Giants Win a Game, but Lose Control of No. 1 Draft Pick

The Giants can still get the first overall pick int he draft, but they made it harder for themselves.

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) returns a punt for a touchdown in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

All week long, the New York Giants players and coaches spoke about how their focus wasn’t on tanking for the No. 1 draft pick, but rather snapping a nine-game losing streak and getting their first road win of the season.

They weren’t kidding.

The Giants beat up on the Las Vegas Raiders 34-10 in Sin City thanks to a pair of turnovers by the defense, a pair of rushing touchdowns by rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, and a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Deonte Banks.

Dart, who a week ago had his worst game as a pro and whose designed runs had been cut back on under interim head coach Mike Kafka, was right back to doing what he does so well, rushing for 48 yards on nine carries and the aforementioned two scores.

As a passer, he finished 22-of-30 in the air for 207 yards for a decent 91.9 rating.

Giants receiver Wan’Dale Robinson finished the game with 113 yards on 11 receptions, the yardage putting him over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his four-year career. 

Robinson’s achievement also gave the Giants their first back-to-back seasons with a 1,000-yard receiver since 2015-16 when Odell Beckham Jr recorded consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

The Giants' defense had another strong showing, holding the Raiders' rushing game to just 63 yards on 20 carries. Of those, rookie rusher Ashton Jeanty managed 60 yards on 16 carries. 

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith finished 20-of-28 before leading the game in the fourth quarter with a right ankle injury. Still, he also tossed two interceptions, one to Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke and the other to safety Dane Belton, the Giants converting both of those turnovers into points.

A costly win?

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) greets fans after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In winning the game against the Raiders, the Giants, who were in a similar situation last year when they won a meaningless Week 17 game against the Colts, which ruined their draft position, lost control of the first overall pick in the 2026 draft, as a loss this week would have locked that pick up for the Giants.

Instead, the Giants drop to No. 2 in the draft order, but they still have a somewhat slim path to finishing on top if they lose to the Cowboys next week and the Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Although such a scenario would put the Giants and Raiders at the same won-loss record to finish the season, because the Giants hold the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker, they would get the first overall pick in the draft if that scenario plays out.

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