Will the New York Giants win by losing or lose by winning on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders? That’s what fans want to know. Giants’ players and coaches just want to know if they will experience the feeling
of winning at least one more time in a lost, miserable season.
How does the Big Blue View staff see things playing out? Here are our picks for Giants-Raiders, and all of the remaining NFL Week 17 games.
Chris Pflum
Let’s get ths out of the way first: I fully expect the Giants to win this game.
Everything else aside, the Giants are the better, more talented team and this is a game they should win. That’s true even considering the myriad injuries the Giants have sustained on the offensive side of the ball. Potentially being without Andrew Thomas and John Michael Schmitz against Maxx Crosby is a concern, but they should be able to scheme around one guy.
But real reason why I’m picking the Giants is because they do this every year, usually in Week 17. I do believe that a loss here is in the long-term best interest of the franchise, and the opportunity to auction off the first overall pick would be incredibly valuable. So I fully expect the Giants to flash brilliance, play up to their potential for the first time since the third quarter against the Denver Broncos and drop 40 on the Raiders. And in doing so take themselves out of a lucrative trade market and possibly land in a “no man’s land” where value and need just don’t align.
Of course, that also depends on the Giants allowing Jaxson Dart to have fun and play football. They overcorrected after the Bears game, slapping leg irons on him and shifting wildly from reckless agression to timidity when Dart is on the field. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they finally find find that balance of “responsible aggression” this week.
Pick: Giants
Tony DelGenio
Many Giants fans would rather see their team lose to the Raiders and try to get the No. 1 pick than to get a meaningless win. The coaches and many of the players who won’t be here next year won’t benefit from that, so I expect a spirited performance reminiscent of last year’s Colts game that kept the Giants from being able to draft Cam Ward. That drop to No. 3 seems to have worked out for the Giants. The difference this time is that the Colts didn’t have anyone who could cause big problems for the Giants, and the Raiders do. Maxx Crosby, one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, usually lines up opposite the right tackle. With Marcus Mbow subbing for the injured Andrew Thomas, will the Raiders have Crosby rush from Mbow’s side more often to take advantage? The answer may tell us how much Las Vegas wants to win this game. Another problem for the Giants is Ashton Jeanty, who has had an uneven rookie year but rushed for 128 yards last week with 10 forced missed tackles. Against the Giants’ run defense, he might double that. On the Giants’ offense side, will Mike Kafka let Jaxson Dart actually play quarterback against the Raiders’ leaky defense, or will he be scared that Patrick Graham will confuse Dart? Will the Giants’ receivers catch more balls than they drop? Hope for the No. 1 pick lives for one more week.
Pick: Raiders
James Hickey
On a good year, this is a schedule loss for the Giants— traveling cross country on a holiday week late in the year.
And of course this is not a good year.
There will be things to take out of this game, with a focus on two young linemen on either side of the ball. Does Abdul Carter stack another game where his presence is felt? And how does rookie Marcus Mbow fare when he is inevitable facing perennial Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby?
I have never been a “tank” person, believing that it creates a losers mentality. But there is nothing that this current team is building towards with major changes coming on the sideline and possibly the front office. And if it is one thing that has defined this team this year is no matter how promising the opportunity, they do not rise to the moment. The trend continues in Sin City.
Pick: Raiders 34, Giants 24
David Hartman
It’s the game of the year! The 2-13 Giants travel to Las Vegas to face the 2-13 Raiders and whoever loses will have the pole position in the 2026 NFL Draft. Fans of each team will clamor for them to tank and lose, but NFL players and coaches don’t think that way, so expect both teams to play to win.
The Raiders came close to upsetting the Texans in Houston last week, while the Giants lost their 8th straight game at home to the Vikings, even with J.J. McCarthy knocked out of the game. After playing competitive football against a parade of strong teams for much of the season, the Giants are playing their worst football of the season in December, and that includes Jaxson Dart, who put up an embarrassing stat line last Sunday.
I have no idea what to expect in this game. Brock Bowers is out for the Raiders and he’s probably the best player on either team. Ashton Jeanty went off last week against a stout defense and now he gets the Giants, who rank 31st in the NFL against the run. Dart will look to get back on track against a defense that isn’t as bad as the team’s record, and I think he’ll respond.
This is a coin flip game, and I wouldn’t bet it under any circumstances. But we have to make a pick, so I’ll take the Giants, just because every year they win a game right at the end that makes their fans scream, and not in a good way.
Pick: Giants
Valentine’s View
The Giants have made a habit of winning meaningless games at the end of lost seasons that end up costing them draft position.
- In 2019, they won two of their last three games to finish 4-12. An overtime victory over Washington dropped the Giants from pick No. 2 to No. 4. That actually worked out because Washington took Chase Young, who is now on his third team, while the Giants selected Andrew Thomas.
- In 2020, the Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the season finale and finished 6-10. That’s the year they traded down and ended up with Kadarius Toney.
- In 2023, they beat the Eagles in Week 18.
- In 2024, a Week 17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts cost the Giants the No. 1 overall pick. That, again, worked out. For my money, the combination of Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart will prove to be better than just selecting Cam Ward.
I think the Giants are going to do it again. Why? Because it’s just what the Giants do. Somehow, their timing always seems to be off.
Pick: Giants
