Raiders need top pick in NFL draft to take Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward | Raiders news

As counterintuitive as it may sound, many Raiders fans are rooting for their favorite team to lose to the Jaguars on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

And they should be.

What?

Believe it or not, it makes sense.

Those fans’ eyes will also be on various stadiums throughout the NFL, hoping that every team the 2-12 Raiders have played so far this year loses. They will also be rooting for the 3-11 Browns, Patriots, Titans and Panthers.

There will also be plenty of attention on the Falcons’ game against the Giants in Atlanta. It’s the most important game on the Week 16 schedule for the Raiders besides their own.

This is because the team’s primary goal this season is no longer to make the playoffs.

It hasn’t been for some time. It should be to secure the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft and earn the opportunity to take a potential franchise quarterback who can lift the organization to new heights.

Sunday’s game will be crucial in that endeavour.

The Raiders are slated to go second overall, behind the Giants (2-12), as things stand. But the Jaguars are one of five 3-11 teams lurking just behind those two. A Raiders win could see them topple the draft.

Thus, a loss on Sunday would help matters. It goes against everything every fan has been taught. But it can beat the alternative.

Two quarterback prospects, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward of Miami (Florida), are considered a cut above the rest in this year’s class.

That means the Raiders need a top-two pick to ensure there’s a big payoff for one of their worst seasons in recent memory.

It’s a race to the bottom. One that just might be worth it.

It is a complicated fight against disability.

Everything from win-loss record to strength of schedule could come into play to determine who ends up with the top pick.

For example, the Giants have the tiebreaker over the Raiders for now because New York has a weaker strength of schedule.

However, it is not set in stone. The Raiders should be rooting for every opponent they’ve faced this year to lose on Sunday. And they want every team the Giants have played to win.

It is a complex and confusing system.

But here’s a cheat sheet on what to focus on the rest of the way:

Raiders must lose

The Raiders’ road to the top overall pick starts simple: They should lose their last three games.

After facing the Jaguars on Sunday, they travel to face the Saints (5-9) in Week 17 and host the Chargers (9-6) in Week 18. Dropping all three contests does not guarantee the Raiders the top pick.

They would still need the Giants to win at least one more game or for their strength of schedule to become worse than New York’s. It will only be decided at the end of the season.

X-account Doug Analytics gives the Raiders the third-best odds to finish No. 1 at 19.5 percent, behind the Giants (47.5 percent) and Patriots (22.2 percent).

These odds reflect a schedule that isn’t too daunting the rest of the way.

The Jaguars have lost six of their last seven games.

New Orleans has lost two of three and could be without quarterback Derek Carr, who has a left hand injury, for a second straight game Monday against the Packers.

Los Angeles can clinch a playoff spot this week if the Dolphins and Colts lose. The Chiefs have already won the AFC West, so there’s a good chance the Chargers have little to nothing to play for against the Raiders.

The Giants, on the other hand, play the Falcons (7-7), Colts (6-8) and Eagles (12-2). Atlanta and Indianapolis are still fighting for a playoff spot, while Philadelphia is in the mix for the No. 1 seed and a bye in the NFC.

Any Raiders win could see them slide a long way down the draft order given the logjam at the bottom of the standings. It is possible for them to pick as low as 10th by the end of the year.

What to root for

The Raiders could get a big boost Sunday from the Falcons, who are set to give rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. his first NFL start against the Giants.

A win in New York would push the Raiders to the bottom of the standings. It would also weaken their strength plan as they lost to Atlanta on Monday night.

The Raiders will continue to root for as many Giants wins as possible in the final three weeks of the season. They will also be rooting for the Patriots, Panthers, Titans and Browns.

Going ahead of even a couple of those teams in the standings — namely other quarterback-hungry franchises like New York, Carolina, Tennessee and Cleveland — could prevent the Raiders from taking one of the top two quarterbacks.

Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame player and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, is a poised, accurate passer who has completed 74.2 percent of his throws for 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions this year.

Ward, a Heisman Trophy finalist, is a playmaker who completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

Bother is considered the prize for a shallow crop of quarterbacks. And the class got thinner when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar decided to return for his senior season instead of entering the draft.

There may not be another quarterback taken in the first round in April besides Sanders and Ward. And the Raiders learned last year, in their failed attempt to trade up for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, how difficult it is to maneuver to the top of the board.

They could make things easier this season by being at the top of the draft to begin with. For the Raiders, it starts with losing on Sunday.

No pain, no gain, remember?

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.