Giants-Raiders Week 17 tank bowl is unlike any in 44 years of NFL history

In every NFL season, there’s always going to be a game that you know is going to be a complete tank-fest. There’s always going to be a few teams every season with nothing to play for except a better draft position. This season, the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders are two teams in that same boat.

The Giants and Raiders are set to clash against each other in Week 17 in what will be the biggest tank bowl of the season. As it turns out, this battle between two downtrodden franchises will be historic in all the worst ways. This will be just the fourth time in NFL history that the two cellar-dwellers from the AFC and NFC will face off in the penultimate week of the season, per Josh Dubow.

“Next week’s game between the 2-13 #Raiders and 2-13 Giants will be 4th time since merger that teams with sole possession of worst 2 records met in final 2 weeks of season per @sportradar,” Dubow posted.

The Raiders were not supposed to be this bad this season. After trading for Geno Smith and hiring Pete Carroll, things seemed to be looking up for Las Vegas. Instead, this season has been an unmitigated disaster on all fronts. Smith has severely regressed, the Raiders’ NFL-worst offensive line has given them headaches, and Carroll’s staff hires have not panned out. All these factors combined has led to Las Vegas having the worst record in the AFC.

On the flip side, the Giants were always expected to be, well, not good this year. With their current roster construction, a path to playoff contention felt out of reach. Still, the Giants’ 2025 NFL draftees in Cam Skattebo and first-round pick Jaxson Dart gave fans hope that they can be competitive. Even with Skattebo going down with a season-ending injury, New York has been competitive in games. Unfortunately, the talent disparity meant that they were always at a disadvantage even in close games.

Both teams are still in the hunt for the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Giants might be less incentivized to gun for that pick, as they aren’t in dire need of a quarterback. This game will be a fascinating watch, in the same way that you can’t take your eyes off a train wreck.

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