New York Giants (2-13) at Las Vegas (2-13)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Raiders by 1½.
Against the spread: Giants 6-8-1, Raiders 6-9.
Series record: Raiders lead 9-6.
Last meeting: Raiders beat Giants 30-6 on Nov. 5, 2023, at Las Vegas.
Last week: Giants lost to the Vikings 16-13; Raiders lost to the Texans 23-21.
Giants offense: overall (17), rush (7), pass (20), scoring (23).
Giants defense: overall (29), rush (31), pass (20), scoring (28).
Raiders offense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (29), scoring (32).
Raiders defense: overall (15), rush (17), pass (17), scoring (25).
Turnover differential: Giants minus-5; Raiders minus-5.
LB Brian Burns has been their best player all season, and he’s the key to the pass rush making an impact, even with Kayvon Thibodeaux on injured reserve. Burns has a career-high 15 sacks, second in the NFL to only record-chasing Myles Garrett, and has shown no signs of slowing down.
QB Geno Smith. He is tied for the league high in interceptions with 15, but over the past eight games has five picks to go with 13 touchdown passes. If he produces similar numbers over the final two games, the Raiders have a good chance to win both weeks.
Giants offensive line vs. Raiders defensive front. New York's line has struggled recently because of injuries and absences to protect QB Jaxson Dart. Maxx Crosby and the Raiders defensive front is capable of disrupting opposing offenses, and the game's outcome could be decided on how well the Giants block those defenders to give Dart time to throw as well as establish an effective running game.
Giants: LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring), C John Michael Schmitz (hand) and CB Cor’Dale Flott all are uncertain to play after getting hurt last weekend. … EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux is out for the rest of the season after going on IR because of a lingering shoulder issue.
Raiders: DE Maxx Crosby (knee) will not play. ... LT Kolton Miller (ankle) is practicing again this week, but again will not play. ... TE Brock Bowers (knee) and S Jeremy Chinn (back) were placed on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday.
The teams have alternated winning the past four matchups. ... This is the Giants' second trip to Las Vegas in three years. The Raiders won the previous meeting. ... Be it Las Vegas, Oakland or Los Angeles, the Raiders are 6-2 at home in this series.
The Giants and Raiders have each lost nine in a row. … 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. ... New York is 0-5 since Mike Kafka took over as interim coach following the firing of Brian Daboll. ... Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart was 7 of 13 for 33 yards in the loss to Minnesota. All are his lowest totals among his first 10 starts in the league. His interception went off the hands of Theo Johnson. … Dart was sacked five times, which made the team’s net yards passing just 13. … Dart has thrown for three touchdowns and been picked off twice in three games since returning from concussion protocol. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson is 99 yards away from reaching 1,000 in a season for the first time in his four-year pro career. … DT Dexter Lawrence had one tackle for loss and two penalties on 52 snaps against the Vikings. … Rookie LB Abdul Carter’s offside penalty last week negated what would have been a 96-yard pick-6 by Jevon Holland. … The 16 points Minnesota scored were the fewest the Giants have allowed this season, and the defense produced their only touchdown on Burns' strip-sack of J.J. McCarthy that Tyler Nubin returned 27 yards to the end zone. ... The Raiders have a point differential of minus-169, worst in the NFL. ... DE Maxx Crosby's five straight Pro Bowl selections is second in Raiders history to P Ray Guy's six in a row. ... RB Ashton Jeanty is one of five rookies with at least five rushing and five receiving touchdowns and just the second since 1965. ... Las Vegas has committed 35 offensive penalties, second fewest in the league. The Los Angeles Chargers have committed 30. ... The Raiders have held opponents to zero or negative yards on 93 rushing plays, best in the league. Brock Bowers has 176 receptions, the highest number for any tight end through his first 29 games. His 1,874 yards receiving are third, behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Mike Ditka (1,992) and Kellen Winslow (1,920). ... A victory would give Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll 173 for his career, which would move him into a tie for 16th with Jeff Fisher. Carroll is currently tied with Bill Parcells.
