clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Keeping an eye on the Browns’ 2017 draft position: Week 15 rooting guide

By Chris Pokorny
NFL: New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Here is your Week 15 NFL rooting guide that would help Cleveland’s chances of finishing with higher draft picks.

Outlook on the Browns’ own pick

The 49ers and Jaguars lost last week, with the 49ers having blown a relatively big lead over the Jets to eventually lose in overtime. Cleveland remains the only winless team at 0-13, San Francisco is 1-12, and Jacksonville is 2-11. For the purpose of this article, we’ll only count teams with one or two wins as threats to that pick. SOS numbers come from SB Nation, where the SOS is forecasted to the end of the season.

  • The San Francisco 49ers still have one win and a lower SOS (.505) than the Browns (.551). As a reminder, the team with the lower number would get the higher draft pick if the teams finished with the same record.
  • This week, the 49ers are on the road against the Falcons, while the Jaguars are on the road against the Texans. We want San Francisco and Jacksonville to win, but it doesn’t seem likely.

Outlook on Eagles & Titans

Last week, the Eagles lost and the Titans pulled off an upset. Heading into this week:

  • The Titans have a 7-6 record and the No. 15 pick. Cleveland has their second-round pick, which would be around No. 47, which is one spot worse than last week. The Titans are on the road against the Chiefs this week, which will be a tough game to win at Arrowhead. We’re rooting for the Chiefs to win.
  • The Eagles have a 5-8 record and the No. 10 pick, up one spot from a week ago. Cleveland has their first-round pick. Philadelphia is on the road against the Ravens this week. We’re rooting for the Eagles to lose every week, and the Ravens’ defense is tough to score against.

Week 15 Rooting Guide Summary

In a best-case scenario for Cleveland’s draft position, we want the following to happen:

  • Baltimore Ravens defeat Philadelphia Eagles
  • Jacksonville Jaguars defeat Houston Texans
  • San Francisco 49ers defeat Atlanta Falcons
  • Kansas City Chiefs defeat Tennessee Titans

I won’t say I’m rooting for the Bills to beat the Browns. However, a loss by Cleveland obviously continues to maintain their draft position.

Bonus Rooting

This is a new feature this week: if Philadelphia keeps losing, then we want the teams ahead of them to win, so that they drop behind the Eagles (and hence, Cleveland’s pick could become a Top 5 pick). We also want to root for:

More From Dawgs By Nature