No no. 1 pick? No matter.
Lovie Smith – once Bears head coach and now Houston Texans head coach – said on Wednesday he expects his team to give its best efforts toward winning during the final two games of the regular season, despite the Bears jetting into striking distance of snatching the first pick from them in the next NFL draft.
"If you're competing, you compete to win, right?" Smith told the media on Wednesday. "Our last games are in our division. We want to eventually take over the division. For us to have an opportunity to have a winning record in our division is pretty important to our guys."
The Houston Texans are currently coming off their second win of the season, besting divisional opponent Tennessee Titans on the road, 19-14. The Texans, this season, have so far beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars, tied the Colts and now have beaten the Titans.
Over the final two weeks of the season, they will rematch the Jaguars and Colts on the road and at home, respectively. They'll have a chance to improve their two-win, one-tie record. However, that comes with a price.
The Texans currently own the rights to the first pick in the next NFL draft, sporting the worst overall win percentage in the league. If they win one more game than the Bears over the final two weeks, they will lose their selection to the Bears.
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For the Bears, this could mean a multitude of power from the top. It's uncertain whether they would keep the pick, unless they settle on drafting a top defensive prospect – like Will Anderson or Jalen Carter. They could, however, field an innumerable count of trade offers on the premise they don't need a quarterback and could inhale more draft capital.
Prognosticators around the football world expect not only for the Texans to draft first, but for them to take quarterback Bryce Young out of Alabama with the first selection. The Texans are without a formidable signal caller, visibly unsatisfied with 2021 draftee Davis Mills through the entire season.
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The Bears could use the first pick greatly to their advantage to gain additional draft capital or a game-changing player via trade.
It will all come down to the final two weeks. All eyes will be on the Texans.
"You play to win at all times," Smith said.