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Week 17 rooting guide: Who Bears need to win, lose for draft position

alyssa barbieri, bears wire
·3 min read

The Chicago Bears' 2024 season is nearly over after a 4-2 start turned into a 10-game losing streak and their head coach and offensive coordinator both being fired.

The Bears were already eliminated from playoff contention before this week, and all that's left is a final division game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 and arguably one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. So the attention now shifts to the offseason and the 2025 NFL draft.

Chicago is currently sitting at No. 7 in the draft order -- after their Thursday Night Football loss to the Seattle Seahawks -- but things will shift as Saturday and Sunday games get underway. But there's plenty of room for them to better their position over the final two weeks of the 2024 regular season.

Here’s a current look at the top 10 draft order (before Saturday's slate of games):

  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. Chicago Bears (4-12)

  8. Carolina Panthers (4-11)

  9. New York Jets (4-11)

  10. New Orleans Saints (5-10)

Which teams should Chicago fans be rooting for in Week 17?

Here is the Bears’ Week 17 rooting guide:

Root for: Panthers over Buccaneers

The Bears have the Panthers' second-round selection, which is currently slated at No. 41. Another loss would ensure that pick is as high as possible. But, in this instance, a Carolina loss would give them the same record as Chicago and give the Bears a chance to jump them for draft positioning in Week 18. A higher first-round pick is more crucial than that second rounder, which will still be top-50.

Root for: Jets over Bills

This one is highly unlikely given the opponent, but the Bears could certainly use the Jets' help. Last week, Chicago was tied at 4-11 with two other teams, including New York, but they lost the tiebreaker due to strength of schedule. So a win for the Jets would put the Bears firmly ahead of New York with a potential No. 7 or No. 8 pick, depending on the result of the Panthers game.

Root for: Browns over Dolphins

Miami is facing elimination from playoff contention on Saturday, so they very well could have nothing to play for as they face Cleveland. A Browns win would put them at 4-12, tied with the Bears. Although, Cleveland would still hold the tiebreaker, with a weaker strength of schedule, but heading into Week 18 there would be draft positioning on the line.

Root for: Patriots over Chargers

There's plenty on the line for the Chargers heading into this game -- win and they earn a playoff berth -- so they'll put up a fight against a Patriots squad fighting for a top draft pick. Still, with New England sitting at 3-12, a win would tie them with the Bears at 4-12. But, like with the Browns, the Patriots own the tiebreaker over Chicago given their weaker strength of schedule.

Root for: Saints over Raiders OR Raiders over Saints

Technically, either result would be beneficial for the Bears' draft positioning -- with the Raiders sitting at 3-12, and another win would give them the same result as Chicago. The Saints are also sitting one spot behind the Bears heading into Week 17 at 5-10, so a win would help keep them behind Chicago should the Bears pull off a miracle and win in Week 18.

Root for: Titans over Jaguars OR Jaguars over Titans

Another game where either result would be potentially beneficial for the Bears. The Jaguars and Titans are both sitting at 3-12, with Jacksonville slotted at No. 3 and Tennessee at No. 4. If either team won, it would put tie them with Chicago at 4-12, although they would still be higher given strength of schedule. A tie would also be beneficial.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Week 17 rooting guide: Who Bears need to win, lose for draft position