Win-Win? Did Upset Over Pittsburgh Steelers Change New England Patriots' 2024 Draft Pick?

Despite the win that improved them to 3-10, the New England Patriots hung on to the No. 2 overall pick in next year's NFL Draft.

The New England Patriots (3-10) snapped a five-game losing streak with Thursday night's 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), which coach Bill Belichick described afterwards as "very satisfying."

But in a lost season, the Patriots' future is perhaps more pressing - particularly at quarterback. Bailey Zappe received the start against Pittsburgh and was serviceable, completing 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

New England has been a hot spot for signal callers in mock drafts, but with Southern California's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye expected to go off the board in the top two picks, Belichick's squad has more at stake than each win.

Still, the Patriots' victory inside Acrisure Stadium didn't affect their draft position, as they remain slotted at No. 2 overall, trailing only the Carolina Panthers (1-11).

Despite upsetting the Steelers to improve to 3-10, Deatrich Wise Jr. and the Patriots still have the No. 2 pick in year's NFL Draft / USA Today

New England now holds the same record as the Arizona Cardinals, who are idle this week, but the Patriots have the tiebreaker with a strength of schedule that currently sits at 0.524, lower than the Cardinals' 0.558.

This strength of schedule can fluctuate as each team's opponents see their records change in the final five weeks, but New England appear likely to hold the edge over Arizona.

The Patriots' final four games are vs. the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4), at the Denver Broncos (6-6), at the Buffalo Bills (6-6) and vs. the New York Jets (4-4).

Should the Patriots win another game, the picture gets murkier.

There are currently five teams with four wins - the Jets, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders.

Of that group, only the Titans (0.537) have a more difficult strength of schedule, meaning they'd be the only four-win team still picking after the Patriots.

Patriots Players Praise ‘Confident’ Zappe in Win Over Steelers

In essence, New England's win over Pittsburgh changes little for the time being ... but with another, it could be staring down a missed opportunity at adding one of the draft's top two signal callers and only adding to the disappointment of this campaign.