Poll: Are the Pats hurting their future with late-season wins?

The New England Patriots have won two of their last three games to match the amount of wins they accumulated over the first 13 weeks.

Had it not been for the win in Pittsburgh a couple Thursday's ago, the Patriots would have begun Week 16 in possession of the No. 1 overall pick in next April's draft.

Instead, at 3-11, they had the #2 pick in their grips. But Sunday night's Christmas Eve win at Mile High bumped the Pats back two spots to No. 4, with Arizona (3-12) and Washington (4-11) leapfrogging them in the draft order.

This week should not be of worry to Patriots fans concerned by the mounting win total, as despite defeating Buffalo in this year's first matchup, with the way the Bills are playing in their charge toward the postseason they should stampede right past the Pats.

After that, though, it's the Jets in Week 18 in Foxborough. The team New England has beaten 15-straight times. Should the Pats win for a 16th-straight time against the Jets and end the season with five wins, that would likely put them in position for picks No. 5-7. At which point, QB's like Heisman winner Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix may no longer be locks to remain on the board.

Have wins in two of their last three spoiled the only silver lining this season appeared to have, which was a path to a top pick in next year's NFL Draft?