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The Giants snapped one nine-game losing streak last Sunday. Can they snap another one this Sunday when they host the Cowboys, who’ve beaten them nine straight times? Do fans even want that, knowing draft order is at stake?
The Cowboys have also been eliminated from playoff contention, but don’t have their eyes on the top of the draft. Dak Prescott is expected to play and he’s won 14 consecutive starts against the Giants.
But this game isn’t just about the Giants finishing 4-13 or 3-14. It’s about what pick the Giants will get – between No. 1 and 7 – even if the players are just focused on winning.
“A lot of people say we had nothing to play for,” safety Dane Belton said after the Giants beat the Raiders last Sunday. “But as men, as brothers, as teammates, we’re gonna go out there and put it on the line for each other.”
Things are simple if the Giants lose Sunday. It means they’ll finish with no worse than the No. 2 pick. If they have the same record as the Jets, Titans or Cardinals – all 3-13 teams – the Giants get the higher pick with a weaker strength of schedule.
A Raiders loss means they get the top pick and the Giants are No. 2. The Giants have to wait on that result since the Raiders face Kansas City at 4:25 p.m.
Here’s where things get trickier. If the Giants lose and the Raiders win, the Giants don’t automatically get the No. 1 pick. They’ll also need wins from at least two of these teams: The Seahawks, Falcons, Browns and Bears. That would ensure a weaker strength of schedule.
The Seahawks play in San Francisco Saturday at 8 p.m. The Falcons host the Saints and the Bengals host the Browns at 1 p.m. Sunday and the Bears host the Lions at 4:25 p.m.
If the Giants beat the Cowboys, they could slide all the way down to the No. 7 pick. It all depends on the results from the Jets, Titans and Cardinals, plus the four-win Browns and Commanders.
A Giants win plus a win by all five of those teams? The Giants stay at No. 2. But a win plus losses by any of the five teams? The Giants will drop picks based on how many of those five teams lose.
For example, if two of the five lose, the Giants slide from No. 2 to No. 4 with a win. Three of the five losing means the Giants drop to No. 5. If all five lose, the Giants pick seventh.
It’s a lot to keep up with. But remember, it’s not about what pick the Giants get, it’s what must be done with it.
Should the Giants land in the top five, preferably the top two, they should try to trade that pick and move down in the first round. It’s one of the most important things general manager Joe Schoen does this offseason.
Of course, that depends on if Schoen retains his job. Ownership threw support behind him leading the coaching search after Brian Daboll was fired. That may change after Sunday. But he’s in charge now and trading that first-round pick should be a goal once a coach is hired.
A trade package should include significant draft capital, or perhaps a key player. The Giants also don’t have a third-round pick after trading it to move up to select Jaxson Dart last April, but they do have three sixth-round picks.
One or two of those picks can be added in a package to sweeten any deal, but a deal must be sought out because adding better pieces around Dart and fixing the defense is imperative. The Giants can’t afford a third straight season with at least 13 losses.
“As long as we’re learning and continuing to get better and don’t make the same mistakes twice, then that’s progress,” Schoen said this month during his bye-week news conference. “That’s what we’re going to continue to focus on, our process, to get this organization back where it belongs.”
That process starts after Sunday’s season finale. The Giants’ first-round pick position might not be determined until that night. But wherever they land in the top seven, it’s a reward for another bad season and a chance to add a big piece that, they hope, will help them avoid another one in 2026.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.