Week 16 Rooting Guide for Cardinals Fans

ARIZONA -- Ah, the fresh scent of draft season is finally here in the Valley.

Arizona Cardinals fans have been looking forward to the 2024 NFL Draft since - well, before the season even began - though the team was officially out of playoff contention as of Monday.

While the Cardinals look to fight hard through the final three weeks of play, all eyes now shift to the top of the draft order.

As of now, Arizona currently has picks 3 & 17 in the first round, though there's plenty of time for both to sway in either direction.

Cardinals Draft Pick Watch: Week 16

If you're a Cardinals fan hoping for the best draft pick possible, here's your rooting guide for Week 16:

Week 16 Rooting Guide for Cardinals Fans

Thursday Night Football would have been great for New Orleans to walk away with a win, though both them and the Los Angeles Rams were at seven wins entering Week 16.

Arizona can't be surpassed on the draft board by either team at this point, though seeing a division rival win and further themselves in the playoff push isn't a good feeling.

The Seahawks are still very much in the playoff hunt as they battle the Titans on the road. A Seattle win would keep Tennessee within striking distance of their draft position (Titans have just two more wins than Arizona) BUT a Seahawks win would keep things interesting for the SEA-AZ Week 18 date at State Farm Stadium.

Draft position? Root for Tennessee, but Arizona could also be the team that ends the Seahawks' season in the final week if they continue winning.

Cardinals fans rooting against the NFC West is never a bad option, though. Plus, will Arizona really catch up to the slew of 5-9 teams by winning their last two-of-three?

That's a coin flip. Your call on who to root for there.

Speaking of 5-9 teams, the Cardinals face the Bears in Chicago, and a win for Justin Fields and co. (who are favored) would push their original pick out of distance of surpassing Arizona.

With talk of the Bears getting two top picks and potentially stealing a blue chip prospect from the hands of Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort, Arizona's front office wouldn't be too upset with losing this one in the Windy City. Root for a loss - but for both teams to have fun!

The Bears do own the rights to Carolina's pick, which sure looks cemented as the No. 1 spot barring a strong turnaround. The Panthers (2-11) play the Packers this week - who have looked up and down this season - so maybe that's not out of the question. Root for Carolina.

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The Patriots (3-11) play the Broncos on Sunday Night Football and are tied with Arizona in terms of record but have a worse strength of schedule and thus own the tie-breaker. There's plenty wrong in New England ,though you can never count out any team that plays a Sean Payton/Russell Wilson led squad. Root for New England.

Watch out for those Commanders! Washington has lost five in a row and find themselves just one game behind Arizona for the No. 3 pick. They play the Jets, who could potentially help in Week 18 vs New England, though it'd help if they lost to Washington now.

Other 5-9 teams to root for wins are the Chargers (who face the 8-6 Bills) and Giants (who face the 10-4 Eagles).

The surprising Texans are still in the playoff mix, which isn't exactly music to the ears of Cardinals fans who were expecting to potentially have two top-five picks.

Houston has performed well this season, though the Cardinals would really appreciate them finishing 0-3 to finish the season. The Browns pay the Texans a visit in what's a very big matchup for both sides. Root for Cleveland.

You can end the week rooting for the Ravens to beat the 49ers on Monday Night Football.