There’s been plenty of attention paid to the playoff implications of Week 18’s games, but two teams at the other end of the standings head into the final weekend with a lot riding on their results.
The Texans and the Bears remain contenders to land the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. If the Texans lose to the Colts, they will finish 2-14-1 and they will pick first overall for the first time since they took Jadeveon Clowney first overall in 2014.
If the Texans win and the Bears lose, the Bears would be 3-14 and they’d get the first overall pick. The Bears have not picked that high since 1947.
Both teams winning would give the pick to the Texans and Houston would also get the pick with a win and a Bears tie. If the Texans tie and the Bears lose, the pick will go to the Texans since the Bears won the head-to-head matchup between the teams this season.
Whichever pick the Texans get, they’re likely to be linked to a quarterback with Bryce Young of Alabama currently looking like the top prospect in the class. The Bears aren’t likely to pick a quarterback, but could trade their pick to someone who would be in the market for that position.