Not only did the Giants not lose on their bye week, they scored a big win.
Losers of seven straight games, the Giants moved into possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to Tankathon, by virtue of the Titans beating the Browns.
The Raiders could match the Giants and Titans with a 2-11 record by Sunday’s end if they lose to the Broncos.
The Giants hold the tiebreaker over the Titans and Raiders because they have played the weaker schedule. Giants’ opponents have a .538 winning percentage compared to the Titans’ (.573) and Raiders’ (.550), per Tankathon.
The Browns, Saints, Commanders and Jets are all 3-10 and not far off the tanker’s pace.
The Giants have not picked No. 1 overall since 1965. They drafted running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018.
Just last year, the Giants were in the driver’s seat atop the NFL draft until a Week 17 victory against the Colts. They ended up slipping to No. 3 and taking pass-rusher Abdul Carter with quarterback Cam Ward out of reach – even after reportedly making trade offers to the Titans.
It would be interesting if the Giants end up with the No. 1 pick because Jaxson Dart is in place as the franchise quarterback, so the general manager – Joe Schoen or his replacement – could hold a bidding war for teams who might be eyeing Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, including the Jets.
But the Giants’ schedule eases up after the bye, with games against the Commanders, Vikings, Raiders and Cowboys ahead.
Dart isn’t going to want to hear from fans about the benefits of losing out.
“Obviously it’s very important for us to finish these next four weeks out strong,” Dart said as the bye week began. “We have a lot of guys that are coming back next year, so you want to carry that momentum over.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