RB Ashton Jeanty is coming off the best game of his rookie season with 128 yards rushing, a 51-yard touchdown run and 60-yard TD catch. Given the Giants' defense is second to last against the run, this may be an opportunity for him to build on that performance.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrate during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
New York Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns (0) reacts during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Many Giants and Raiders fans want their teams to lose Sunday when they meet in Las Vegas, the reward for a loss being a clear shot at the top draft pick.
The players and coaches, of course, are not on board.
“I don't give a (expletive) about the pick,” said Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who will not play because of a knee injury. “I don’t play for that. That's not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world, and that's what I focus on every day and being a great leader and being an influence and on being that guy on a consistent basis for my team. The front office, the coaches, they do that.”
Las Vegas and New York have matching 2-13 records and nine-game losing streaks, both the worst in the NFL.
The Raiders long have been in search of a franchise quarterback who can change the trajectory of a team that has gone more than two decades without a playoff victory. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the first QB drafted, and him going to Las Vegas would inject energy into the club and its fans.
The Giants getting the top pick would give Joe Schoen — or whoever succeeds him as general manager if ownership decides to fire him — the chance to trade down with a quarterback-needy team and stockpile assets after moving up to take Jaxson Dart late in the first round last year. They don’t have a third-rounder in the upcoming draft as a result of that deal.
“We didn’t have to sell the farm to go up and get the quarterback,” Schoen said Dec. 2. “We were able to get him where we were, and it looks like that pick is going to pay off.”
Choosing first could mean little to both head coaches because there's a better than average chance neither will be around to oversee the rebuild after this season. Mike Kafka has gone 0-5 since becoming the Giants' interim coach, and Las Vegas' Pete Carroll could become the third Raiders coach in three years to get fired.
“I’m not really that concerned about any of that, and I don’t think you want me to be,” Carroll said of the draft order. "We’re going to go play the best we can play and see what happens.”
Malik Nabers’ season-ending torn ACL in late September opened up an opportunity for fellow Giants receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who already was working hard to excel in a contract year. Robinson already has set career highs with four touchdowns and 901 yards receiving.
“It just goes to show the work that I put in, really, this offseason — didn’t really take any breaks,” Robinson said. “Now the progress is just showing.”
Robinson is 99 away from becoming the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to reach the 1,000-yard mark since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, according to Sportradar. Teammates and family members have kept him abreast of his stats and he knows exactly what he needs to hit that milestone.
“Every receiver wants to hit that 1,000-yard mark," Robinson said. "Just going to continue to try to do what I can do and hopefully get to that number.”
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith said he would have no problem throwing passes to running back Ashton Jeanty on a regular basis.
Jeanty showed off his route running and explosiveness with a 60-yard touchdown catch at Houston last Sunday.
“I think he could be a slot receiver in this league,” Smith said. “He’s got great hands. He’s great out of the backfield. He understands spacing, and he just knows what to do. You can tell he understands the game, and when he gets the ball in his hands, whether that’s in the backfield or in the catching game, he’s so explosive and dynamic.”
The Raiders have worked with Jeanty since the offseason to develop his receiving skills.
“I definitely have (worked hard), and I feel like I've shown that during my college career (at Boise State),” Jeanty said. “I haven't gotten to it as much in the league, but if you go back and look at my game, I've done a great job in the receiving game throughout.”
Brian Burns had two of the Giants’ four sacks against the Vikings, including a forced fumble that Tyler Nubin recovered for their only touchdown of the game. He’s second in the NFL with a career-high 15 sacks and has been the team’s most consistent player.
“Everything that he’s done hasn’t shocked anybody in the building,” said cornerback Paulson Adebo, who is in his first season with New York. “From the first days stepping in the building, meeting him and then just seeing him throughout the spring, throughout training camp, you kind of expect him to have a big year and he’s done exactly that.”
Smith could be getting ready to start his final two games with the Raiders, especially if the team drafts a quarterback next year. If they don't, he could return until Las Vegas addresses the position from a more long-term perspective.
“I’m just focused on this week," Smith said. “I’m not thinking too far ahead.”
AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
New York Giants kicker Ben Saul (30) celebrates with teammates after kicking a field goal against the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) is congratulated by wide receiver Jack Bech (18) after scoring against the Houston Texans during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
