The Texans aren’t tanking, and the Bears may benefit.
Heading into today’s games, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft came down to this: The Texans own the first pick unless both the Texans win and the Bears lose. And at halftime the Texans lead the Colts 17-7, while the Vikings lead the Bears 16-6.
So if current scores hold, the Bears will pick first and the Texans second in the 2023 NFL draft.
A Vikings win could affect their playoff seeding, although Minnesota is guaranteed to be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC, so this game isn’t extremely important to them. And the Colts are paying only for draft positioning and can’t move ahead of either the Texans or the Bears in the draft order, so this game isn’t extremely important to them either.
But it’s very important in Chicago and Houston, and right now it’s Chicago fans who have to feel good about their chances of getting the top pick.