Big Blue View
Will the New York Giants win by losing or lose by winning on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders? That’s what fans want to know. Giants’ players and coaches just want to know if they will experience the feeling of winning at least one more time in a lost, miserable season.
How does the Big Blue View staff see things playing out? Here are our picks for Giants-Raiders, and all of the remaining NFL Week 17 games.
Let’s get ths out of the way first: I fully expect the Giants to win this game.
Everything else aside, the Giants are the better, more talented team and this is a game they should win. That’s true even considering the myriad injuries the Giants have sustained on the offensive side of the ball. Potentially being without Andrew Thomas and John Michael Schmitz against Maxx Crosby is a concern, but they should be able to scheme around one guy.
But real reason why I’m picking the Giants is because they do this every year, usually in Week 17. I do believe that a loss here is in the long-term best interest of the franchise, and the opportunity to auction off the first overall pick would be incredibly valuable. So I fully expect the Giants to flash brilliance, play up to their potential for the first time since the third quarter against the Denver Broncos and drop 40 on the Raiders. And in doing so take themselves out of a lucrative trade market and possibly land in a “no man’s land” where value and need just don’t align.
Of course, that also depends on the Giants allowing Jaxson Dart to have fun and play football. They overcorrected after the Bears game, slapping leg irons on him and shifting wildly from reckless agression to timidity when Dart is on the field. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they finally find find that balance of “responsible aggression” this week.
Pick: Giants
Many Giants fans would rather see their team lose to the Raiders and try to get the No. 1 pick than to get a meaningless win. The coaches and many of the players who won’t be here next year won’t benefit from that, so I expect a spirited performance reminiscent of last year’s Colts game that kept the Giants from being able to draft Cam Ward. That drop to No. 3 seems to have worked out for the Giants. The difference this time is that the Colts didn’t have anyone who could cause big problems for the Giants, and the Raiders do. Maxx Crosby, one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, usually lines up opposite the right tackle. With Marcus Mbow subbing for the injured Andrew Thomas, will the Raiders have Crosby rush from Mbow’s side more often to take advantage? The answer may tell us how much Las Vegas wants to win this game. Another problem for the Giants is Ashton Jeanty, who has had an...
