If the New York Giants' 2025 playoff hopes weren't already over, consider their collapse to the Chicago Bears a death knell. They had everything going for them before rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart exited the contest in the third quarter, and it was all downhill from there.
New York's hopes of defeating the Bears effectively vanished when Dart's head slammed on the turf and he was later ruled out with a concussion. From there, the Giants saw their 10-point lead in the final frame disappear and drop to 2-8, tied for the second-worst record in football.
While the Giants have lost four consecutive games and Dart continues to take a beating, their meltdown in Chicago wasn't all bad. First and foremost, the burgeoning young signal-caller avoided a long-term injury. Moreover, New York inched closer to the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 draft; let's take a look at the updated board.
Giants vault up 2026 NFL Draft board after meltdown loss vs. Bears
- Tennessee Titans
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Jets
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Miami Dolphins
- Washington Commanders
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Atlanta Falcons (to Los Angeles Rams)
- Arizona Cardinals
- Dallas Cowboys
- Baltimore Ravens
- Minnesota Vikings
- Houston Texans
- Carolina Panthers
- Kansas City Chiefs
- San Francisco 49ers
- Jacksonville Jaguars (to Cleveland Browns)
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Buffalo Bills
- Chicago Bears
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers (to Dallas Cowboys)
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Rams
- New England Patriots
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Denver Broncos
- Seattle Seahawks
- Indianapolis Colts (to New York Jets)
As of this writing, the Giants are slated to pick third in the NFL's upcoming annual multi-day event, just like they did in 2025. They move up a couple of spots following their disastrous loss to the Bears and some other surprising results around the league.
The New York Jets took down the Cleveland Browns to secure a second straight victory after starting 0-7. This outcome enabled the Giants to leapfrog both clubs on the list, marking a massive swing for Big Blue.
Furthermore, the New Orleans Saints surprisingly claimed their second triumph of the season in Week 10, one of which came against the Giants. They upset a surging Carolina Panthers group on the road, though they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York and subsequently remain at No. 2.
Lastly, but most certainly not least, the Miami Dolphins pulled off the most shocking win of an exciting slate of action that helped New York. They routed their AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills, to improve to 3-7, so the Giants are now ahead of them in the pecking order.