Giants rookie Jaxson Dart is clearly the franchise’s quarterback of the future. His future ability to consistently remain on the field hinges largely on his ability to take big hits.
On Sunday, he was once again checked for a concussion. As noted by Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, Dart has now been checked for concussions five times in 10 games this season, including the preseason. (Dart also had two very brief appearances early in the regular season, attempting a pass in neither contest.)
Against the Commanders in Week 15, he missed two snaps during the evaluation.
Per Raanan, Dart said after the game that he was “definitely surprised” that he was directed to be checked on Sunday. “Definitely feel there is a sensitivity for some reason,” he said.
There should be. In some situations, it seems as if there isn’t enough.
For Dart, it comes down to protecting himself. Every hit introduces the possibility of an injury, including a concussion. And while some hits are unavoidable, plenty aren’t. He’ll need to learn how to minimize the avoidable contact, if he wants to minimize the amount of time he misses while being checked for a concussion. Or while suffering from one.
Giants Clips
In a game that had no meaning in the playoff race but much meaning for the 2026 NFL draft, the Giants did what many of their fans hoped they would do, and lost.
A 29-21 loss to the Commanders dropped the Giants’ record to 2-12 and keeps them in first place for the first overall pick in next year’s draft.
The Commanders, who are also mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, improve to 4-10 on the season.
If the Giants do earn the first overall pick, they’d likely trade down because the one thing the Giants have going for them is a franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart. Although Dart wasn’t great today, completing 20 of 36 passes for 246 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, he continues to look like a quarterback the Giants can build around.
Still, Dart needs to stop taking so many big hits. He had to go into the medical tent today, and was briefly replaced by Jameis Winston, after a shot he took late in today’s game. Keeping Dart healthy is the highest priority.
For these two teams, winning is a lower priority. The Commanders won, but it doesn’t much matter.
The Bills will be missing a key defensive piece as they try to keep the Patriots from clinching the AFC East in New England on Sunday.
Cornerback Christian Benford is inactive for the game. Benford was added to the injury report on Thursday with a toe issue and he missed practice on Friday before being listed as questionable.
Benford had a big hand in each of the Bills’ last two wins. He returned a fumble for a touchdown and had an interception to help them beat the Steelers in Week 13 and he returned an interception for the go-ahead score against the Bengals in the fourth quarter last Sunday.
Bills at Patriots
Bills: CB Christian Benford, LB Terrel Bernard, WR Gabe Davis, S Darnell Savage, OL Tylan Grable, DT Phidarian Mathis, OL Chase Lundt
Patriots: LB Bradyn Swinson, OL Marcus Bryant, DT Eric Gregory, TE C.J. Dippre, WR Efton Chism, QB Tommy DeVito
Ravens at Bengals
Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman, CB Keyon Martin, OL Joseph Noteboom, DT Aeneas Peebles, QB Cooper Rush
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, QB Jake Browning, S PJ Jules, DT Jordan Jefferson
Jets at Jaguars
Jets: QB Tyrod Taylor, QB Justin Fields, WR Tyler Johnson, EDGE Braiden McGregor, DL Mazi Smith, TE Mason Taylor, LB Kiki Mauigoa
Jaguars: LB Yasir Abdullah, OL Walker Little, TE Hunter Long, DL Emmanuel Ogbah, DL Austin Johnson
Chargers at Chiefs
Chargers: WR Quentin Johnston, S Elijah Molden, WR Derius Davis, CB Nikko Reed, LB Kyle Kennard, OL Trey Pipkins, WR Dalevon Campbell
Chiefs: CB Trent McDuffie, WR Hollywood Brown, OT Jawaan Taylor, TE Jared Wiley, G Trey Smith, RB Elijah Mitchell, DT Zacch Pickens
Cardinals at Texans
Cardinals: CB Max Melton, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., S Jalen Thompson, S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, OL Evan Brown, OT Paris Johnson, WR Xavier Weaver
Texans: OL Jarrett Kingston, WR Braxton Berrios, RB Nick Chubb, QB Graham Mertz, CB Ameer Speed, LB E.J. Speed, DE Solomon Byrd
Browns at Bears
Browns: CB Denzel Ward, RB Dylan Sampson, G Zak Zinter, G Wyatt Teller, T Jack Conklin, TE David Njoku, DT Adin Huntington
Bears: QB Tyson Bagent, RB Travis Homer, WR Jahdae Walker, LB Ruben Hyppolite, DE Dominique Robinson, DT Jonathan Ford
Commanders at Giants
Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, DE Drake Jackson, OL George Fant, CB Jonathan Jones, OL Trenton Scott, RB Chris Rodriguez
Giants: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, WR Ryan Miller, P Jamie Gillan, OL James Hudson, WR Gunner Olszewski, DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches, QB Russell Wilson
Raiders at Eagles
Raiders: QB Geno Smith, CB Greedy Vance, RB Zamir White, OL Jordan Meredith, TE Ian Thomas, WR Alex Bachman, DL Leki Fotu
Eagles: LB Josh Uche, QB Sam Howell, CB Mac McWilliams, RB A.J. Dillon, OT Lane Johnson, DT Jalen Carter
The Week 17 game between the Giants and Raiders is one of the worst matchups of this NFL season, a battle between two teams that are currently 2-11 and tied for the worst record in the NFL.
