2024 NFL Draft: No. 2 overall pick scenarios for Commanders, Patriots and Cardinals in Week 18

The Chicago Bears have sewn up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the battle for the critical No. 2 selection will go right down to the wire in Week 18.

Three teams with 4-12 records heading into Sunday are in contention for that spot. The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots are most likely to pick second behind the Bears, but the Arizona Cardinals also remain in the running. Here is each team's Sunday game:

How it all shakes out could end up having massive implications for all three franchises, especially at QB. But even if the teams that end up picking in the top three don't opt for a quarterback, those selections still could carry great value and open up possibilities to trade down in the draft. Hence why the outcomes of multiple games this weekend carry so much weight. Week 18 results for the Commanders, Patriots and Cardinals are the biggest factors, but we need to dig deeper.

The first tiebreaker in determining draft order is strength of schedule, with Washington (.504) and New England (.527) fairly close heading into Sunday. Arizona matches their records at 4-12, but sits a distant third (.566) in terms of strength of schedule, impeding the Cardinals' path to landing the second pick. Of the 5-11 teams, the Giants appear to be the only one within reach of vaulting up to No. 2, but it would require the Commanders, Patriots and Cardinals all winning in Week 18, as the Giants currently have a worse strength of schedule than any of them. Right now, that feels like the most remote possibility by far.

Prior to the Bills-Dolphins game on Sunday night, we will know how the picks at the top of the 2024 draft will land. With help from NFL Research, here are the scenarios the Commanders, Patriots and