Giants Win The Toilet Bowl vs. Raiders

Wan'Dale Robinson pulls in the ball for a reception in today's game against the Raiders

The quest for the No. 1 pick came down to Sunday afternoon's game between the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders. Both teams came in with identical 2-13 records and a slew of starters either unavailable for this game or out for the rest of the season.

The Giants came out on top, 34-10, and are now likely out of the running for the No. 1 pick. However, the No. 2 pick is still in play pending the outcome of their season finale at home against Dallas next week.

Per usual, I'll give my quick game recap, key contributors, and closing thoughts.

Quick Recap

This game was dominated by the Giants from the jump. After a Bobby Okereke interception stalled the Raiders in the red zone, Jaxson Dart and Devin Singletary drove the offense 44 yards through Las Vegas territory to put the Giants up 7-0 in the first quarter. The drive was capped off by a Singletary 1-yard touchdown run.

The Giants scored two more times in the first half while the Raiders mustered a singular field goal. Wan'Dale Robinson caught 9 passes for 90 yards while the defense shut down Ashton Jeanty and held him to just 16 rushing yards. Giants 17, Raiders 3 at the half.

The bludgeoning continued in the second half. The Raiders’ first drive ended after four plays, and the Giants then marched 72 yards downfield on their opening possession of the half to add three more points. A Raiders touchdown late in the 3rd quarter brought the score to 20-10, but Deonte Banks decided today was his day to make a play, and he took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the house. That all but closed the door on this game.

Final score: Giants 34, Raiders 10.

Key Contributors

The defense and special teams were excellent today, but my key contributors are two important pieces of the offense who should be focal points moving forward: Jaxson Dart and Wan’Dale Robinson.

1. Jaxson Dart

   The rookie quarterback had a nice bounce back after a few rocky weeks. He finished the game 22-30 with 207 yards passing and two rushing touchdowns. Dart looked like the versatile playmaker we’ve grown accustomed to seeing this season, making this an encouraging performance as he gets back on track.

   
   

   Dart now has nine rushing touchdowns on the year, trailing only Cam Newton (11) for the most by a rookie quarterback all time. That's our QB1.

   
   

2. Wan'Dale Robinson

   Robinson finished with 11 catches for 113 yards and, for the first time in his career, surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark. He was critical to the passing game today, accounting for 55% of Jaxson Dart’s passing yards.

   
   

   The fourth-year pro has stepped up in a big way following Malik Nabers’ injury earlier in the season, and the Giants should do everything they can to re-sign him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Final Thoughts

Although the No. 1 pick feels out of reach, it was nice to pick up a win and actually look like a functioning football team for once. It’s also reassuring to know that the Raiders are in a much worse structural position than the Giants. The Giants have shown flashes of being a competitive team this year while the Raiders, aside from last week’s close loss to Houston, have largely been the NFL’s punching bag.

The final game of the season is next week at home against Dallas. The Giants could actually end the year on a winning streak if they pull off the upset. We’ll see what they can do against a Cowboys team that’s out of playoff contention but still led by Dak Prescott.

Nice win this week. On to the end of the season and a top draft pick.