The Kansas City Chiefs are out the playoffs, so now the focus is on getting the best draft pick possible in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Kansas City Chiefs v Tennessee Titans – NFL 2025 | Justin Ford/GettyImages

The nightmare 2025 season is almost over for the Kansas City Chiefs. With two weeks left in the regular season, the Chiefs are in an unfamiliar spot: eliminated from playoff contention and looking ahead to the offseason. That gives Kansas City fans the opportunity to partake in another fan activity that typically isn’t on the table, since the Chiefs are usually contenders. That activity is hoping for the best possible draft spot.

For teams that aren’t going to the playoffs, fans engage in the strange practice of hoping the team loses for better draft positioning. While wanting your favorite team to lose is odd, it’s understandable, because it still points to a fan wanting what’s best for the team. Losing alone won’t get the job done, though. Fans also need other teams to win so their losing team can move up the draft board. With that in mind, here are the teams Chiefs fans should be pulling for in Week 17 so Kansas City can secure a better draft pick in 2026.

Chiefs can move into the top 10 of the 2026 Draft after Week 17

Entering Week 16, the Chiefs are currently slotted to have the No. 12 pick. Kansas City will be playing the Denver Broncos on Christmas, so the first step is rooting for Denver. It will feel strange, but no one will remember a pointless December loss to the Broncos—unless it leads to a franchise-changing top-10 pick.

After hoping the Chiefs don’t take care of business, fans must then turn their attention to the other two 6–9 teams currently slotted to draft ahead of Kansas City: the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins. Atlanta, whose pick actually belongs to the Los Angeles Rams, plays the Rams on Monday Night Football. It would help the Chiefs if the Falcons could pull off the upset. Kansas City would also benefit from Miami getting a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If the Chiefs lose and both the Falcons and Dolphins win, Kansas City would jump into the top 10. If the 5–10 Cincinnati Bengals also win against the Arizona Cardinals, that would allow the Chiefs to jump in front of them and pick No. 9. Kansas City would then enter the final week of the regular season with a top-nine pick and a chance to move up to No. 8 if the New Orleans Saints win their final two games.

So, to recap, Chiefs fans who want the best possible draft pick should be rooting for the Broncos, Falcons, Dolphins, Bengals, and Saints in Week 17.