If the New York Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, they would be holding the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, they prevailed 34-17, getting their first win over their hated NFC East rivals since 2021 marked their second meaningless victory in as many weeks, which is genuinely pathetic.
In each of the last two Giants' seasons, their playoff hopes have evaporated by Thanksgiving, so the only thing fans have been able to root for is draft position. However, rooting for your team to actively throw games goes against what fandom is, which is what Jonathan Jones said on CBS Sports HQ.
.@jjones9 says Giants fans have a 'loser mentality' for wanting the team to lose to secure a better draft pick
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 4, 2026
Do you agree or disagree?? pic.twitter.com/FbNPpIherh
"I do believe that these guys need to understand what winning is like. I do believe they need to understand what building a winning culture is like, and losing to the not trying Raiders and losing yet again at home to the Dallas Cowboys is not building that winning culture."Jonathan Jones
As much as it pains me to say it, Jones has a point. If you grew up rooting for a team and have invested in their well-being for years, or even decades, on end, you don't root for them to lose. In the NFL, you should want to see your team at least look competent, or you're just wasting your time.
Giants' last two victories will turn out to benefit them in the long run
Jones also mentioned how fanbases often tend to want to tank to draft a quarterback, but Big Blue already has theirs in Jaxson Dart. That said, he isn't used to this much after years of winning at Ole Miss, so any glimmer of hope he can give is something this team can build on with a new head coach.
The 22-year-old has been vocal in his frustration about the losing ways in New York this season, so while these last two victories mean little to the fanbase, they've done wonders for Dart's confidence. Jones even mentioned he shined while completing passes to just four pass-catchers on Sunday.
Beating the Cowboys is also nice, because it was the first time the Giants have done so in four years, although it did happen without Dak Prescott. And they really didn't fall super far in the draft order, as they still boast the No. 5 pick in the upcoming draft because of victories from the Browns and Commanders.
While it still stings to not be trading the top pick for a king's ransom to a quarterback-needy team desperate to draft Fernando Mendoza, the G-Men have been such a disaster in recent seasons because we reached the point where the fans can't even find the silver lining in an impressive win.