Make no mistake, Week 12 of the NFL season is all about QB Shedeur Sanders. Read again, we didn’t just say that Week 12 for the Cleveland Browns is all about QB Shedeur Sanders, but most of the NFL. The coverage around Sanders’ first start has been predictably wild. Browns fans should be rooting for his success, even if they are rooting for 2026 NFL draft order positioning.
Given all the variables, Sanders has little chance to change Cleveland’s draft plans, but could impact their 2026 NFL draft order
starting this week versus the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Browns young core gives Cleveland reason for hope, compared to some of the other struggling teams like the Raiders. Adding two first-round picks and selections as high as possible in each round would only further that young group for the next build of success for the Browns.
That means we need a rooting guide for Week 12 for games that could impact the 2026 NFL draft order.
- Jets over Ravens – A win-win here
- Bengals over Patriots – Cincinnati gets its fourth victory, Joe Burrow risks injury while returning to play for a bad team
- Giants over Lions – New York getting their third victory will be tough with Jameis Winston starting
- Titans over Seahawks – Tennessee has struggled all season, so a win over red-hot Seattle will be tough but helpful for Cleveland if Cam Ward gets his second professional victory
- Cardinals over Jaguars – This is a double victory for the Browns, with Arizona getting their fourth victory, while Jacksonville losing helps the extra first rounder Cleveland will get
- Raiders over Browns – To be clear, this is just about 2026 NFL draft order positioning, not what fans do or should want. Las Vegas gets its third victory while Cleveland stays at two
- Saints over Falcons – Two struggling teams that hate each other, New Orleans matches Atlanta at three wins if they are victorious today
Barring some major changes, the Browns would be positioned with the first overall pick with the following results this week:
- Browns loss
- Titans win
- Giants win
The Saints (.492) are the only team in the top 10 of the current 2026 NFL draft order who have a similar Strength of Schedule as Cleveland (.480), but the Browns play a team with a worse record on Sunday, so they’d keep that advantage going into Week 13.
