Giants Snap Nine-Game Skid in Raiders, Complicate Race for No. 1 Draft Pick

The New York Giants entered Sunday’s game at Allegiant Stadium knowing a loss would have all but clinched the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 34-10, snapping a nine-game losing streak and significantly changing the draft outlook for both teams.

The Giants improved to 3-13 with the victory. According to ESPN Analytics, a loss would have given New York a 99.7% chance of landing the No. 1 pick. After the win, that figure dropped to 20%. Las Vegas fell to 2-14 and now holds an 80% chance of drafting first. The Raiders are on a 10-game losing streak. New York remains the only other realistic team in contention for the top selection and would need to lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18 and have the Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs to move back into the No. 1 spot.

The game was widely referred to as the “Tank Bowl,” a label fueled by roster decisions made by the Raiders earlier in the week. The Raiders placed tight end Brock Bowers, safety Jeremy Chinn, and edge rusher Maxx Crosby on season-ending injured reserve in the days leading up to the game. Bowers and Chinn had played every snap the previous week, and Crosby had played 100% of the defensive snaps in each of the Raiders’ prior five games. Crosby was placed on injured reserve with what the team described as a lingering knee injury and reportedly left the team facility immediately after being informed of the decision. He had said the previous week, “I don’t give a s–t about the pick. I don’t play for that.”

On the field, the Giants took control early. Linebacker Bobby Okereke intercepted Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Devin Singletary on the final play of the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. After a 42-yard field goal by Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made it 7-3, Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart scored on a 12-yard designed run with 5:56 remaining in the second quarter. New York extended the lead to 17-3 before halftime on a 32-yard field goal by Ben Sauls, the Giants’ fourth kicker of the season.

Dart finished 22-for-30 passing for 207 yards and added 47 rushing yards with two touchdowns. His nine rushing touchdowns this season are the second-most by a rookie quarterback since 1950, trailing only Cam Newton’s 14 in 2011. Dart said after the game that he viewed the talk surrounding the draft position as “just noise,” adding that the team was focused on winning and needed a morale boost.

The Giants outgained the Raiders 343 yards to 231. Las Vegas cut the deficit to 20-10 in the third quarter on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Tyler Lockett on fourth-and-goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Giants cornerback Deonte Banks returned the ball 95 yards for a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the third quarter, extending the lead to 27-10.

Smith finished 20-for-28 for 176 yards with two interceptions, bringing his season total to a league-leading 17. He exited early in the fourth quarter with a high ankle sprain suffered on the same play as his second interception, which was picked off by Dane Belton. Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Smith would undergo an MRI on Monday and acknowledged the injury could keep him out of the Week 18 game. Kenny Pickett replaced Smith later in the fourth quarter.

The result immediately influenced betting markets for the final week of the regular season. The Giants’ Week 18 home game against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium was adjusted to Dallas -4.5 at multiple sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, after opening earlier in the week with Dallas favored by nearly a touchdown. The total for the game rose to 52.5 after opening in the low 50s.

Las Vegas’ loss and Smith’s injury also affected the betting outlook for the Raiders’ Week 18 matchup against the Chiefs. That game’s spread moved from an opening line around Kansas City -4 to as high as -6.5 before settling near -5.5, with the total listed in the mid-30s. Kansas City is out of playoff contention and is starting third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun.

The win was the Giants’ first since Oct. 9 and the first for interim head coach Mike Kafka, who had been 0-5 since replacing Brian Daboll. Kafka said the team was playing for each other and described the locker room as a family. Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson led the Giants with 11 receptions for 113 yards, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his four-year career. Robinson is a pending free agent and assumed the No. 1 receiver role after Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 4.