The Arizona Cardinals are on their bye and so fans will need to pay attention to other games. They are not in division contention (they have already been eliminated) and could be eliminated from postseason contention this weekend (mathematic elimination is an inevitability).
What Cardinals fans can root for are teams around the Cardinals in draft position to win so they don’t move up in the first round.
Here are teams whose wins would help the Cardinals, even if the Cardinals manage to win a game over the final four weeks of the season.
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Chicago Bears
The Bears have four wins and would have the fifth pick in the draft (in addition to the first pick for the Panthers’ selection they own).
The Bears play the division-leading Lions so a win seems unlikely, but a fifth win would give them two more than the Cardinals with four weeks to go.
Carolina Panthers
The one-win Panthers are on the road against the 5-7 Saints. They don’t own their own pick and have two fewer wins than the Cardinals, but if they win and somehow manage to catch a hot streak, maybe the Cardinals, if they lose out, could end up with the top pick.
New York Jets
Cardinals fans should be fans of the four-win Jets for two reasons. A win helps them two ways.
The Jets currently hold the sixth pick and a win could give them two more than the Cardinals.
They play the Houston Texans. The Cardinals own the Texans’ pick in the first round, so if the Jets win, they move way from the Cardinals and make the Texans move up in the round.
Tennessee Titans
The four-win Titans have the eighth pick and play the Dolphins on the road. A fifth win for Tennessee is good for Arizona, separating them more in the win column.
New York Giants
The four-win Giants host the red-hot Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
The Giants now hold the seventh pick.
