What to root for in Week 12
The follow teams winning would benefit the Raiders draft position the most:
- Cleveland Browns beat Pittsburgh Steelers (which happened on Thursday Night).
- Tennessee Titans beat Houston Texans.
- Carolina Panthers beat Kansas City Chiefs.
- New York Giants beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- New England Patriots beat Miami Dolphins.
- Dallas Cowboys beat Washington Commanders.
All of these teams have either two or three wins, so if they came out victorious on Sunday, it could push the Raiders up on the draft board because they would all have better records than Las Vegas.
Because the Browns won on Thursday Night Football, the Raiders moved back up to fourth in the NFL draft.
The following results would benefit the Raiders in terms of their battle for the lowest strength of schedule:
- Indianapolis Colts beat Detroit Lions.
- Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams.
- Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49ers.
For the most part, games between divisional opponents, no matter the division, break even for the Raiders and all other teams.
There is still quite a bit of season left, but for a team with no hope like the Raiders, it's never too early to plan ahead.
It seems pretty cut-and-dry on how to move up the draft board, but in reality, the whole equation is a bit more complex than meets the eye.
So, Raider fans should be aware of how the results of both the Raiders and other teams around the NFL affect the draft order.