Washington draft order rooting guide for Week 18

With the Washington Football Team eliminated from playoff contention, they have nothing to play for in Sunday’s finale against the New York Giants.

However, if you remember, these squads squared off in Week 16 two years ago in a game that ultimately helped Washington net Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in that year’s draft since they lost 41-35 in overtime.

The moral of the story? No game is meaningless.

Speaking of the draft, if the season ended today Washington would possess the No. 9 overall pick, one spot behind…the Giants, who will likely ended up with two top-10 selections given they own the Bears’ first-rounder.

That’s a dream spot for Washington given they held a Wild Card spot just a few weeks ago, but it could still drop a few slots if they beat New York.

When you consider that Ron Rivera is striving to win the game and the G-Men have lost five straight by double-digits, we’re led to believe Washington will end their season on a high note in East Rutherford.

In other words, Washington will need some help from surrounding teams in order to stay in contention for a top-10 pick. With that in mind, let’s delve into a Week 18 rooting guide as it pertains to the 2022 draft order.

Washington Football Team draft order rooting guide for Week 18

Falcons vs Saints

The Saints had been nipping at Washington’s heels in the playoff race, so fans were aggressively rooting against Sean Payton’s side for the better part of a month. That won’t change entering Week 18, because a Falcons loss and Washington win would see Atlanta leapfrog the Football Team in the draft order.

Listen, Atlanta. We know we broke your hearts earlier in the year, but if you can do us another solid and beat the Saints, we’d owe you one! After all, what’s better than playing spoiler against a division rival?

Browns vs Bengals

Washington needed Cleveland to lose Monday night, but that was never going to happen with Baker Mayfield looking like a backup QB and Pittsburgh looking to send Ben Roethlisberger out a winner in his final home game.

Well, the Browns will get a chance to redeem themselves against the Bengals, who’ve already placed standout running back Joe Mixon on the COVID list and have opted to rest star quarterback and MVP candidate Joe Burrow.

Cleveland currently holds the No. 13 pick and a win over Cincy would ensure they won’t jump Washington in the draft order. With no Burrow and Mixon and potentially more key pieces, this result could go in the WFT’s favor.

Broncos vs Chiefs

The Chiefs embarrassed Washington at FedEx Field back in Week 6, which just so happened to be the date of Sean Taylor’s widely-panned jersey retirement ceremony. We’re willing to let bygones be bygones, BUT only if they throw in the towel and let the reeling Broncos, holders of the No. 11 pick, end their season with a home win.

What do you say, Andy Reid?

Vikings vs Bears

As we noted earlier, the Bears traded away their 2022 first-round pick to move up and select Justin Fields last April. In a vacuum, they gain nothing as far as the draft by winning or losing. However, a loss would increase the chances of Matt Nagy getting fired and who in the Windy City doesn’t want that?

With the Vikings sitting at No. 12 overall entering the final week, we really need them to beat up on the Bears.

That should just about do it, folks. Regardless of Sunday’s result, Washington will pick between 7 and 13. With a win, they can fall behind the Falcons, Broncos, Vikings and Cleveland, respectively. With a loss, they can jump the likes of the Giants (No. 8 overall) and Jets (No. 7 overall).

Tiebreakers, meanwhile come down to strength of schedule. Given Washington has had the toughest schedule of the teams surrounding them in the draft order, they’ll likely get the short end of the stick if it comes to that.

Let the madness begin!