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Week 17 of the NFL season.
No playoff hopes.
No dignity.
No lies — except the ones both teams tell about “finishing strong.”
The New York Football Giants versus the Las Vegas Raiders in what might be the most important meaningless game of the entire season:
The Battle for Tank Supremacy.
This isn’t football.
This is draft positioning warfare.
Because right now, the Giants sit at Number 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, thanks to strength of schedule — which is just the NFL’s polite way of saying “you were terrible, but at least you were terrible against better people.”
The Raiders sit at Number 2, staring at that top pick like a gambler down bad asking the dealer, “One more card… please.”
Both teams are awful.
But only one gets the consolation prize that actually matters.
The Giants already fired their head coach and are strongly considering firing their GM, Joe Schoen, at season’s end. The franchise is currently operating like a corporate rebrand:
“New leadership incoming. Previous vision subject to change. Please don’t judge us by the last decade.”
Which is important — because Schoen made a massive move last offseason by trading back into the first round to draft Jaxson Dart, the quarterback he believed was the future.
Fast forward one season, and that future looks… negotiable.
Dart took over four weeks into the season from Russell Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion who somehow looked worse than any version we’ve ever seen. Russ didn’t cook. He burned the kitchen down and blamed the ingredients.
Dart hasn’t proven he can:
- Command the pocket
- Read NFL defenses consistently
- Stay healthy
- Or survive an 18-week NFL season without becoming a medical chart
Now the Giants are sitting at Number 1 overall, possibly with a new coach and new GM, which means one thing:
No one is obligated to believe in Jaxson Dart.
Photo Credit: Adam Hunger, Associated Press
And that’s where this gets fun.
The Raiders hired Pete Carroll, now the oldest head coach in the NFL and still chewing gum like it owes him money.
They brought in Geno Smith, a familiar New York face, hoping lightning would strike twice.
It didn’t.
By midseason, Geno looked completely washed, benched, and spiritually retired. The Raiders aren’t just losing games — they’re counting losses.
Because the Raiders desperately want Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who is clearly the prize of this draft.
But there’s a problem.
The Giants are in front of them.
Let’s stop pretending this draft is about “best player available.”
This draft is about Fernando Mendoza.
Photo Credit: Darron Cummings, Associated Press
I had the chance to interview him at Heisman Media Day, and let me tell you something Giants fans need to hear clearly:
This kid wants New York.
Not tolerates it.
Not survives it.
He embraces it.
Pinpoint passer.
Big-moment player.
Ice-cold confidence without the corny fake bravado.
There’s something very Eli Manning about him — that quiet, unbothered, “I don’t care if you doubt me, I’ll ruin your Sunday anyway” energy.
And if the Giants believe Mendoza is their guy, then Jaxson Dart becomes… expendable.
Here’s the wrinkle that makes this entire situation make too much sense.
Last offseason, the LA Rams were actively trying to move up in the draft. League circles knew it. One of the quarterbacks Sean McVay had his eye on?
Jaxson Dart.
They didn’t get him.
The Giants did.
Now fast forward.
The Rams still have Matthew Stafford, a future Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champ — who is also:
- Aging
- Beat up
- And very much closer to the end than the beginning
Stafford hasn’t said he’s done, but he also hasn’t said he wants to grind through another long rebuild.
And Sean McVay?
McVay doesn’t rebuild.
McVay reloads.
If the Giants draft Fernando Mendoza at Number 1, suddenly Jaxson Dart becomes available, and the Rams become a very real suitor.
This is the exact quarterback McVay loves:
- Young
- Athletic
- On a rookie contract
- Doesn’t need to start immediately
- Can sit behind Stafford and actually develop without getting booed by 70,000 angry New Yorkers
For the Giants, this is leverage.
A Dart trade to the Rams could bring:
- Premium draft capital
- Future picks
- Or multiple assets that accelerate a real rebuild
This isn’t panic.
This is front-office chess.
People will scream:
“You can’t draft another quarterback!”
Yes, you can — if you were wrong the first time.
New coach.
New GM.
New vision.
Why should the next regime be married to a quarterback they didn’t draft, didn’t develop, and don’t believe in?
The NFL doesn’t care about sunk costs.
It cares about conviction.
And if the Giants believe Fernando Mendoza is elite, you don’t overthink it.
You take him.
You trade Dart.
You reset the franchise cleanly.
This game matters because everyone is lying.
The Giants will say they want to “play hard.”
The Raiders will say they want “momentum.”
Both fanbases will secretly cheer punts, flags, and missed kicks like degenerates at a rigged casino.
This is the sick beauty of the NFL.
Two awful teams.
One incredible consequence.
Because when the clock hits zero:
- One franchise walks closer to its future
- One franchise blinks
- And somewhere in Los Angeles, Sean McVay might already be smiling
Tank smart.
Tank responsibly.
Because in Week 17, losing isn’t failure — it’s strategy.
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
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My name is Errol Marks and I’d like to tell you why I believe I can be a major asset to your station. I’m from a small town in Long Island, NY and from a very young age I’ve always had a love for sports talk radio. Growing up, I would listen religiously to shows like Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike and Mike, and Imus in the Morning and studied what made those shows so great. I’ve made it my goal to be as influential as the hosts I grew up listening to, and with my knowledge of all major sports, enthusiastic and fearless personality, and my preparation skills, I know I can get to that level. This is an art and a medium that I’m passionate about and one that I feel can never be replaced.
What makes my story so unique goes beyond my 10+ years of experience in sports media. In addition to over ten years of creating and hosting sports talk radio shows, I created the World Wide Sports Radio Network - one of the first ever digital sports radio networks - in 2012. Since the network began, we have had some of the best content in digital sports media. We have six quality shows on our network covering all sports and sports betting. I’m currently hosting New York’s Sports Loud Mouth, and you can find that show and the rest of our great shows at https://worldwidesportsradio.com/.
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