The Patriots are no longer in the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

But Sunday’s loss at Buffalo did thrust them back into contention for a top-3 selection.

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As of late Sunday afternoon, and pending further Week 17 results, the Patriots are scheduled to pick third overall, after Washington at No. 2 and followed by Arizona at No. 4, per Tankathon. The Patriots, Cardinals and Commanders will enter their regular-season finales at 4-12 and behind Carolina (2-14) at the top of the draft order. The Pats could head into Week 18 slated to pick second, pending the results of Sunday’s late-afternoon games.

In order, the draft tiebreakers for non-conference teams with identical records are strength of schedule, then head-to-head record, if applicable, and best win-loss percentage in common games, with a minimum of four. The Patriots did not play Arizona this season, but fell to 22-17 to the Commanders earlier this year. Washington’s strength of schedule, however, currently out-ranks the Patriots by a slim margin, pending the late-afternoon results in Week 17.

In the late-afternoon window of Week 17, the Pats stood to benefit from a Bengals win at Kansas City, a Broncos home win over the Chargers and a Seahawks home win over Pittsburgh.

With one game left, the Patriots will clinch a top-3 pick if they lose to the Jets in their regular-season finale next weekend. If they win, they are likely to pick outside the top three, but no lower than No. 7.

After Sunday’s loss, the Pats’ strength of schedule hit .515, a significant drop from Arizona’s .567, meaning even if both teams lose their regular-season finales, the Pats will secure a top-3 pick despite sharing the same record. Next week, the Commanders will host the highly motivated Cowboys, who can clinch the NFC East with a win, while the Cardinals will host Seattle.

The Patriots’ kickoff time against the Jets has yet to be announced. The Pats beat the Jets 15-10 in their only other matchup this season back in Week 3.