Bengals remain third in NFL Draft order after upsetting Steelers; looking ahead

The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season Monday when they defeated the 11-win Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in-front of a national audience.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 3-10-1 and for those who feared it might knock them down in the draft order, fear not.

Even with the upset victory, the Bengals remain projected to pick third in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Here’s a look at how the top 10 would shake out if the season ended today:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-13)
2. New York Jets (1-13)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (3-10-1)
4. Carolina Panthers (4-10)
5. Atlanta Falcons (4-10)
6. Miami Dolphins (VIA Houston Texans 4-10)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1)
8. Dallas Cowboys (5-9)
9. Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
10. New York Giants (5-9)

The teams’ that pose the biggest threat of jumping ahead of the Bengals are the Panthers, Falcons and Texans, whose pick will go to the Dolphins as part of the Laremy Tunsil trade.

Here’s a look at those teams’ remaining schedules, including a chance for the Bengals to lose to a team that could jump them:

Bengals:

Week 16: @ Houston Texans (4-10)

Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)

Panthers:

Week 16: @ Washington Football Team (6-8)

Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints (10-4)

Falcons:

Week 16: @ Kansas City Chiefs (13-1)

Week 17: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)

Texans:

Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (3-10-1)

Week 17: vs. Tennessee Titans (10-4)

Even with these schedules and the Falcons arguably having a much harder remaining schedule than the Bengals, the path to No. 3 is quite simple: lose out. If the Bengals lose their last two games, it won’t matter what any other team does, and the victory over the rival Steelers will be all the more worth it.