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12/29 15:09 CST Giants miss opportunity to get the No. 1 draft pick, but see
progress in rookie QB Jaxson Dart
Giants miss opportunity to get the No. 1 draft pick, but see progress in rookie
QB Jaxson Dart
By EVERETT MERRILL
Associated Press
The New York Giants have never had the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
And thanks to their 34-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the
chances of that trend continuing greatly increased.
The Raiders are in the driver's seat for the top pick at 2-14 with the Giants
(3-13) sliding into second. New York, which snapped a nine-game losing streak,
could still wind up at No. 1 if it loses to Dallas at MetLife Stadium on Sunday
and Las Vegas beats Kansas City, which is without Patrick Mahomes.
Giants interim coach Mike Kafka got his first win Sunday after losing his first
five games since replacing the fired Brian Daboll. The Giants had their largest
margin of victory since defeating Indianapolis 38-10 in Week 17 of the 2022
season. New York also snapped a franchise-worst 13-game road losing streak
dating to last season.
"The things we were playing for were each other," Kafka said. "You get into a
football locker room, it's a family. Sometimes you have to go through ups and
downs, but you keep plugging away, keep on putting in the hard work and then
you'll get the result that you want."
Kafka, whose future with the team is uncertain after next week, made it clear
that the focus was on getting a win and not on securing the top pick.
"No, the only discussions we had were just, how can we find a way to win and
put our players in the best position to do that?" he said.
Much of that responsibility fell to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who showed
off his dual threat skills by passing for 207 yards and running for 48 yards
and two TDs.
"He (Dart) started the season as a backup (to Russell Wilson) and now being a
starter, he has the same leadership skills," Kafka said. "I don't think there
is a prerequisite for leadership. He's just being himself."
What's working The special teams put together a nice performance. Deonte Banks returned a kick 95 yards for a TD and Ben Sauls, the Giants' fourth kicker of the season, had field goals of 32 and 23 yards. What needs help Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the secondary all season. Banks, a first-round pick in 2023, has been relegated to a backup role and injuries have hampered Cor'Dale Flott, Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland. The unit has produced just five interceptions. Stock up WR Wan'Dale Robinson. He caught 11 passes for 113 yards to become the first player at 5-foot-8 or shorter to reach the 1,000-yard mark since the 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 for Detroit. Robinson also is just the third such player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, according to Sportradar. Stock down Rookie OT Marcus Mbow. The fifth-rounder struggled in his first start replacing left tackle Andrew Thomas, who was out with a hamstring injury. Mbow allowed five of the six QB pressures by the Raiders on Sunday. Injuries Holland left with a knee injury and didn't return. Kafka had no update on him Monday morning. Key number 9 --- The number of consecutive wins the Dallas Cowboys have against the Giants, who they play Sunday at MetLife Stadium. What's next The Giants opened as 6-point underdogs on BetMGM Sportsbook against the Cowboys. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl |
