Giants Fans Rejoice After Raiders Win Gifts Them Pole Position for No. 1 Pick

New York Giants fan cheers on his team during a game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The biggest win of the New York Giants season came in a game that they weren’t even playing.

On Sunday, while the Giants were busy getting smoked by the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders earned their third win of the season, taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14 with a fourth quarter comeback.

The win moved the Raiders out of pole position for next spring’s NFL draft, tentatively handing the No. 1 pick to the Giants.

The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the (draft-related) game of the year.

New York Giants fans can send their Thank You notes to Antonio Pierce. pic.twitter.com/6Vq7mNJveo
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) December 23, 2024

While Raiders owner Mark Davis didn’t seem to mind the shift in draft fortunes, choosing to celebrate his team’s win rather than dwell on their lost draft capital, Giants fans across the world rejoiced online.

Thank you Raiders we love y’all boys 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/nSIDDoa8zv
— Ash (@mahrezfort) December 23, 2024

Thank you Raiders! #Giants100 #GiantsTank #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/c0Xsl5qL2h
— WBG84 (@WBG84) December 23, 2024

Yall know Antonio Pierce a Giant at heart and hand delivered us the #1 Pick in the Draft. #PerfectTiming ⌚️⌚️⌚️⌚️⌚️ pic.twitter.com/YJa4YZtiYe
— Vada Fly (@Vada_Fly) December 23, 2024

What means more to the Giants' future?

Winning a game at home to finish 1-8.

Getting the No. 1 pick and having control of what you do in 2025 NFL Draft.

Not a poll.

This is an obvious choice.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) December 23, 2024

While NFL players are always playing for their jobs, and thus never going to tank for future draft capital, fans supporting a team can sometimes be disappointed in a win, and celebratory after a loss.

Now sitting at 2-13 on the season, the Giants will pick the first name off of the board this coming spring, likely aiming to draft their next franchise quarterback. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward are widely viewed as the top two prospects coming out of this draft class.