We’re officially down to the last four weekends of the NFL regular season, which means fans of bad teams should bookmark “Tankathon” to keep checking where they are slated to pick in the 2026 draft.
The 2-11 Giants currently hold the No. 1 pick because they have a strength of schedule tiebreaker against the Raiders and Titans.
Amazingly, the Giants have never picked first during this horrific nine-year stretch in which they’ve posted a 42-102-1 record and made the playoffs only once. Their highest pick was No. 2 in 2018 when they selected Saquon Barkley … and we all know how that story went.
Fans have every right to have different philosophies this time of year. If you prefer to see the team lose out and get the No. 1 pick, that’s fine. If you’re more about entertainment and want to see wins regardless of it being a lost season, that also makes sense.
But what fans — and especially the owners who choose the leadership for the franchise — can’t forget is the fact these last four games won’t change the evaluation of the current regime.
“Regardless of the record, our focus and our vision is on Washington and how we can improve as a team, how we improve individually,” interim head coach Mike Kafka said this week. “Our coaches have a really clear plan on how we want to do that, how we want to attack it. So now it’s about bringing that to life, and no better than our players having that opportunity and continuing to find ways for them to get better.”
Would it be nice to see the Giants emerge from their bye week with a winning performance against backup quarterback Marcus Mariota and the 3-10 Commanders on Sunday at MetLife Stadium? Certainly.
But no, Kafka is no longer coaching for a chance to be the Giants’ full-time head coach. That went out the window two weeks ago when his team embarrassed itself on national television against the Patriots and lost any hope of beating a good team and running the table for a 7-10 finish, which would have at least been the franchise’s most wins in three years.
Three of the Giants’ last four games are against the teams who are out of playoff contention. The finale is against the Cowboys, who are still barely in the hunt. And yes, spoiling their season would fall under the category of, “That’s nice.”
But it wouldn’t change the outlook on GM Joe Schoen, whose flawed roster led to the firings of the offensive-minded head coach and the defensive coordinator last month, and yet it has since provided ample evidence that the problems go way beyond coaching.
There are no stakes to these games, and there is no way that the Giants can truly hope to start fresh and start winning again if they continue to ride with coaches and a GM who are already inside the building.
Still, for fans it would nice to see the foundational players on this team perform well and give them something to cheer about. It’s hard to believe the Giants still have not won a game since Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo took center stage on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 9 against the Eagles.
Yet Dart gives off vibes of a young quarterback who is as determined as ever to lead the franchise out of its dark age.
Dart had no interest in getting away from football during the bye week. He said he would be “self-reflecting, being able to look at any tendencies that we have on offense, being able to see different adjustments that I can make, checks, alerts at the line of scrimmage, and try to break those and then just continue to stack for these weeks coming forward.”
While getting back to practice this week, Dart said the week off allowed for extra time to watch all the previous games, identify mistakes and have critical conversations with coaches.
It was also a week for Dart to rest up physically. The Patriots game was his return to action after missing two games with a concussion, and now is his opportunity to finish strong and continue cementing himself as the franchise quarterback.
“Maybe there are pass concepts that you need to improve at, so during that time, you just work on those things and just making sure your mechanics are in the right spot,” Dart said. “You get a little extra time to not really worry about game planning and take the time on the field to walk through your mechanics based on different actions or whatever it may be. It definitely, I felt like it was beneficial.”
Greg Johnson covers the New York Giants and NFL for MediaNews Group. Reach him at gjohnson@trentonian.com.
Giants Gameday
The Game: Commanders (3-10) at Giants (2-11), MetLife Stadium, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
The Line: New York by 2.5
History: The Giants lead the all-time series, 108-74-5, but the Commanders have won three in a row including Week 1 this season in Washington, 21-6.
Key Matchups:
Giants C John Michael Schmitz vs. Commanders DT Daron Payne: This is a critical rematch because Schmitz has shown grown this season and needs redemption here. Payne made big plays in Week 1 with a sack and two passes defended.
Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson vs. Commanders CB Mike Sainristil: Robinson has four games to accumulate 172 yards for his first 1,000-yard season. He’ll continue to be Jaxson Dart’s go-to weapon and should see some matchups with Sainristil, a second-round pick from Michigan in the 2024 draft.
Giants run defense vs. Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Rodriguez didn’t play in the first matchup but has become Washington’s lead back. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry last week against Minnesota and has to be an emphasis for the Giants’ league-worst run defense coming out of the bye week.
Giants CB Cor’Dale Flott vs. Commmanders WR Deebo Samuel Sr.: Samuel had a team-high 10 targets, seven receptions and 77 yards in the Week 1 meeting. He’ll be a focal point for Washington again if he plays, especially with tight end Zach Ertz now lost for the season.
Injury Report:
Giants: OUT: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder), OLB Victor Dimukeje (knee), CB Nic Jones (shoulder), DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (ankle), WR Beaux Collins (neck); DOUBTFUL: P Jamie Gillan (knee); QUESTIONABLE: DL Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DL D.J. Davidson (illness), WR Gunner Olszewski (concussion), OL Josh Ezeudu (calf), LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck/knee), CB Art Green (hamstring), ILB Darius Muasau (ankle).
Commanders: OUT: QB Jayden Daniels (elbow), CB Jonathan Jones (rib), DE Drake Jackson (groin/knee); QUESTIONABLE: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin), WR Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness).
Giant Facts: The Giants are 2-1 in their first game after the bye week under the current regime. … The Giants have six opening-drive touchdowns this season, tied for the second-most in the NFL. That’s also tied for the most by a Giants team since 2000. … The Giants have 29 completions of 25+ yards this season, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. That’s also the most by a Giants team since they had 32 completions of 25+ yards during the 2019 season.
The Prediction: Giants 24, Commanders 20
