“WINNING MATTERS MORE” — THE GIANTS JUST MADE THEIR MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR
The New York Giants are in a real Catch-22.
They lose nine straight games, and fans get upset. They win with a blowout, ending their losing streak, and fans still get upset. In the end, they feel stuck, and even their wins seem like losses.
The Giants’ recent 34-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders ended their losing streak, marked their first road win of the season, and significantly lowered their chances of securing the top overall pick in the 2026 draft. A loss to the Raiders would have given them a 99.7% chance at the first pick, allowing them to trade back and fill multiple gaps in their roster. The win reduced their odds to 20%, according to ESPN Analytics.
Lloyd Christmas would be much more optimistic about these odds than Giants fans are, but in their current situation, winning games and playing competitive football is far more important for future success than getting the number one pick. Building a track record of winning is crucial for the young roster and their confidence, especially for Jaxson Dart. It’s also vital for veterans like Brian Burns, who will be spending their prime years chasing a ring in New York. Additionally, it’s essential for Joe Schoen as he guides the franchise’s next steps.
Scoring a great prospect would be fantastic, but it doesn’t matter if that prospect is part of a losing culture. Winning these “meaningless” late-season games during a bad year is crucial to the franchise’s future success.
Recent History of Good Prospects
The Giants have been highly ranked in consecutive drafts. The outcome? Consecutive three-win seasons.
Both Malik Nabers and Abdul Carter were can’t-miss prospects, and both have achieved excellent individual success in their rookie years. Before the season-ending injury, Nabers was on track for over 1,400 yards in his second season in New York.
This shows that sniping a top prospect early in drafts isn’t the only factor in NFL success. It also requires coaching and culture to turn a program around. The Giants might have their franchise quarterback in Dart, and they have talent across the roster. But they currently lack a legit head coach, and they definitely don’t have a winning culture.
The Coaching Search
A lot can happen in the NFL in a year if everything falls into place. Ben Johnson unlocked the true potential of Chicago’s talent, elevating them from last in the NFC North to genuine Super Bowl contenders. With the pieces the Giants currently have, similar success isn’t entirely out of reach.
The Giants never truly aimed to secure the first overall pick this season. It would have been a luxury, as they likely would have traded back to acquire more draft picks to better position their future. However, the main goal for the Giants has always been to find a new head coach who can transform the culture.
Success in that regard is to be determined, but if the rumors are true, coaches and coordinators across the league are chomping at the bit to work with this offense.
What is not at all enticing to a coach is a team that appears morally defeated and as if they have been counted out, just like the Giants during their losing streak. For the most part, they seemed uninspired, unaccountable, and dysfunctional. That is not something anyone would be crazy enough to step into.
A blowout against the Raiders and a win against a division rival to end the season could show prospective coaches that there is still some fight and desire left in these players. While it might hurt their draft position, it would also increase the chances of bringing in a respected leader to take over the coaching duties.
Young Bucks
Besides a few veterans, the Giants are mostly young and inexperienced. Most of their NFL experience has been in losing games.
The longest-tenured Giants under contract come from the 2022 rookie class. Since ’22, the Giants have recorded one winning season and one playoff appearance, followed by a 6-11, a 3-14, and a current 3-13 record with one game left. Winning is something none of the young players on the roster are used to.
It’s taken a toll on this season’s rookies, too, as Jaxson Dart even said this kind of culture and losing were something he had never been a part of.
Jaxson Dart isn’t used to losing this much in his football career
pic.twitter.com/ieTRP0Je5U
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 21, 2025
And if these young guys stay in it long enough, those losses could easily become a habit. Losing becomes something they accept, and winning feels out of reach. Building those habits and a reputation for losing will damage these young players more than they can recover from.
Again, a lot can happen in a year, but it begins with these young players learning how to find consistent wins in the NFL. Ending the year by securing a pair is a major confidence boost heading into next year.
Trade Still Possible
The Giants had two options with the number one pick if they chose to tank. The first was to draft Fernando Mendoza and trade Jaxson Dart, which seemed more like a headline and social media stunt than a real plan they would follow through on. The second, and the only realistic option, would have been trading down to a quarterback-needy team.
A trade for picks is still a likely possibility for the G-Men. Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux played his best, most explosive season since entering the NFL. The stats won’t show it, but his tape will. And even after going to the IR for the rest of the season, teams will be shopping for his value.
His value is highest while he’s under contract in New York. Trading Thibs would be tough to accept, but if the price is right, it might be the solution the Giants desperately need.
Finishing Strong
The Giants will finish their season against the Dallas Cowboys, a team they drove to overtime in a 40-37 loss during Week Two. Since then, they have faced some of the toughest challenges in the NFL.
From the league’s toughest strength of schedule to losing key players to injury, and from all the coaching fires and dysfunction surrounding the team, nobody has had it quite as bad as the Big Blue this year.
Sunday’s divisional matchup provides one final opportunity to demonstrate that this football team has the talent to win crucial games. It’s their last chance to leave behind all the trouble faced this year. It’s their final shot to rebuild confidence in this young core. A strong finish would generate momentum heading into the offseason, and the advantages of that would far surpass the benefits of aiming for the first overall pick.
