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What Week 11 means for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Jets return from a bye in their bid to claim the No. 1 pick. Meanwhile, Dallas could get Andy Dalton back, which might sink their chance at a top two or three pick.

By LTruscott
Andy Dalton #14 of the Dallas Cowboys drops back to throw a pass in the third quarter against the Washington Football Team at FedExField on October 25, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The NFL season is racing through November and most everybody has gotten through their bye weeks. The New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys had their byes in Week 10, and are now back in action as they compete for the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Jets hold the top spot and continue to have few opportunities remaining to get a win.

This week, we’ve cut down our draft order list to include the top seven spots in the draft order, i.e. all the teams with just two wins or less. After individual records, strength of schedule is the first tiebreaker for teams and is in parenthesis after each team’s record. Hat tip to Tankathon for providing that. Each team’s Week 11 opponent is listed as well.

  1. New York Jets: 0-9 (SOS: .592) — @ Chargers
  2. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1-8 (.548) — vs. Steelers
  3. Washington Football Team: 2-7 (.470) — vs. Bengals
  4. Dallas Cowboys: 2-7 (.473) — @ Vikings
  5. Los Angeles Chargers 2-7 (.507) — vs. Jets
  6. Houston Texans (Miami has pick): 2-7 (.562) — vs. Patriots
  7. Cincinnati Bengals: 2-6-1: (.521) — @ Washington

We have two games this week featuring a pair of teams in this list facing off. The Chargers host the Jets and Washington hosts the Bengals. LA is a 8.5-point favorite over New York while Washington is a 1.5-point favorite over Cincinnati. Upsets are a very real possibility this week and this is potentially the most winnable game remaining on the Jets schedule.

The most intriguing team playing this week is Dallas thanks to the return of Andy Dalton. He suffered a concussion in Week 7 and then was put on the Covid-19 injured reserve list in Week 9. He is reportedly on track to play this week, and if he does, that’s a sizable upgrade from Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci. Given how bad the NFC East is, Dalton’s return gives them a legit shot in the division. The Vikings will be a tougher task than their divisional opponents, but Dallas has a better chance at an upset with Dalton in the saddle than their other healthy quarterbacks.

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