New York Giants fans went to bed earlier this week feeling pretty good about one thing: the inside track for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft. At 2-11, the season is cooked, the future is the focus, and holding that top spot has been the one silver lining that's gotten us through another year of nonsense.
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On paper, it looked easy enough. The remaining schedule is a gift basket. Washington, Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Dallas. And for a team that’s found every possible way to collapse, you’d think the Giants would still manage to lose their way through it. You’d think.
But that narrative changed pretty quickly on Wednesday.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was officially ruled out for Sunday’s matchup at MetLife Stadium. It’s a huge shift in what was already shaping up as a winnable game for the G-Men. Now they’ll face backup Marcus Mariota instead, and suddenly things feel a lot less comfortable if you’re rooting for draft position instead of moral victories.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, who suffered another left elbow injury vs. the Vikings, is out for Washington’s upcoming game vs the Giants.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 10, 2025
Jayden Daniels’ absence opens the door for a Giants win they really don’t need
This is exactly the kind of thing Giants fans were worried about. Not because Mariota is a world-beater -- he's 1-5 as the starter this year, and 1-2 all-time against NY -- but because Big Blue can absolutely beat a Washington team starting its backup QB in a lost season.
And with how competitive the G-Men have quietly been this year -- multiple fourth-quarter leads, more plays while ahead than half the league, and all that fun stuff -- this only twists things more.
A win sounds nice until you remember the No. 1 pick is the real prize. It’s the key to every trade-back scenario imaginable. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is the guy, so the value of that pick isn’t about replacing him. It’s about holding the most powerful bargaining chip in the draft and letting QB-needy teams lose their minds over it. They don’t have to use the pick. They just need to own it.
Every unnecessary win could blow that up.
Washington is 3-10 and riding an eight-game losing streak. Taking Daniels out of the equation lowers the bar even more. It’s the exact setup everyone remembers from 2023, when a late-season Tommy Devito-led push cost the Giants a shot at Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Daniels himself.
No one is asking interim head coach Mike Kafka to intentionally tank. The guy is coaching for his job. But this is a dangerous final stretch for a franchise that can’t afford to stumble into irrelevant wins.
The Giants don’t need momentum right now. They need clarity. And that starts with keeping the No. 1 pick exactly where it currently sits. Sunday just got a lot harder for those hoping it stays that way.