The Patriots won Sunday afternoon, but in many ways, they lost.

New England entered Week 18 of the NFL season in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. But thanks to the Buffalo Bills playing mostly backups and Joe Milton III shining in his debut, the Patriots’ first-round draft position took a big hit with a 23-16 win over the AFC East champions at Gillette Stadium.

The Pats now are set to make the fourth overall pick April 24 in Green Bay. The No. 1 overall selection belongs to the Tennessee Titans, who sealed a 3-14 season with a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants also finished at 3-14 by losing in Week 18 and will make the second and third overall picks, respectively, in the spring.

New England could have controlled the draft by losing to Buffalo. With the No. 1 overall pick, the Patriots either could have flipped it for a massive haul or selected who they thought was the best player in the class. New England obviously still can land a game-changing prospect at No. 4, but three premier players will be off the board by then.

Time will tell who’s in charge of handling the Patriots’ 2025 draft, as changes could be coming in Foxboro, Mass. after such a disastrous campaign.