After Loss To Giants, Raiders Are Basically On The Clock For 2026 Draft
As the only two-win team left in the NFL, the Raiders just need to lose to the Chiefs in Week 18 to secure the top overall pick in the draft.
With all the big games happening in Week 17 in the NFL, the most important matchup might have been the one between two 2–13 teams. The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants met in Vegas for one of the most consequential games of the season.
The Raiders put two of their best players — defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers — on injured reserve after Week 16 and some accused the team of doing it to purposefully tank. If the team did, in fact, sit those two players with tanking in mind, it wouldn't have been the worst idea. And it worked.
The Giants mauled the Raiders on Sunday, 34-10, to move to 3-13 heading into the season's final week. More importantly, though, Las Vegas dropped to 2-14 and now sits firmly in the driver's seat for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. No other team has fewer than three wins this season, so the Raiders simply need to lose in Week 18 to the Kansas City Chiefs to secure the top pick.
There are a few three-win teams, including the Giants, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets, hoping the Raiders upset the Chiefs in the season's final week. However, if Sunday's performance is any indication, the Raiders seem uninterested in trying to win games at this point.
The Cleveland Browns would have been the team that could have jumped to No. 1 overall with a Raiders win in Week 18, but they pulled their own upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 to pick up their fourth win of the season and officially eliminate themselves from consideration of the No. 1 pick.
Since strength of schedule is the first tiebreaker for draft position, the Giants can still get the top pick with a loss in Week 18 and a Raiders win. If the Giants had lost to the Raiders, they would have been guaranteed the No. 1 pick. Instead, they could potentially drop outside the top five if they beat the Cowboys in Week 18.
The Raiders Must Draft A Quarterback
There's no question the Las Vegas Raiders must immediately start doing their homework on potential quarterbacks to select with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, it would be a massive dereliction of duty if they aren't already actively working on that.
They tried to fill the massive hole at quarterback with journeyman Geno Smith, but he's been atrocious this year and clearly isn't the answer for a franchise that hasn't had a stable starting quarterback since Derek Carr.
The only other time the Raiders had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell. They're hoping they don't repeat history with that disastrous selection.
Las Vegas Raiders fans are desperate for the team to find a quality starting quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
(Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The problem for the Raiders is that the 2026 NFL Draft isn't projected as a great draft for quarterbacks. There's no clear-cut No. 1 QB; ESPN lists Alabama QB Ty Simpson as the best available, Pro Football Focus says it's Indiana QB and Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza, while other outlets label Oregon's Dante Moore as the best signal-caller.
Even if the Raiders' front office isn't in love with any of those guys, they don't have much choice. The most valuable commodity in the NFL is a good quarterback on a rookie contract. One must also wonder if 74-year-old head coach Pete Carroll, who turns 75 in September, will be the team's head coach come next season. One must also wonder how much say part-owner Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, will have in the NFL Draft process.
All of those conversations are down the road, though. Right now, the Raiders are basically on the clock. Fortunately for them, they have nearly four months to figure out who they're going to pick.