2012 NFL Schedule: Matchups that Will Shape 2013 Draft

Not all fans in the National Football League are afforded the luxury of rooting for teams that are, well, good.

In fact, by the middle of October, fans of many squads are either desperately clinging to unrealistic wild-card hopes, resigned to playing out the string or secretly hoping that their favorite team will just lose out so that they can improve their draft status for the next season.

Sometimes the stars align and two of these horrific clubs face off in a late-season contest that carries a macabre significance all its own. As a Browns fan, I feel especially qualified to speak on this subject, so here are a trio of early candidates for the sort of "War of the Worst" that makes people with NFL Sunday Ticket dive for the remote.

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars, November 8

It's fitting that this game takes place just a week after Halloween, as the Week 17 matchup last season between the 2-13 Colts and 4-11 Jaguars ("won" by Jacksonville 19-13) was truly terrifying.

What makes this game even more horrific is that it's the only show in town that night, so if you want to watch the National Football League that evening you'll have to endure the fireworks between two of the NFL's three worst offenses from 2011. Plan those bathroom trips wisely or you'll miss a punt.

Fans of the Indianapolis Colts are hoping that Andrew Luck will turn the team around, but if Peyton Manning's rookie year was any indication, it's not going to be a sharp turn. Whoever comes out of this game the loser will probably be among the leaders for the first overall pick in 2013 after 10 weeks.

Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns, December 9

The Kansas City Chiefs got off to a terrible start last year before rallying around new head coach Romeo Crennel and finishing with a 7-9 mark, including a win over Green Bay that was the only regular-season loss the Packers suffered last year.

The Cleveland Browns got off to a terrible start last year, rallied around absolutely nothing and finished the season at 4-12, the 11th losing season in 13 years since the Browns returned to action in 1999.

As if the Browns' horrific offense wasn't already enough of a reason to believe that this game will be a stinker, both the Chiefs and Browns have been mentioned as potential suitors for incoming rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The possibility of Tannehill playing in this game actually makes the idea of a Matt Cassel vs. Colt McCoy quarterback showdown sound appealing, which I didn't even think was possible.

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, December 23

The change in NFL scheduling rules that mandated a full slate of intra-division games, lessens the chances that we can see a true battle for the top pick on the season's last weekend. However, fans of flatulent football may come close with an early Christmas present of sorts on December 23rd, when the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rolled to a combined 6-26 record last year, match up in Florida.

The St. Louis Rams are hopeful that the hiring of head coach Jeff Fisher and slew of draft picks acquired in their recent trade with the Washington Redskins has their team headed in the right direction. Unless the Rams improve the offensive line, though, the only direction quarterback Sam Bradford will be headed is down—first to the ground, then the tunnel, then the emergency room.

Fortunately for Bradford, in this particular instance, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rushed the passer last year about as well as they did everything else, ranking dead last in the NFL in sacks with 23. That's one more than Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen had by himself.

That could set the stage for Bradford to have plenty of time to throw the ball deep to his top receiver against a shaky Tampa secondary, just as soon the Rams get one. 

It's still awfully early to say with certainty, but Rams-Bucs could well be the best worst game of the 2012 season. The fact that both squads already have young quarterbacks and that the first overall pick in 2013 will presumably be a signal-caller, just makes this potentially tortuous matchup all the harder to avert your eyes from for fans of other teams with designs on that top pick.

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