Bengals take firm control of the race for No. 1 pick in 2020 NFL Draft

We have five weeks remaining in the 2019 NFL season after Monday Night Football later tonight, and the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is pretty clear. Plenty can change over the five remaining weekends, but the Cincinnati Bengals are close to locking this thing up.

The Bengals lost their 11th straight to open the season, dropping a close 16-10 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cincinnati gave Pittsburgh all it could handle, but they came up short. In losing, they got a huge boost from Washington. The Detroit Lions crapped the bed in our nation’s capital, and Washington won 19-16 on a last second field goal.

The win improved Washington to 2-9 and we have a three-way tie for that second spot. The New York Giants have the strength of schedule edge over the Miami Dolphins and Washington. All three do technically have a shot to get past Cincinnati, but it really seems unlikely.

Week 13’s worst matchup features the Bengals hosting the Jets. The Jets are on a roll with three straight wins, including a 34-3 thumping of the Raiders this past weekend. But doesn’t that just set this up for the Jets to blow it in Cincinnati? I don’t like the idea of anybody being due, but that would just be so Jets.

Here’s the draft order for the top 12 teams, all of whom have no more than four wins through Week 12. The Bengals have a firm hold on the top pick, but the race for a top five pick is wide open. SOS via Tankathon.

1. Cincinnati Bengals: 0-11, .581
2. New York Giants: 2-9, .466
3. Miami Dolphins: 2-9, .503
4. Washington: 2-9, .509
5. Denver Broncos: 3-8, .537
6. Atlanta Falcons: 3-8, .574
7. Detroit Lions: 3-7-1, .480
8. Arizona Cardinals: 3-7-1, .552
9. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-7, .472
10. New York Jets: 4-7, .480
11. Los Angeles Chargers: 4-7, .497
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-7, .520