Jets' Rooting Guide for 2021 NFL Draft Implications of Week 14
New York Jets fans should have their sights set on Houston in Week 14.
The Houston Texans host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in a game that will significantly affect the first-round order of the 2022 NFL draft.
Houston sits one spot above the Jets at No. 3. A Texans win combined with a Jets loss to the New Orleans Saints could shift that order.
A Seattle win does the Jets no good because it would keep Houston at No. 3 and move the Seahawks, whose first-round pick belongs to New York, down the projected order.
Jets fans should also have their eyes on the two games that affect the pair of selections owned by the New York Giants. The Giants visit the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers.
The Giants have the Bears' first-round selection. Wins by either the Bears or Giants seem unlikely, but that would set up the best-case scenario for the Jets' draft position coming out of Week 14.
Texans over Seahawks
The Jets need both the Seahawks and Texans to struggle over the final five weeks of the regular season.
Seattle has the likelier chance to end the campaign with a few victories since it hosts the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions in consecutive weeks.
Houston still has to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that is the only win that could be left on its schedule after Sunday.
The Texans have a chance to win two games in a row, which would be the ideal situation for the Jets to try and move into the top three. Houston closes the season with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans, all of which should be losses.
Weeks 14 and 15 present the last time in which a team could jump out of the top three and allow the Jets to slide into those positions. If the Jets keep losing and Houston comes up with two wins, the draft dynamic beneath the Detroit Lions will change.
Giants over Chargers
The Jets would love for their closest rival to fall down the draft order.
The Giants have not played well of late, but there is always the chance for an upset to happen.
New York will have no pressure on it inside SoFi Stadium on Sunday since the Los Angeles Chargers are in the thick of a divisional and wild-card race.
Los Angeles could have its guard down against the Giants since the NFC East side is dealing with injury issues at quarterback.
Jake Fromm has been taking first-team reps for the Giants since Daniel Jones has not been cleared to play and Mike Glennon is in concussion protocol.
Giants head coach Joe Judge was hopeful that Glennon would be cleared to play Sunday, per Michael Eisen of the team's website.
The Chargers are in the perfect letdown spot after they earned a vital win in the AFC wild-card race over the Cincinnati Bengals. They could also be looking ahead to the Thursday night clash with the Kansas City Chiefs.
A Giants win seems improbable, but an upset would likely move them down in the draft order from No. 7.
Bears over Packers
The Bears, Giants and Seahawks come into Week 14 as the NFL's only four-win teams.
Chicago's first-round pick goes to the Giants, so the Jets would love to see the NFC North side spring an upset over the Green Bay Packers to create some separation in the overall standings.
A Bears victory at Lambeau Field is more unlikely than the Giants upsetting the Chargers. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 21-5 in his career against Chicago.
Chicago has the potential to move down the draft order in the coming weeks since it plays the Minnesota Vikings twice, hosts the Giants and visits the Seahawks. There is also a scenario in which the Bears lose out and hand the Giants a top-five pick, which could hurt the order of the Jets' two picks.
The Jets just need everyone beneath them to clear out of the four-win category so they can hold on to a high draft pick even if they win another game. That means rooting for the Bears is a priority no matter how unlikely that result seems.