Raiders in position for top draft pick after 34-10 loss to Giants
— The Raiders' fate Sunday might have been sealed earlier in the week when management took three key players out of the lineup and placed them on injured reserve.
LAS VEGAS -- — The Raiders' fate Sunday might have been sealed earlier in the week when management took three key players out of the lineup and placed them on injured reserve.
A major win came out of their 34-10 loss to the New York Giants — a clear shot at the top pick in next year's NFL draft.
Las Vegas (2-14) will secure the top pick with a loss next week to Kansas City, and quarterback Geno Smith is unlikely to play because of a high ankle sprain. The Raiders’ skid reached 10 games, which matches last season’s streak for fifth-longest in franchise history.
The Giants (3-13), who snapped a nine-game losing streak, could still wind up with the top pick if they lose to Dallas next weekend and the Raiders beat the Chiefs. Interim coach Mike Kafka got his first win after losing his first five, and the Giants had their largest margin of victory since defeating Indianapolis 38-10 in Week 17 of the 2022 season.
“The things we were playing for were each other,” Kafka said. “You get into a football locker room, it's a family. Sometimes you have to go through ups and downs, but you keep plugging away, keep on putting in the hard work and then you'll get the result that you want.”
Dart, taken by the Giants with the No. 25 pick in the 2025 draft, showed his dual-threat ability by passing for 207 yards and rushing for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
An NFL Network report said the Giants were keeping their options open for the draft even at quarterback.
“I know I'm going to be here for a very long time,” Dart said. “I'm just excited to start winning more games and turn this place around and do my job. We have a bright future.”
Wan’Dale Robinson caught 11 passes for 113 yards to become the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to reach the 1,000-yard mark since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989. Robinson also is just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, according to Sportradar.
“It means a lot,” Robinson said. “I've always been labeled a slight guy that can only do certain things and never hit certain numbers. So I wanted to prove really to myself that I can do everything out on the football field that I need to do.”
Linebacker Brian Burns recorded 1 1/2 sacks, giving him a career-high 16 1/2 for the season.
Smith, again booed in pregame introductions, passed for 176 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions before leaving early in the fourth quarter with the ankle injury. Smith has a league-high 17 picks.
Kenny Pickett replaced him and completed both passes for 16 yards.
Smith's interception in the first quarter set the tone, a red-zone pick by linebacker Bobby Okereke that was returned 48 yards to set up a Giants touchdown and 7-0 lead. That was just New York's seventh interception this season.
The rebuilding Raiders were without a number of notable players, giving embattled coach Pete Carroll nearly a shell of a lineup. Las Vegas went from a 1 1/2-point favorite at Sportsbook to a 3-point underdog after defensive end Maxx Crosby (knee), tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and safety Jeremy Chinn (back) were placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Crosby, one of the league's top pass rushers, initially was sidelined just for this game. That decision so upset him that he left the Raiders' facility on Friday. He told reporters earlier in the week that trying to win was more important than securing the top draft pick.
“That’s what we look like without those guys playing,” Carroll said. "Unfortunately, they’re that valuable to us. Everybody tried, everybody did everything they could and all that just wasn’t enough.”
As for his future with the organization, Carroll said he believed he had management's backing.
“What does that mean? I don't know," Carroll said. ”But our conversations have been really good."
But now the Raiders could be in position to draft a potentially franchise-changing quarterback and end more than two decades of playoff futility.
The Giants have their own issues, but hope Dart is worth rebuilding around. The person who coaches Dart next season is a major question.
This is the fourth time the teams with the two outright worst records have met in the final two weeks, according to Sportradar. The previous time occurred in 1981 between the 1-14 Baltimore Colts and 2-13 New England Patriots.
Injuries
Giants: CB Cor’Dale Flott (knee) did not play. ... S Jevón Holland (knee) was injured in the third quarter.
Raiders: WR Jack Bech (back), RB Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee) and G Dylan Parham (illness) did not play. ... DT Adam Butler (bicep) was injured in the second quarter. ... G Dylan Parham (illness) left in the first half.
Up next
Giants: Host Dallas next weekend.
Raiders: Host Kansas City next weekend.
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