How Falcons' Win vs. Rams Impacted Race for No. 1 Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

The Atlanta Falcons' 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night eliminated the New York Jets from contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

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According to ESPN's Field Yates, the Jets' removal from the equation means the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants are now the only teams with a shot at landing the top pick.

With a 2-14 record, the Raiders are in the driver's seat when it comes to the No. 1 overall pick, as a Week 18 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs would ensure them the first selection.

However, since the Giants hold the strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Raiders, a Vegas win over Kansas City coupled with a Giants loss to the Dallas Cowboys would vault the G-Men into the No. 1 spot.

The Jets are one of four teams with a 3-13 record, along with the Giants, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals, and they are currently holders of the No. 3 overall pick, per Tankathon.

There is little doubt that the Jets' front office would have loved to have gotten their hands on the No. 1 overall pick due to their dire need for a franchise quarterback.

After moving on from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the offseason, the Jets utilized three different starting quarterbacks this season.

None of them performed particularly well, as Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook have combined to throw for 2,717 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, giving the Jets the worst passing offense in the NFL.

While the Giants seem unlikely to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft after selecting Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 draft, at least one quarterback figures to be off the board by the time the Jets pick.

That is because the Raiders need a franchise signal-caller almost as badly as the Jets after veteran Geno Smith threw for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions through his first 15 games.

Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza feels like the early favorite to be the first QB taken, but that is far from a slam dunk with Oregon's Dante Moore and Alabama's Ty Simpson also potentially in the mix.