Dec. 28, 2025, 7:45 p.m. ET
The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders met in the desert on Sunday afternoon in a game where the loser had more to gain than the winner.
The two 2-13 teams entered the game on nine-game losing streaks, and the loser would be in prime position to pick first overall in next year’s NFL draft.
The Giants haven’t picked first overall in the NFL draft since 1965. For reference, that’s two years before the Super Bowl era began. That streak will continue as they will now likely settle for the No. 2 pick, or lower, after besting a depleted Raiders team that put up very little resistance.
In that 1965 draft, the Giants chose Auburn fullback Tucker Frederickson first overall. San Francisco then took running back Ken Willard, who would go on to be a four-time Pro Bowler, with the second pick. The Chicago Bears had the next two picks and selected two future Hall of Famers — Kansas running back Gale Sayers and Illinois linebacker Dick Butkus — in rapid succession.
Frederickson had a solid rookie season in ’65 and was named to the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, he blew out his knee the next season and was never the same. He retired after the 1971 season.
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Sunday’s win was only the second time this season the Giants led a game wire-to-wire.
Here’s a breakdown of the studs, duds, and in-betweens from the Giants’ 34-10 Week 17 win over the Raiders.
Stud: WR Wan’Dale Robinson
The name is pronounced Wan’Dale, by the way, if anyone is interested. CBS play-by-play man Kevin Harlan repeatedly failed to get that right, but it didn’t matter much to Giants fans. Robinson ate up the soft Las Vegas back seven, reeling in 11 of his 14 targets for 113 yards, putting him over 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career.
Dud: The Raiders
As stated, the loser would likely get the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft. But after watching this outfit, one has to wonder if that will even make a difference. They made sure that they were as toothless as possible coming into the game, shelving All-Pros Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers, along with top defender Jeremy Chinn, this week. A “soft tank,” if there ever was one. Fernando Mendoza should pull an Eli if the Raiders pick him.
Stud: QB Jaxson Dart
The Giants decided to let Dart be Dart, and so did the Raiders. He took advantage by rushing nine times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 22 of 20 passes for 207 yards for a 91.9 QB rating. If he can beat Dallas next week, we’ll crow a little bit more about him.
Stud: LB Brian Burns
It was a day to pad the stats, and Burns did just that. He recorded 1.5 sacks on the day and now has 16.5 on the season with one game remaining. He had four total stops and three QB hits on the day.
Stud: LB Bobby Okereke
Okereke led the Giants in tackles with seven and had his first interception since the middle of the 2023 season.
Stud: S Dane Belton
Belton continues to make plays. He also had seven stops and an interception. The Giants have to seriously consider re-signing him.
More studs:KR Deonte BanksLB Abdul CarterRB Devin SingletaryK Ben SaulsMore duds:
