Bears' Rooting Guide for 2024 NFL Draft Implications of Week 14

The Chicago Bears have the Pittsburgh Steelers to thank for their 2024 NFL draft position heading into Sunday and Monday's Week 14 games.

The Bears are now in terrific shape to land the No. 1 overall pick because the Carolina Panthers are two games worse than the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots.

Arizona and New England both picked up their third victories of the season over the Steelers in the last four days.

Carolina has not displayed enough to win one game, let alone two contests in five weeks, so the Bears should pick first in April thanks to the trade that landed the Panthers at No. 1 in 2023.

Chicago's natural first-round pick sits at No. 5 and it needs some help from around the league to make sure it remains in the top five for another week.

Saints over Panthers

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 12: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) runs with the ball as Minnesota Vikings defensive back Byron Murphy (7) gives chase during the fourth quarter of an NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints on November 12, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Carolina needs to keep up its losing ways for the Bears to feel even more secure about landing the No. 1 overall pick than they do entering Sunday.

The Panthers enter New Orleans with a 1-11 record with a 1.5-game difference between themselves, the Patriots and Cardinals.

A loss would drop Carolina to 1-12 with a full two-game gap to New England and Arizona with four games left in the regular season.

The Panthers were competitive in their Week 13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they were gashed in the secondary by Mike Evans.

Evans put up 162 yards on the Carolina secondary, and that is a performance that Chris Olave could replicate for the Saints on Sunday.

The Bears should be huge fans of the Saints so that the two-game gap for the No. 1 pick becomes a reality.

Carolina finishes the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay, so as long as it loses in New Orleans, it should be confirmed to have the worst record in the NFL.

Jets over Texans

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 03: Garrett Wilson #17 of the New York Jets during the game against the Atlanta Falcons on December 3, 2023 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Bears need some unlikely results to go in their favor to feel more comfortable in the top five.

New England played Thursday, Arizona is off as are the Washington Commanders, so no team in front of the Bears can fall down the draft order in Week 14.

That means the Bears need to root for other 4-8 teams to pick up victories and make it easier to land a top-five selection.

The Jets are a total mess at the moment, but they might receive a spark from Zach Wilson's return at quarterback.

That seems like a grasping for straws rooting interest, but it is one Bears fans have to hold on to in order to have the ideal draft positioning.

The Houston Texans are coming off two tough AFC matchups with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos, so maybe there is a potential for a letdown to happen inside MetLife Stadium.

Giants over Packers

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 26: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jihad Ward #55 and Bobby Okereke #58 of the New York Giants in action against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Patriots 10-7. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The other two 4-8 sides play on Monday night.

Bears fans should probably rule out a Tennessee Titans win over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

That leaves the New York Giants as the better team to root for in order for the Bears to gain separation in the top five race.

The Giants host the Green Bay Packers, and although they are the underdog, they have played much better over the last few weeks.

Brian Daboll's team is currently two spots below the Bears in the draft order, and a win may be enough to keep the Giants from jumping Chicago at all.

Chicago only has one potential win left on its schedule, against Arizona in Week 16, so if the Giants keep winning, they will not be a threat to the Bears' top-five potential by Week 18.