Which makes it a very big game in determining the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Currently, the Giants would own the first pick in the draft and the Raiders would own the second. The Titans, also 2-11, would pick third. Strength of schedule is the tiebreaker, and the Giants have played an easier schedule than the Raiders, who in turn have played an easier schedule than the Titans.
But that Week 17 game can change things, with the loser having a great chance of being crowned the worst team in the NFL, and therefore getting the first pick in the draft next year.
The current betting odds have Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the favorite to go first overall in the 2026 NFL draft.
In Week 14, all five broadcast windows featured high-stakes games — with three of them happening simultaneously at 1:00 p.m. ET.
In Week 15, that’s not the case.
Still, even with nine teams (nearly a third of the entire league) eliminated from playoff contention, only one game will be truly meaningless: Commanders at Giants. The other 15, starting with Thursday night’s Falcons-Bucs game, have at least one team that has postseason aspirations.
The fact that the Falcons, who are out, upended the Bucs, who are desperately trying to get in, underscores the reality that the teams playing for nothing won’t necessarily be checking one of the few remaining boxes before it’s time to get a much-deserved break from football.
The biggest games mean something for both teams. In Bills-Patriots (1:00 p.m. ET), it’s Buffalo’s last-ditch effort to stay in the division race. And a loss will impact their ability to secure one of the three AFC wild-card berths. The Patriots, in turn, hope to clinch their first AFC East title since 2019 while also continuing to push for the lone AFC first-round bye.
For the 9-4 Chargers and the 6-7 Chiefs, L.A.'s opportunity for its first sweep of the Chiefs since 2013 also includes a chance to ensure that the AFC playoff tree will omit the team that has climbed to the top of it five times in six seasons. A loss by the Chargers will make it harder for them to get a seat at the playoff table.
Packers-Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET could be a Super Bowl preview. Both teams have been consistently winning of late, and both are trying to hold leads in their respective divisions. The winner will have a much better chance at getting the top seed in their respective conferences.
Lions-Rams (4:25 p.m. ET) has the obvious storyline featuring the quarterbacks who were traded for each other (with the Lions also getting two first-round picks and a third-round pick) nearly five years ago. But the 8-5 Lions are currently on the outside looking in, and the 10-3 Rams have very realistic No. 1 seed aspirations.
In the Sunday night window, it’s a literal elimination game for the 5-8 Vikings — and a de facto go-home proposition for the 6-6-1 Cowboys.
All of the other games have some degree of drama. The 6-7 Ravens, who have lost three in a row, can’t afford to slip two games behind the Steelers with three to play. And the 4-9 Bengals’ thin playoff hopes will evaporate with a loss.
The 8-5 Texans, winners of five in a row, can’t afford a letdown against the 3-10 Cardinals.
The 9-4 Jaguars, who quietly have surged to the top of the AFC South, need to stay focused against the Jets and (checks roster) undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook.
The 8-5 Eagles need to prove to the world that they aren’t slipping and sliding out of the NFC East lead against a 3-10 Raiders team with nothing to lose (except their eighth game in a row).
The 8-5 Colts have literally dusted off 44-year-old Philip Rivers in a desperate effort to avoid becoming the sixth team since the merger to start 7-1 or better and miss the playoffs. Good luck with that against the 10-3 Seahawks, who have become dominant in recent weeks.
The 7-6 Panthers, who were upset at home by the 3-10 Saints, have a chance to seize a one-game lead in the NFC South.
The 9-4 49ers, who are emerging from a bye, can’t let themselves get caught flat-footed against the 2-11 Titans, who stunned the Browns with a 31-point outburst in Week 14.
