Browns' Rooting Guide for 2025 NFL Draft Implications of Week 18

The Cleveland Browns have a clear agenda for Week 18.

The Browns need to lose to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday afternoon and then receive a fair bit of help on Sunday.

Cleveland's good news is that the three other 3-13 teams in the NFL are playing playoff qualifiers with nothing on the line.

Upsets are more possible in Week 18, and in the Browns' case, they have to hope for multiple ones to occur.

Cleveland currently sits at No. 3 in the 2025 NFL draft order and at least needs the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans to win to clear out the path to the top pick.

Patriots over Bills

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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 28: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

If the Patriots lose, they will have the No. 1 overall pick.

That is obviously not what the Browns want to root for.

Drake Maye and Co. competed with the Buffalo Bills starters on the road in Week 16, so there has to be belief that they can win at home against the reserves of the AFC East champion.

Buffalo is locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Its top players need all the rest possible because the Bills could play the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive weeks to attempt to reach the Super Bowl.

The Patriots are trying to build a foundation with Maye at quarterback, and at minimum, they will be competitive on Sunday.

Titans over Texans

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 29: Mason Rudolph #11 of the Tennessee Titans runs against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on December 29, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

The Tennessee Titans currently occupy the No. 2 pick in the projected draft order.

The Titans also have a chance to end the season on a high note against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Houston should have no business playing any of its key players because it is the No. 4 seed in the AFC and it will face a battle from either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.

The Titans enter Week 18 on a five-game losing streak, and while the players on the field do not care, it would benefit the franchise to lose, earn a top-two pick and draft a franchise quarterback.

As we've seen with the Giants and Las Vegas Raiders in recent weeks, the players will still try their hardest and that may turn into an unexpected result.

Giants over Eagles

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 29: Drew Lock #2 of the New York Giants in action against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium on December 29, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

The Giants reside behind the Browns in the draft order at No. 4.

New York moved down from No. 1 after its Week 17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The fight displayed last week should be apparent in Week 18 against Philadelphia Eagles team resting its starters.

The ideal situation for the Browns would be to lose to the Ravens, so that Baltimore can clinch the AFC North, and then have the other three-win teams win.

On paper, it may seem unlikely that the Patriots, Titans and Giants all win in the same weekend, but Week 18 usually comes with some weird surprises.