It looked like the Houston Texans might pull off a ridiculous upset against the Cowboys Sunday, but a collapse at the end of the game moved them to 1-11-1 on the season following a 27-23 loss.
With the Bears on a bye week, it moved the Texans to 1.5 games ahead of them for the first overall pick with the tie throwing a wrench in the standings. It was a valiant late effort from Houston's defense, but the inability to slam the door shut following a late turnover by the Cowboys ultimately ended up proving to be the difference.
The early slate of games didn't yield many other results that shook up the draft order. The Cardinals moved ahead of the Jaguars for the time being as the Jaguars beat the Titans, while the Cowboys at least temporarily fell below the Chiefs in the drafting hierarchy.
The Texans are in a place where it behooves them to lose games, so it's unlikely they're heartbroken about the loss. However, losing in that fashion can definitely affect the mentality of a franchise. The Bears are undoubtedly disappointed with the result, and it only got worse, from there. With the Broncos losing to the Chiefs and moving to 3-10, the Bears moved down to the No. 3 spot and the Seahawks moved up to No. 2, as they still hold the Broncos' first-round pick this season.
MORE: Sporting News' latest 2023 mock draft
NFL Draft order 2023
How the draft order stands entering Week 15:
| Pick | Team | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Texans | 1-11-1 |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks (from DEN) | 3-10 |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | 3-10 |
| 4 | Detroit Lions (from LAR) | 4-9 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Eagles (from NO) | 4-9 |
| 6 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-8 |
| 7 | Indianapolis Colts | 4-8-1 |
| 8 | Las Vegas Raiders | 5-8 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 5-8 |
| 10 | Atlanta Falcons | 5-8 |
| 11 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-8 |
| 12 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | 5-8 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-8 |
| 14 | Green Bay Packers | 5-8 |
| 15 | Detroit Lions | 6-7 |
| 16 | New England Patriots | 6-6 |
| 17 | Seattle Seahawks | 7-6 |
| 18 | New York Jets | 7-6 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-7 |
| 20 | Los Angeles Chargers | 7-6 |
| 21 | Tennessee Titans | 7-6 |
| 22 | Washington Commanders | 7-5-1 |
| 23 | New York Giants | 7-5-1 |
| 24 | Denver Broncos (from MIA via SF) | 9-4 |
| 25 | Baltimore Ravens | 9-4 |
| 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | 9-4 |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 10-3 |
| 28 | Kansas City Chiefs | 10-3 |
| 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 10-3 |
| 30 | Buffalo Bills | 10-3 |
| 31 | Philadelphia Eagles | 12-1 |
Notes:
— The Eagles hold the Saints' first-round pick as part of a pick swap with New Orleans during the 2022 NFL Draft.
— The Texans hold the Browns' first-round pick as part of the trade that sent Deshaun Watson to Cleveland.
— The Seahawks have the Broncos' first-round pick as compensation from the Russell Wilson trade.
— The Lions have the Rams' first-round pick because of the Matthew Stafford trade.
— The Broncos traded pass-rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins for a first-round pick prior to the 2022 NFL trade deadline. That pick formerly belonged to the 49ers, who traded it to Miami as part of the package to move up to draft Trey Lance in 2021.
— The Dolphins don't have their own first-round pick after being sanctioned by the NFL for tampering violations regarding Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
BIG BOARD: Ranking the top 70 players in 2023 NFL Draft
NFL Draft 2023 top prospects
It's early, but after a down year for passers in the 2022 NFL Draft, there could be three first-round prospects next April.
Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Kentucky's Will Levis will all jockey for the right to be the first quarterback off the board. Analysts and scouts currently peg the battle as being between Young and Stroud, with Levis a distant third.
If a quarterback isn't the first player off the board, then it will most definitely be Crimson Tide pass-rusher Will Anderson, a dynamic edge who's capable of disrupting the game from Day 1 in the NFL.