Giants facing déjà vu moment with draft talk at…
LAS VEGAS — It was nearly precisely one 12 months in the past to the day.
Return with us to Week 17 of the 2024 season, with the Giants in their post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s malaise that for the better half of a decade has been their annual state of being. There was nothing tangible to play for in the ultimate two video games, and the ideas of followers — and, whether or not they need to admit it or not, a few of their entrance workplace executives — drifted away from the sphere and toward the upcoming draft.
The Giants have been 2-13 and oh-so-close to controlling their draft destiny, and placing themselves in place with all the shedding to give you the chance to choose quarterback Cam Ward with the top choose. There was no purpose to consider they might win another recreation, but lo and behold they did.
Their here-today, gone-tomorrow itinerant quarterback, Drew Lock, tossed 4 landing passes and ran for another in a 45-33 victory over the Colts in a efficiency that seemingly got here out of nowhere. The next week, on cue, the Giants misplaced to the Eagles’ B-team, ended up with the No. 3 choose and out of the operating for Ward.
In the minds’ of many, the Giants misplaced by successful.
Here we go again, one 12 months later.
The Giants, again, are 2-13 and at the moment maintain the No. 1 spot in the 2026 draft. All that stands between them and securing that prize choose is a loss Sunday at Las Vegas and a loss seven days later at home to the Cowboys.
If that occurs, the Giants can wait for groups in trading up to get Fernando Mendoza or presumably Dante Moore, understanding they’ve a quarterback, Jaxson Dart, and can gain a bounty of picks from a staff that wants one of their own.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart is compelled out of the pocket and runs the ball during the fourth quarter of the Giants-Washington Commanders recreation in East Rutherford, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
So, if the Giants beat the Raiders, the losing-by-winning dialogue will start anew.
“I guess you could say it feels a little similar, just losing so many in a row,” huge receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “But that Colts win, it was a fun day. We were out there executing, especially on offense. I feel like that’s the mindset that we have to have every time we step out there. Hopefully we can look like that on Sunday.”
The Giants went into that recreation a 12 months in the past on a franchise-record 10-game shedding streak. Well, historical past is back again, with a vengeance. They cart a nine-game skid into this recreation, as do the Raiders. It will probably be troublesome for either aspect to win this one because both sides not often are succesful of popping out on top.
Gauging motivation is always tough at instances like this. Do gamers have one or both ft out the door as another depressing season grinds to a close?
Here is a basic rule of thumb: The youthful they’re, the more resilient they’re. That definitely feels just like the case with the 22-year previous quarterback who received two of his first three profession begins and nothing since.
“I just — you know, we’re sick of losing, so we definitely are just wanting to get that feeling back,” Dart said. “It’s hard to go week to week and have these close games where you put in a ton of hard work and things just haven’t really paid off for us this year. Just as a locker room, from a morale standpoint, it’ll be huge for us these last two weeks to give everything we can to try to go get a win.”
Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders runs for a fourth quarter landing against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Getty Images
Bingo. For the sake of the morale of the locker room, halting this shedding would do wonders for the psyches of those who have put their our bodies on the road week after week only to come away with the sting of defeat. For those outdoors the locker room, focusing on the exterior aftereffects of really successful a recreation is totally comprehensible.
Both sides this weekend are embroiled in this.
The Raiders’ best participant, defensive end Maxx Crosby, early in the week said, “Yeah, I don’t give a s–t about the pick. I don’t play for that.”
Then he was angered to be taught the staff needs him to shut it down the ultimate two video games. Players need to play. We get it. And followers root for their staff.
But sometimes they root for their staff to lose.
Stay up to date with the latest trending topics! Visit our web site daily for the freshest Sports news and content, rigorously curated to keep you informed.
