Skip to main content
New York Giants homepage
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

Storylines

Presented by

Storylines to follow in Week 17 vs. Raiders

DART-SMITH-STORYLINES

The Giants will hit the road for the final time in the 2025 campaign when they travel to Las Vegas for a matchup with the Raiders in the second-to-last game of the season.

After falling to the Vikings 16-13 at MetLife Stadium last week, the Giants head west on a nine-game losing streak. Similarly, the Raiders, who fell to the Texans 23-21 in Week 16, also find themselves on a nine-game losing streak.

Heading into this matchup, the Giants and Raiders currently hold the first and second picks, respectively, in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Here are five storylines to follow in Week 17.

Matchup in Vegas

For the ninth and final time this season, the Giants will hit the road in search of their first victory away from MetLife Stadium since Week 5 of the 2024 campaign. Following their trip to Las Vegas, the Giants will wrap up the season with a home matchup against the Cowboys.

During last week's loss to the Vikings, the defense put up one of its best performances of the season. Minnesota was held to just 16 points and 240 total yards of offense, both of which represent season-lows allowed by the Giants. It should be noted that 13 of the Vikings' 16 points came in the first half with J.J. McCarthy under center before the young quarterback suffered a hand injury that sidelined him for the final two frames. However, it still wasn't enough as the Giants mustered 13 points and a season-low 141 total yards.

"Really the only messaging today was just focusing on today and the corrections from yesterday's game," interim head coach Mike Kafka told the media Monday. "How we can stay consistent, how we can be more detailed. Then really the main message was, let's not leave the building today without getting some of those things corrected so that we can move forward, turn the page, and put together our best game plan and effort versus the Raiders."

Dart's development

As encouraging as his rookie campaign has been, Jaxson Dart had his roughest game of the season against the Vikings. Going up against one of the league's top defensive play-callers in Brian Flores, Dart attempted just 13 pass attempts, of which he completed seven for 33 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The attempts, completions and yards were all season-lows for the rookie quarterback -- by a wide margin. He also added only two rushes for seven yards and got sacked five times.

It was clear going into the game that the strategy to attack the Minnesota defense was on the ground. Dart did not attempt his first pass until there was 11:58 remaining in the second quarter, and his first completion didn't come until inside the final two minutes of the half. At that time, the team had already registered 16 rush attempts.

"Every game is going to be different," Kafka said Monday. "How we play each game is going to be different. How we think what's going to help us win the game is going to be different each week. And I think the last couple weeks we ran the ball almost 30 times. So, when you run the ball 30 times, that's going to limit some opportunities for the pass game. And there's some games where we're going to have to use the pass game a little bit more.

"I don't see that as a regression for Jaxson. Sure, maybe the numbers aren't what they had been in the past. But I think he's playing well. He's playing at a high level. There's certainly things that he can continue to improve on. And we've talked through those as a group too. But when I look back at it, this is an 11-man operation on offense. So, it's not about one person's production. It's about the whole group and it's about the whole team. So, whatever we've got to do to win the game, that's what we're trying to do."

Dart will now face a Raiders pass defense that ranks middle of the pack this season. Las Vegas has allowed the 17th-most passing yards and 13th-most passing touchdowns, but has held each of its last five opponents to under 210 net passing yards. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 23 of 35 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions against the Raiders last week, earning a passer rating of 88.6.

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 17 matchup against the Raiders.

Injury updates; status of Thomas & Schmitz

Several starters suffered injuries during the Week 16 loss, starting with the guys up front. Left tackle Andrew Thomas departed the game early with a hamstring injury and was unable to return. The star tackle was in the midst of yet another dominant season as he allowed just one sack and 13 total pressures across 13 games after missing the first two weeks of the season. Thomas did not participate in the first practice of the week as his status for Sunday remains up in the air.

"I think we'll look at it and see where the extent of the injury is and then just give him a couple days here and then evaluate it and then make a decision," Kafka said about Thomas' injury.

Center John Michael Schmitz was also forced out of the game early after suffering a finger injury against the Vikings. The young center took a step in the right direction in Year 3, with PFF crediting him with just one sack and 14 total pressures allowed in 13 games. Similar to Thomas, Schmitz was also listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's practice.

"Same thing, yeah," the interim head coach said about Schmitz. "I think we've got to see how he responds to the treatment. And then by Thursday, Friday, we'll have a feel."

There was one notable injury on the defensive side of the ball on Sunday. Cornerback Cor'Dale Flott went down with a knee injury against the Vikings, and despite being listed as questionable to return, the fourth-year corner did not make his way back onto the field. Despite the defense's struggles overall, Flott has put together his best season in the NFL. PFF has credited him with only one touchdown allowed in coverage this year with a passer rating when targeted of just 71.0. Flott was able to get back on the field as a limited participant on Wednesday.

Two defensive players did not take the practice field to open the week - safety Tyler Nubin (neck) and defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (neck/concussion).

Scouting the Raiders

The Raiders come into this game with the league's last-ranked offense in both points and yards on the season. Geno Smith has taken a bit of a step back in his first year with the Raiders. While he's completed 67.1 percent of his passes across 14 starts, he's thrown for just 2,849 yards, 18 touchdowns and a league-leading 15 interceptions. He has also been sacked 52 times this season, the most of any quarterback across the league.

It hasn't been the most effective rookie campaign for running back Ashton Jeanty, but the 22-year-old is coming off by far his best game of the season. In a matchup against the elite Texans defense, Jeanty took 24 carries for 128 yards, good for an average of 5.3 yards per carry, and a touchdown while adding a 60-yard touchdown reception. His 188 total yards from scrimmage were the most the rookie has gained in a game this year. Jeanty is averaging 3.7 yards per carry on the season, with 828 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, while adding 50 receptions for 326 yards and an additional five touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, everything starts with defensive end Maxx Crosby. The veteran edge rusher is the heart and soul of the Raiders defense. His 10 sacks are more than twice as much as anyone else on the team, while his 28 tackles for loss are nearly three times as many as the next highest (linebacker Devin White is second with 10). The same goes for his 20 quarterback hits, 12 more than Malcolm Koonce, whose eight QB hits rank second on the team.

Speaking of White, the veteran linebacker is having a bit of a resurgence in Las Vegas. The 27-year-old has started all 15 games for the Raiders and has totaled 160 tackles, the second-most in the NFL, with 10 tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and three passes defensed.

As a unit, the Raiders have allowed 30+ points in five of their last nine games and fewer than 23 points in only one game during that same stretch. On the season, Las Vegas' defense ranks 25th in points and 15th in yards allowed, while their 14 total takeaways rank as the ninth-fewest.

View rare photos of the history between the Giants and Raiders.

Screenshot 2025-08-01 at 3.36.49 PM

Subscribe to Giants Text Alerts to stay up to date on breaking news, ticket offers, gameday entertainment, and more!

Related Content

Advertising