Week 16 was a pivotal one for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders. It might seem odd that a game featuring two teams with three and two wins, respectively, is such a monumental contest at this point in the season.
But, going into this game, the Jaguars knew their season was over; as did the Raiders. There would be no playoffs for either team. But, there was still plenty of jockeying to be done within the 2025 NFL Draft order.
This ended up being a game that neither team wanted to win at various moments. And yet, the later this one got, you could make an argument that both clubs, indeed, wanted to walk away with the victory.
As Mac Jones and the offense had one more try to march down for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Las Vegas' defense put the clamps on and the Raiders wound up winning by a score of 19-14.
The real question is: what did this loss by Jacksonville (or more importantly the win by Las Vegas) do to the 2025 NFL Draft order?
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Let's take a gander, shall we?
Updated 2025 NFL Draft order after Jaguars' Week 16 loss to the Raiders
1. New York Giants (2-13)
2. New England Patriots (3-12)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)
4. Tennessee Titans (3-12)
5. Cleveland Browns (3-12)
6. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12)
7. Carolina Panthers (4-11)
8. New York Jets (4-11)
9. Chicago Bears (4-11)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-9)
Somehow, some way, the Jaguars have gotten themselves back into the running for the no. 1 overall pick. Now, while some fans may rather win because of the notion that the Jaguars "don't need a quarterback," this still matters.
Jacksonville very well could view a player like Colorado's Travis Hunter as the best prospect in next year's draft. If that's the case, then they would take him unless the team at no. 2 wanted to swap, moving up for quarterback Shedeur Sanders instead.
But for the sake of Jacksonville being in the race for the first overall pick, it is still a real possibility.
It begins with the Jaguars losing their final two games against the Titans and Colts. Yes, losing two games to division rivals might sting, and playing for pride is absolutely on the table. But, once again for the sake of this argument, let's take a look at the final two weeks of the season and how the schedule shakes out for the current top six teams in draft order.
Week 17
Chargers @ Patriots
Raiders @Saints
Colts @ Giants
Titans @ Jaguars
Dolphins @ Browns
Week 18
Texans @ Titans
Jaguars @ Colts
Chargers @ Raiders
Bills @ Patriots
Giants @ Eagles
Browns @ Ravens