Why Raiders' Tank-Off vs. Giants is a Toss-Up

Believe it or not, the Las Vegas Raiders might be playing in the most interesting game of the 2025 NFL season's Week 17 slate. Several matchups could significantly swing playoff positioning when it's all said and done, but their upcoming bout with the New York Giants might be the single most influential game for the league landscape.

These are the last two teams left with under three wins. By the end of the week, only one will still have two victories, unless they end up in an unlikely tie. If so, the Raiders will get the tiebreaker, which will allow the Giants to maintain their hold of the first-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That's what's at stake for Las Vegas and New York in Week 17.

Las Vegas Raiders, NFL, Houston Texans, Geno Smith — Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks towards the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Can the Raiders come out on the bottom?

At this point in the season, neither the Las Vegas Raiders nor the New York Giants would mind losing their Week 17 head-to-head. There's a strong chance that both of these franchises are rooting for a loss in this one. A lot of their fans probably are. Getting the No. 1 pick is understandably a lot more exciting and inspiring than getting a meaningless third win.

However, as much as teams and supporters might like the thought of tanking, it's not really in the players' DNA to do so. After all, these are the top competitors on the planet. Plus, many of them have performance incentives baked into their contracts. And the difference between the No. 1 pick and the second isn't a huge gap, especially since both the Raiders and Giants could say that they don't need a franchise quarterback right now. That makes this game difficult to predict.

Giants trying to counter the Raiders shutting down Brock Bowers for pick No. 1. https://t.co/JOZYWdYC78 pic.twitter.com/iSC6jb8Qbo
— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) December 24, 2025

NFL.com's panel of editors gave it a go, with three of five members picking the Raiders, including Dan Parr, who's expecting a narrow 24-23 affair: "Playoff hopes for these two teams died a long time ago, but you can't say there's nothing at stake in this matchup. With the Giants and Raiders tied for the worst record in the league, the loser of this game will have the inside track to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While no outcome would surprise me here, I'm holding my nose and picking the Raiders because their offense showed life on the road against the best defense in the league last week, with a surprisingly effective running game leading the way."

"The fact that Las Vegas had a lead — albeit a short-lived one — in the second half against the Texans was one of the biggest surprises of the week. I have no real confidence Pete Carroll's squad can replicate that effort, especially with all-world tight end Brock Bowers out, which is why it's easy to envision Jaxson Dart playing one of his better games and the Giants' defensive front beating up on a weak Raiders O-line. But I'll pick the home team to narrowly escape with a consequential win."

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