Trio of Giants Defenders Lauded for Week 17 Performances

For the New York Giants, their Week 17 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders that helped them snap a nine-game losing streak and get back in the left column for just the third time this season meant a whole lot of things for the players battling within the numbers.

The outside focus leading up to the game had been on the massive impact of the matchup on the draft order. Still, to the 53 men donning the uniform for only a couple more Sundays before the 2025 campaign ends, it wasn’t even in the back of their minds as they took the field and, at least for one week, silenced all the negative noise surrounding the franchise.

Instead, the entire team was keyed in on lifting the organization's morale and proving to the rest of the league that they could still compete and win games with the core of talent they currently have assembled, and that they have one more guaranteed game to play together.

It was about playing for the patch on the jersey and the guys alongside them, some of whom needed strong outings to close out the year and potentially help their uncertain fates ahead.

While we don’t know exactly what the Giants will do this offseason, three important players did enough to put their team over the top and garner praise for their late-season heroics.

The trio of Giants were Brian Burns, Dane Belton, and Deonte Banks, who each earned a spot in Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week for their contributions that powered New York to its first road win since Week 5 of the 2024 season.

The appearances marked the second straight week that PFF honored at least one member of the Giants defense, signaling there has been some positive uptick since Charlie Bullen took over as the interim defensive coordinator in relief of the dismissed Shane Bowen.

While they might have split their last two contests with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings the week prior, the Giants’ unit has shown strides in slowing down the run game and forcing turnovers. They limited the Raiders to under 250 yards of total offense, including just 63 yards on the ground to Ashton Jeanty, and flipped four possessions in their direction.

It all started with Bullen getting creative with his pass-rush looks, confusing the Raiders’ offense into making mistakes that set up the Giants for success on the other end. Burns was the main factor in that department, notching two sacks to go along with his four total pressures and three stops.

The Giants have a lot of work left to be done on the defensive side of their roster. Still, they know they’ve got one of the best foundational pieces in Burns, who would be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year if it wasn’t for Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett leading the league in sacks (22.0) and being on the precipice of setting the single-season record (22.5) shared by Giants great Michael Strahan and Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.

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

Outside of further strengthening the core of pass rushers with him, the defensive secondary might be the Giants’ top focus heading into the offseason, as the position group has been a complete eyesore in their defensive coverage metrics.

Belton helped make sure it wasn’t on Sunday as he secured one of the team’s two interceptions that set the Jaxson Dart and the offense up for one of their four touchdown drives that never let the Raiders come within a hair of making a comeback and sealed the deal on their miserable losing skid.

And we never thought we’d be writing this about his fellow cornerback in Deonte Banks, who has been a pariah in the defensive equation yet finally found his breakout moment in a separate role as a kickoff returner amid a struggling season for the Giants’ special teams unit.

Along with his three tackles and two pass deflections, Banks returned a kickoff 95 yards to the house for his first touchdown as a pro that negated a Raiders score that had cut the New York lead to 20-10 in the second half.

It was a huge moment amid a fairly clean day for the Giants' third phase, which had been nothing but sloppy in the last few games.

If anyone on the Giants roster was desperate to silence the barrage of criticism surrounding him, it was Banks, whose struggles have been on full display as he has earned a lot more snaps down the stretch of the season with injuries to other pieces like Paulson Adebo and Cor’Dale Flott, for whom who he subbed vs. Las Vegas.

Still, we won’t go out on a limb to say his big play on special teams will be enough to spare what has been the ugliest season of his tenure, which could come to its conclusion in the offseason.

Banks has allowed receptions on a career-high 82.8% of his targets and been responsible for four touchdowns scored while also having just one pass deflection and a career-high missed tackle rate (12.1%).

Those are just not numbers that are expected of a former first-round pick and could spell Banks’ doom if the team elects to make him a roster casualty after he plays the last snaps of his third season next Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, especially when the team is going to be cap strapped again for 2026 and will need to make some tough decisions to clear up cap space to work with.

That said, one can’t argue that the Giants wouldn’t have secured their win over the Raiders in the penultimate weekend of a disappointing season with the efforts of the three aforementioned faces, and so they deserve their kudos for now.

With the defensive system slated to undergo some changes before the following season, they at least created some positive film while inspiring a glimmer of hope that the Giants’ defense can start to look better with the right leadership steering the ship.

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