The New England Patriots lost their Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills to drop to 3-12 on the year. However, they still have something to feel good about.

Their 12th defeat of the season in combination with a Las Vegas Raiders win over the Jacksonville Jaguars has allowed them to move up in the draft order. After originally entering Week 16 in possession of the third overall pick, they now can call themselves owners of selection No. 2.

Only the 2-13 New York Giants, who have lost 10 straight games and not shown many signs of turning the ship around, are ahead of the Patriots in the standings at the moment.

Playing one of the NFL’s best teams on the road, the Patriots were listed as 14.5-point underdogs ahead of their game against the Bills. They certainly did not look the part, at least early on in the game: the team of head coach Jerod Mayo jumped to an early 14-0 lead, playing some of its best football of the year along the way.

However, things started to fall apart in the second half. New England eventually was beaten with a final score of 24-21, which in turn made the trip up the draft table possible.

The same is true for the Patriots’ strength of schedule. At .463, New England is facing the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season — and one that gives them a significant advantage over the other teams competing for the top positions in the 2025 draft.

The Patriots will close out the regular season with back-to-back home games against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Bills for a second time in a three-week period.