Tank-a-thon 2025: Preview of the Giants-Raiders Matchup for the #1 Overall Pick

LAS VEGAS, NV -- Come one, come all to the 2025 NFL Tank-A-Thon taking place Sunday December 28th, 2025 between the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants. Both teams currently sit at the same record, 2-13 and are frankly pathetic to watch.

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Injury Report

Giants:

Key Takeaways:

With Thomas out and Schmitz doubtful, rookie Marcus Mbow is expected to start at left tackle, while Austin Schlottmann is the likely starter at center.

Safety Tyler Nubin is a significant loss for the defensive backfield. However, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott is trending toward playing despite his questionable tag.

Raiders:

Key Takeaways:

Despite dealing with a nagging knee issue for several weeks, this is the first game Crosby will miss this season. Reports indicate he was "upset" about the decision to be sidelined, but the team opted for caution. With Crosby out, expect second-year edge rusher Tyree Wilson to see an increased workload. Michael Mayer will likely take over the bulk of the tight end targets in Bowers' absence.

Dart and the o-line

It was notable against the Vikings that Jaxson Dart was not right. The Giants were running the ball a lot more, and Dart looked off in general. While his final numbers looked sloppy, it was also a product of the horrible offensive line he was given, with multiple passes dropped that could have changed the outcome of the game.

"The big takeaway is we've got to do a better job helping him when the plays find us." Interim Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly said Thursday "Collectively as a group, whether it ends up being a missed assignment, whether it ends up being a drop, whether it ends up being something along those lines.

"I think everyone's kind of got unfortunately a hand in that. It's not just one person or one thing. We just have to do a better job as a unit of being able to go out and play sound football and fundamentally just do what we've been doing up until this point consistently and making the plays when they come our way."

Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka was also asked about the design runs for Dart. "Yeah, I'd say we've been carrying the same amount of design runs, run game, QB run game that we have really all season with Jaxson." Said Kafka. "So, it just really depends on how the game declares itself. We want to use it in certain situations that we want to use them. So, I would say, like, how the game's going to roll will kind of determine when and where we want to use those things. But they're always kind of a part of the game plan."

Whatever the Giants do Sunday, they need to find a way to lose. The best possible outcome for the Giants organization is to end up with the number one overall pick in the 2026 draft and be able to trade it for capital. The package the Giants can get back for the pick could alter the trajectory of this franchise, and it starts Sunday.