT or two are taken ahead of them, the Commanders are now assured of the opportunity to select one of the top five defensive prospects or offensive weapons in the draft class.
Entering the final stretch of the 2025 season, the Commanders have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain in the battle for draft position. If everything goes their way in the final week, they could rise as high as second overall in the draft order. But doing so would require a miraculous sequence of upsets. More realistically, a fifth overall finish – which seemed like a pipe dream last week – is now firmly within the realm of plausibility. Rising that high should put them in the range of the elite defenders in...
