Sunday's Week 9 road game against the Tennessee Titans will officially go down as a loss for the New England Patriots. But it could end up being a huge win in the long run.
The Patriots forced overtime when rookie quarterback Drake Maye made a tremendous play to evade pass rushers and find running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a 5-yard touchdown pass to tie the score 17-17 as time expired in the fourth quarter. New England ultimately lost 20-17 in OT, but Maye's ability to lead an impressive game-tying drive -- and his 95 rushing yards in the game -- was an encouraging step forward in his development.
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But more importantly for the Patriots, this loss drops their record to 2-7, and as a result they have moved into the No. 1 pick spot in the updated order for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Patriots came into Week 9 with the No. 3 pick, one spot below the Titans.
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The Carolina Panthers' surprising win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon was a huge help to the Patriots from a draft pick positioning perspective. The Panthers came into Week 9 with the league's worst record at 1-7.
New England is one of six teams tied at the bottom of the standings with a 2-7 record, but the AFC East franchise owns the tiebreaker with the worst strength of schedule.
The Patriots have the fifth-toughest remaining schedule the rest of the season, based on the combined win percentage (.562) of their last eight opponents.
Here's a look at the Patriots' next four opponents ahead of their Week 14 bye.
- Week 10: at Chicago Bears
- Week 11: vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Week 12: at Miami Dolphins
- Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts
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Here's an updated look at the order for the top 10 picks in the 2025 draft. It will be updated through the remainder of Week 9 as more games conclude.
