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The St. Louis Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. That didn't technically kill off their playoff hopes, but makes it that much harder. If you're looking for good news, that happened Sunday night when the Washington Redskins lost to the New York Giants. Those two losses leave the Rams looking at very valuable spots in the top 15 picks of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Mocking The Draft
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St. Louis is currently sitting on the 15th pick in the 2014 draft by virtue of the team's 5-7 record and a strength of schedule that puts them near the bottom of a handful of teams with the same record. Washington's loss is the one to note. Now at 3-9, Washington has the third pick in the draft, which belongs to the Rams by virtue of the 2012 trade that sent the second pick and the right to draft RGIII to Washington.
The big question is where Washington will finish. Here are the top nine picks in the draft, teams that have four wins or less:
1. Houston Texans - 2-10 (.550)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - 3-9 (.503)
3. St. Louis Rams (via Washington Redskins) - 3-9 (.521)
4. Atlanta Falcons - 3-9 (.559)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 3-9 (.582)
6. Minnesota Vikings 3-8-1 (.534)
7. Cleveland Browns 4-8 (.505)
8. Oakland Raiders - 4-8 (.510)
9. Buffalo Bills - 4-8 (.518)
As bad as Washington looks, it's no lock that the team will finish with a top five pick, but the schedule does look good ... from a Rams perspective. Washington's last four games go like this: vs. Chiefs, at Falcons, vs. Cowboys and at Giants.
Besides Washington, Atlanta's easiest game is the Packers in Week 14, assuming the Packers are still without Aaron Rodgers. Houston and Jacksonville are the teams to watch, and they play each other in DUVAL next week.
With four games left in the season, the draft order is going end up looking a little different. But it sure looks like the Rams are sitting pretty thanks to that deal with Washington.