The inglorious, much-anticipated race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft is nearly complete.
Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers did their longtime rival a pretty big favor. Green Bay toppled the Carolina Panthers, whose NFL-worst record dropped to a paltry 2-13 and pushed the Chicago Bears one valuable step closer toward that coveted first overall selection.
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina Panthers)
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Washington Commanders
4. New England Patriots
5. Tennessee Titans
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. New York Giants
8. Chicago Bears
9. New York Jets
10. Las Vegas Raiders
11. Atlanta Falcons
12. New Orleans Saints
13. Green Bay Packers
14. Denver Broncos
15. Minnesota Vikings
16. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)
17. Pittsburgh Steelers
18. Cincinnati Bengals
19. Indianapolis Colts
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Seattle Seahawks
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Los Angeles Rams
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Kansas City Chiefs
26. Dallas Cowboys
27. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns)
28. Philadelphia Eagles
29. Miami Dolphins
30. Detroit Lions
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Baltimore Ravens
If you’re looking for a bright side, the Carolina Panthers recovered from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
But the NFL’s worst team couldn’t find a winning finish.
Carolina quarterback Bryce Young hit DJ Chark for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, helping the Panthers bounce back from a 30-16 deficit. But the Panthers surrendered a late scoring drive, as the Packers leaned on Anders Carlson for a winning 32-yard field goal in the last minute of a 33-30 win.
The loss ensured the Bears would continue to have the most straightforward path to the first overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Carolina, 2-13, closes the regular season at the Jacksonville Jaguars and home to the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Winning a game is objectively a good thing. Late in the regular season, it gets a little more complicated.
After a relatively brutal start, the Chicago Bears have started to play considerably more competitively lately. They’ve won four of the last six games, including Sunday’s 27-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
As a result, the Bears are drifting a little farther away from a top-five selection. In fact, Chicago is drifting out of the Top 10.
In theory, that’s not a problem. The challenging issue is whether the franchise wants to move on from third-year quarterback Justin Fields in favor of USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, given that Chicago holds the Panthers’ top overall selection.
No matter how the Bears finish, though, it’s clear that they’re hoping the Panthers lose the next two games.
