Every April, fans of all NFL teams want the same thing: for their team to have the highest draft picks possible. Of course, the general downside to that is that it means your team wasn't that good the season before. But when you can get high picks because of other team's failings, that's the good stuff!
The Cowboys' 2027 draft will be heavily comprised of other teams' picks. Dallas owns the Packers' first, the Steelers' fourth, and the Texans' seventh next April, plus are missing some of their own from various trades. As such, it's worth paying attention to what Green Bay, Houston, and Pittsburgh do throughout the year.
As we get further into the season, and all 32 teams get less jumbled, we'll start looking at everyone's overall records and how the eventual 2027 Draft order is shaping up. But for now, let's look at how are draft-pick debtors fared last week and what lies ahead for them in Week 3.
Packers crumble in primetime, fall to 1-2
Green Bay opened the season with a two-game road trip are lucky to be 1-1. After dropping their season opener to a Carson Wentz-led Vikings team, they needed overtime to get past the Jets with a victory. Despite the even record, serious concerns have been raised about the Packers' long-term prospects this year.
Those held true on Thursday night, as Green Bay got blown out at home (!) by the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 35-14. Yes, the Packers were down multiple starters on the offensive line, but they just might be a bad football team.
Matt LaFleur seems to have lost his fastball as a play-caller. The run game is non-existent. The passing game has some zip to it, but often looks disjointed because of the offensive line. Worst of all, they were completely emasculated by the Falcons, allowing Bijan Robinson to run for 194 yards.
The Cowboys' Week 6 matchup in Lambeau suddenly doesn't look as daunting.
Steelers have some 'splaining to do after shaky 1-1 start
In Week 1, Pittsburgh looked surprisingly pedestrian at home against the aforementioned Falcons, who had third-stringer Cooper Rush playing QB with a sore back. The last week, the Steelers were completely shut down 21-3 by the Patriots. It's left Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers' crew looking far from AFC contention in 2026.
Things don't get any easier this week with the 2-0 Bengals coming to town. These AFC North rivals have traded blows the last few years, but that was Mike Tomlin's work. The McCarthy-Rodgers Reunion tour is off to a rough start, and Cincy will be happy to pour some gas on the fire.
Texans are in 0-2 hole despite starting season at home
Houston has enjoyed a dramatic turnaround since DeMeco Ryans took over as head coach. They've had double-digit wins each of the last three seasons, including 12-5 last year.
But 2026 isn't tracking that way: the Texans lost a tough home opener against Buffalo in Week 1, and then got dominated last week at home by the Bengals.
Now the Texans are on the road to face the Colts, who are tougher than their 0-2 record might suggest. While Indy did get outclassed by the Ravens in Week 1, they took the Chiefs to overtime in Arrowhead last Sunday. It should be a fierce battle between two teams trying to keep their season alive, with the loser facing 0-3.
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