How can you tell if a bad team is tanking?
The NFL needs a draft lottery to determine the order of the first few picks, as the NBA has done. That would avoid the spectacle of last week, when everyone was trying to parse the Las Vegas Raiders’ motives in shutting down Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby for their game against the New York Giants. Fans would be free to root for their team to play well for a change, knowing that the position of their first-round pick would be at least partly a matter of chance rather than the result of tanking.
Absent that, all we have to look at is how the two teams approached the game itself. You could argue that Mike Kafka’s ultra-conservative game plan last week for Jaxson Dart was evidence of tanking. The larger question, though, when the two worst teams (by record) in the NFL meet in the penultimate game of the season, is:
How do you tell the difference between a team that’s tanking and a team that’s just that bad? I don’t know, but I do know that the Giants looked by far like the better team today. What did we learn from this game?
A tradition unlike any other
No, this isn’t about the Masters Tournament. It’s about the Giants winning late games in lost seasons to worsen their draft position. In 2019, they beat Washington in overtime in a meaningless next-to-last game to “lose” the “Chase Young Bowl.” Their consolation prize was Andrew Thomas.
In 2023, the legend of Tommy DeVito was born. After basically not being allowed to throw the ball as the emergency quarterback vs. the Jets, DeVito started and won three consecutive games, the last of them vs. New England when the Patriots’ kicker missed a short field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. Those three wins cost the Giants the No. 2 or 3 pick and thus a shot at Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye. Still, they did select Malik Nabers, which was a good consolation prize.
In 2024, they suddenly found their offense against the Colts in the next-to-last game of the season, losing any chance to get Cam Ward or Travis Hunter. The jury is still out on both of them, but neither has had a good rookie season. Meanwhile, Abdul Carter, whom they did get, is starting to be the disruptive force we all imagined he’d be (that is, when he lines up behind the neutral zone), and the relatively inexpensive trade-up for Jaxson Dart seems like it might be a home run.
Now, with their win in Las Vegas when a loss would have guaranteed them the No. 1 pick in 2026 and a possible trade-down for draft assets, the Giants’ only path to No. 1 requires them to lose to Dallas next week (very likely) and have the Raiders beat Kansas City (unlikely). Even so, the Giants will draft no lower than No. 7 and should be able to get a very good prospect. Maybe things will work out for the best.
Better re-sign Jermaine Eluemunor
In one sense, Eluemunor did not have his best game Sunday, committing two penalties, although he did not allow any pressures. That, of course, was with Maxx Crosby being ruled out of the rest of the season by the Raiders’ coaches over Crosby’s objections. Eluemunor has had 13 penalties this season, but he’s allowed only four sacks and 19 total pressures. He’s not AT, and he’s only an average run blocker, but if the Giants can re-sign him for less than $20M per year (which would put him lower than seventh among right tackles at the moment), they should.
If they don’t, then they will have to either use their first draft pick on an offensive tackle, ruling out adding an elite wide receiver or defensive prospect, or depend on Marcus Mbow to step in as a starter. Mbow has potential, but he’s not ready to start. He unofficially gave up five pressures on Sunday; imagine if Crosby had played and lined up on his side some of the time. You can’t just assume he’ll be ready by next year. Sign Eluemunor, using void years if needed, and take that uncertainty off the board.
Better re-sign “Wen’Dale” Robinson
(H/T Kevin Harlan) This is another no-brainer. I know he’s short. But 1,000-yard receivers don’t grow on trees. Wan’Dale has established chemistry with all three Giants quarterbacks this season, having a 100-yard game with each of them. This year, he’s shown that he’s not “just a slot receiver,” increasing his yards per reception from 9.9, 8.8, and 7.5 his first three seasons to 11.0 this season.
That’s Wes Welker (11.0 yards per reception for his career) territory. Those great Patriots team always had a home run guy like Randy Moss and maybe the best tight end ever in Rob Gronkowski, but Welker was the glue that kept that offense together to extend drives and sometimes make explosive plays himself. The Giants need to draft a complementary WR2 next April to make Jaxson Dart’s life easier and make defenses pay for focusing too much on Malik Nabers, but having Wan’Dale back as that other option is what could finally allow Dart to reach his potential. There are 25 wide receivers already making $20M per year or more in the NFL. If they can sign Wan’Dale to a contract starting with a 1, they should do it.
Is Ben Sauls the answer?
Sauls has not missed an extra point or field goal in two games. He hasn’t yet kicked a field goal from more than 40 yards, but he did have a 48-yard extra point today because of a penalty. What has impressed me is the lack of drama. The balls go right through the uprights, and I find myself not contorting my body to the right or left, trying to guide it through from in front of my TV set.
Sauls was 7 of 12 from 50+ yards in his college career (6 of 7 last year). He may not be one of those Brandon Aubrey guys who can make them from 60+, and I’d love to have one of them. But a reliable kicker would be a relief after the circus of the last three seasons.
Addendum: I didn’t say anything about the defense today. They generally played great. 2022 Bobby Okereke finally reappeared, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter continued to cause problems, Okereke and Dane Belton had interceptions, and even the run defense was good, giving up only 63 yards. Props to defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen for finally giving us a game where we weren’t shaking our heads. It was, however, against the Raiders, with Brock Bowers out and with their subpar offensive line. Do something similar against that Dallas offense next week, and I’ll be impressed. For one week, though, it was a good feeling.
Category: General Sports
