December’s wildest NFL race isn’t for a playoff spot or a division title — and it could ignite absolute league-wide chaos all offseason if it breaks right

There’s a totally different kind of race unfolding in the NFL this season that could unleash total chaos next year.

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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The month of December in the NFL is when the marathon of an NFL season becomes a sprint. We’re down to the final month of the regular season and there’s no shortage of teams scrambling for a potential divisional title or playoff seeding in their respective conferences. If the playoffs started today, there would be four teams with winning records on the outside looking it. Things are about to get crazy.

But what if I told you the most interesting race of them all may not have anything at all to do with who seizes a Wild Card berth in the NFC or if the Steelers or Ravens win the AFC North? Because the most compelling race of this December is the one that lives on the other end of the standings for the top of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft could breed an offseason of chaos

Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward (1) makes a break for the hole in the Houston defensive line during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. USA TODAY Sports

There are four teams currently sitting at the bottom of the NFL standings as we turn the page to Week 14 that all have double digit losses already this season. The Tennessee Titans, sitting at 1-11, would hold the first overall pick if the season ended today. Behind them are a trio of 2-win teams in the New York Giants (2-11), New Orleans Saints (2-10), and the Las Vegas Raiders (2-10).

You’re probably not surprised by the names. But what makes this race so compelling is when you intersect the needs of those teams with the available talent projected to be in the 2026 NFL Draft.

It’s not a very strong quarterback group — with Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza offering the best resume and considered by many as one of the few options at the top of quarterback rankings who will actually declare for this year’s draft. There are first arguments and at least mild (if not stronger) expectations for Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson to return. So with what is perceived to be a scarce offering of top of the draft quarterbacks, you have the Titans, Giants, and Saints sitting at the top of the queue currently.

Current 2026 NFL Draft order entering Week 14

  • 1. Tennessee Titans (1-11)
  • 2. New York Giants (2-11)
  • 3. New Orleans Saints (2-10)
  • 4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
  • 5. Cleveland Browns (3-9)

Tennessee, of course, just picked quarterback Cam Ward with the top pick in 2025. The Giants traded back up into the first round of the same draft last spring for Jaxson Dart. New Orleans? They also went quarterback in the top-50 of last year’s draft when they nailed down Tyler Shough at 40 overall. That was a hand-picked top-40 selection by the current regime, led by first-year head coach Kellen Moore.

Ward hasn’t been good, but the Titans have been AWFUL — his recent efforts against Houston and Seattle should offer a lot of hope for what he could become. Dart has been prolific but reckless. Both will get new head coaches this offseason. And Shough has flashed, too. So what happens if these three teams finish at the top of the draft without a need at quarterback. In a year with potentially only one top of the first round quarterback, no less?

Fireworks, that’s what. Whether it’s the mad scramble to collect that first overall pick or a long, drawn out negotiation process with the teams just behind the No. 1 spot that leads to an in-draft trade, this potential mix of variables could create a whole lot of trade talks. The Raiders, or a three-win team like the Jets, Cardinals, or Browns could potentially crash the party. But that would require Tennessee to win two more games while every other team loses out. The Browns and Titans clash this weekend and then the Saints and Titans lock horns later in December. Should be fun!

The divisional races come with accomplishments. They are rightfully the ones getting spotlight. But the race at the bottom of the standings has implications for a half-dozen franchises or more, depending on how frisky teams looking to trade up in the draft end up feeling. The more non-quarterback destinations that land at the top of the order, the more likely we are to get chaos in March and April.

You know what I’ll be rooting for.

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