The NFL would need to use a draft lottery to determine the order of the first few picks, just like the NBA does. This would avoid the spectacle of last week, when everyone was trying to parse the Las Vegas Raiders’ motivations for shutting down Brock Bowles and Max Crosby against the New York Giants. Fans are free to root for their teams to excel in the changeup, knowing that their first-round draft position will depend at least in part on opportunity rather than tanking results.
Without that, all we need to focus on is how both teams approach the game itself. You might say Mike Kafka’s ultra-conservative game plan against Jackson Dart last week was evidence of failure. However, when two of the worst teams in the NFL (by record) meet in the penultimate game of the season, the bigger question is:
advertise
How do you tell the difference between a bad team and a bad team? I don’t know, but I do know that the Giants looked like the better team today. What did we learn from this game?
A tradition that is different from other traditions
No, this has nothing to do with the Masters. This is about the Giants winning the final game in a losing season to worsen their draft position. In 2019, they “lost” the Chase Young Bowl by defeating Washington in overtime in a meaningless penultimate game. Their consolation prize was Andrew Thomas.
In 2023, the legend of Tommy DeVito was born. After essentially not allowing a pass as the emergency quarterback against the Jets, DeVito started and won three straight games, the last of which came against New England when the Patriots’ kicker missed a short field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. Those three wins cost the Giants the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick, and thus the chance to land Jaden Daniels or Derek Meyer. Still, they drafted Malik Nabors, which is a nice consolation prize.
advertise
In 2024, they suddenly found their offense against the Colts in the penultimate game of the season, blowing any chance of landing Cam Ward or Travis Hunter. The jury is still out on both of them, but neither had a stellar rookie season. Meanwhile, the Abdul Carter they got is starting to be the disruptive force we imagined it would be (that is, when he lines up behind the neutral zone), and the relatively cheap deal for Jaxson Dart seems like it could be a home run.
Now, with their win in Las Vegas, a loss that would give them the No. 1 pick in 2026, and the possibility of trading up draft assets, the Giants’ only path to No. 1 is if they lose to Dallas next week (very likely) and have the Raiders beat Kansas City (unlikely). Even so, the Giants are drafting no lower than No. 7 and should be able to get a very good prospect. Maybe things will work out for the best.
Better to re-sign Jermaine Elumuno
In a sense, Eluemuno did not have his best game on Sunday, taking two penalties despite not being under any pressure. Of course, that’s because Raiders coaches ruled Max Crosby out for the rest of the season over Crosby’s objections. Elumuno has received 13 penalties this season, but he has only been sacked four times and has had 19 total pressures. He’s no AT, and he’s just an average runner, but if the Giants can re-sign him for less than $20 million per year (which would make him currently seventh among right tackles), they should.
advertise
If they don’t, then they’ll have to use their No. 1 draft pick on offensive tackle, rule out adding an elite wide receiver or defensive prospect, or rely on Marcus M’Beau to step in as the starter. Mbo has potential, but he’s not ready to start yet. On Sunday, he unofficially waived five pressures; imagine what would have happened if Crosby was in the game at times and on his side. You can’t assume he’ll be ready next year. Sign Eluemunor to use invalid years if needed and remove this uncertainty.
Better to re-sign “Wen’Dale” Robinson
(H/T Kevin Harlan) This is another no-brainer. I know he’s short. But 1,000-yard receivers don’t grow on trees. Wandell has developed chemistry with the Giants’ three quarterbacks this season, throwing for 100 yards with each of them. This year, he’s proven he’s more than just “a slot receiver,” increasing his yards per catch from 9.9, 8.8 and 7.5 the previous three seasons to 11.0 this season.
This is Wes Welker (career 11.0 yards per catch) territory. Those great Patriots teams always had home run players like Randy Moss and maybe the best tight end in Rob Gronkowski, but Welker was the glue that kept the offense going, extending drives and sometimes even making explosive plays of his own. The Giants need to draft a complementary WR2 next April to make life easier for Jaxon Dart and make defenses pay for over-focusing on Malik Nabors, but having Wandell back as another option could ultimately allow Dart to reach his potential. There are already 25 wide receivers in the NFL making $20 million or more per year. If they can sign Wandale to a contract that starts with a 1, they should.
advertise
Is Ben Soles the answer?
Sauers has not missed an extra point or field goal in two games. He has yet to kick a field goal of more than 40 yards, but he did get a 48-yard extra point today on a penalty kick. What struck me was the lack of drama. The ball went straight through the uprights and I found myself not twisting my body to the right or left trying to guide it past the TV.
Sowers is 7-for-12 for 50 or more yards in his college career (6-for-7 last year). He may not be one of those players who can hit from 60-plus like Brandon Aubrey, but I’d love to have one of those guys. But after the circus of the past three seasons, a reliable kicker would be a relief.
Addendum: I didn’t say anything about defense today. They generally play well. Bobby Okereke finally reappeared in 2022, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter continued to cause trouble, Okereke and Dane Belton had interceptions, and even the run defense was good, only losing 63 yards. Kudos to defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen for finally giving us a game we didn’t shake our heads at. However, this was against the Raiders, who were without Brock Bowles and whose offensive line was subpar. I’d be impressed if the Dallas offense does something similar next week. Over the course of a week, though, it felt good.