And on Monday night, the 7-6 Steelers won’t have T.J. Watt due to a freak dry-needling incident (words I never would have excepted to type in that order), will be facing a red-hot Dolphins team that has won five in a row — and that has a chance to win another game in the kind of temperatures during which they typically, and literally, freeze.
So, yes, every Week 15 game will be worth watching. Except one. Enjoy it, because that definitely won’t be the case in Weeks 16, 17, and 18.
The Commanders won’t have quarterback Jayden Daniels, who they ruled out earlier this week. Daniels aggravated his left elbow injury in last week’s shutout loss to the Vikings.
Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota might not have running back Chris Rodriguez or wide receiver Deebo Samuel for Sunday’s game against the Giants. Both players are questionable.
Rodriguez (groin) missed Wednesday’s practice before limited work on Thursday and Friday. He has led the team in rushing yards (253) and rushing touchdowns (three) over the past five games.
Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Chase Edmonds are the options behind Rodriguez.
The Commanders added Samuel to the injury report on Friday with an illness that kept him out of practice.
Besides Daniels, the Commanders ruled out cornerback Jonathan Jones (rib) and defensive end Drake Jackson (groin/knee).
Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence popped up on the injury report on Friday with a hamstring injury. The team lists him as questionable to play in Sunday’s game against the Commanders.
Lawrence has 24 tackles, half a sack, an interception and three passes defensed in 13 games this season.
Defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (illness), outside linebacker Joshua Ezeudu (calf), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (illness/neck/knee), cornerback Art Green (hamstring), linebacker Darius Muasau (ankle) and wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (concussion) also are questionable.
The Giants ruled out wide receiver Beaux Collins (neck/concussion), outside linebacker Victor Dimukeje (knee), cornerback Nic Jones (shoulder), defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr. (ankle) and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder).
Punter Jamie Gillan (left knee) is doubtful.
The Giants signed veteran punter Cameron Johnston earlier this week, and he will handle Gillan’s duties if Gillan can’t play.
Bill Belichick has survived a full season in Chapel Hill. Two of his key assistants have not.
Via Pete Thamel of ESPN.com, Belichick has fired offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
Kitchens, the head coach of the Browns in 2019 and the interim Tar Heels coach in 2024, stayed on after Belichick was hired last year. Belichick brought Priefer to UNC after two decades in the NFL, and two years out of football.
Priefer was a member of Kitchens’s staff in Cleveland.
Belichick will now be hiring two new coordinators as he prepares for his second second at UNC. If it doesn’t go much better than his first season, there may not be a third.
And coaching only goes so far. At the college level, it’s about the quality of the players. For 2025, the Tar Heels didn’t have enough good players. They’ll need better players if they want to have a better outcome in 2026.
Thanksgiving weekend concluded with a Monday night game between the Giants and the Patriots. Nielsen has released the official viewership number for the game televised by ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes, and all other windows for the week of December 1 through December 7.
The total audience for Giants-Patriots was 11.346 million viewers.
It’s no surprise that the number was sluggish. For starters, it wasn’t simulcast by ABC, which necessarily carves into the total audience. Then there’s the fact that the Giants are having (another) down year. Also, it was essentially over by halftime.
For the week of December 1 through December 7, the Fox late afternoon game (primarily featuring Bears-Packers) averaged 27.943 million viewers. Sunday Night Football between the Texans and Chiefs finished second, with 21.762 million.
The Giants-Patriots game finished eighth among all sports broadcasts, behind every other NFL window (Sunday afternoon and Thursday night), the Big 10 championship (18.332 million) and the SEC championship (15.747 million).
Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux missed the team’s final three games before their Week 14 bye with a shoulder injury and he wasn’t ready to get back on the field Wednesday.
Thibodeaux remained out of practice as the team began their on-field work ahead of Sunday’s game against the Commanders. Head coach Mike Kafka said at his press conference that Thibodeaux “looks good,” but didn’t indicate when he might be back in the lineup.
Punter Jamie Gillan (left knee), defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (illness), linebacker Victor Dimukeje (knee), cornerback Nic Jones (shoulder), defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (concussion), and guard Greg Van Roten (shoulder) were also out of practice.
Tight end Theo Johnson (toe) was a limited participant. Cornerback Korie Black (biceps), wide receiver Beaux Collins (neck), offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu (calf), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck, knee), cornerback Art Green (hamstring), linebacker Darius Muasau (ankle), and running back Tyrone Tracy (hip) were listed as full participants.
