While some expect the upcoming Giants vs Raiders game to be a tanking affair, interim coach Mike Kafka is looking to work past a running back threat. Irrespective of the draft position implications, it would appear that the coaches and players want to win. Kafka has already shifted the focus to fix their struggling defense to deal with the Ashton Jeanty problem for a possible third win of the season.

“He’s one of those backs that you really got to understand where he’s at,” Kafka said about Jeanty ahead of the Sunday game. “He doesn’t take many plays off, but where they have him located, where’s he at in the backfield, the dot, offset. He has the ability to kind of break it from anywhere on the field as a running back or as a receiver out in flat.”

This matchup quietly pits the NFL’s most fragile defense against an offense that somehow knows where the cracks are. The Giants have already allowed a baffling 400+ points this season, with edge collapses and linebacker lapses turning routine snaps into disasters. That vulnerability meets a Raiders unit graded among PFF’s five worst offenses, yet one capable of manufacturing damage through motion, outside-zone looks, and Ashton Jeanty in space.

If there is one Raider capable of tilting this matchup, it is rookie Ashton Jeanty. Fresh off his first Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week honor, Jeanty torched Houston for 188 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, flashing the explosive versatility that has quietly defined his season. He averages 6.5 yards per catch with five receiving scores. Against a Giants defense that has struggled mightily in space, Jeanty can truly be a threat.

Still, there was progress last week for Kafka’s team. Against the Vikings, the Giants held firm. Minnesota managed just 3.7 yards per carry on 31 attempts. The defensive line created chaos early. The second level followed, linebackers filled lanes, and it finally looked connected.

Kafka will want a repeat of what his defense showed against Minnesota. Holding the Vikings to just 3.7 yards per carry briefly suggested this unit can play with discipline and cohesion. Kafka later even revealed that containing Ashton Jeanty will require a more deliberate plan, one designed to take away the rookie’s impact.

Raiders look to learn from Texans’ defeat as Kafka plans to stop Ashton Jeanty

In many ways, the Texans’ loss was as clean a defeat can get for Las Vegas. A single Geno Smith pick-six proved decisive, while the rest of the afternoon showcased young Raiders holding their own against the league’s best defense. From Ashton Jeanty’s explosive breakout to contributions across the lineup, the mistakes were isolated rather than systemic.

That makes the Giants’ matchup a test of adjustment rather than reinvention. If Las Vegas can eliminate the early self-inflicted wound and lean into the same youth-driven aggression, the formula suddenly looks dangerous against a far less disciplined defense. The lesson from Houston is simple: tighten the margins, and even a flawed offense can control the game script.

Ahead of the Raiders game, head coach Kafka will be acutely aware of his interim status. A good performance on Sunday could make an argument for his candidacy for the next season. Kafka later doubled down on what it takes to survive against the Raiders’ threat and his plan to stop the running back.

“We’ve got to make sure we rally to him, get him down. It’s not going to take one,” Kafka said ahead of the game. “It’s going to have to be a gang-tackle type mentality where we can get this guy down because he can bounce off. He’s got great run-through contact, great strength, great speed. He’s a special player.”

The concern for the Giants is real. Big Blue has owned one of the worst run defenses in the league. There is no spinning it. Even on decent downs, breakdowns show up at the worst times.

If the Giants can replicate their Minnesota blueprint, this game tilts firmly in their favor. Discipline up front and cleaner second-level fits would force Las Vegas into longer downs, exposing an offensive line that has struggled to protect Geno Smith or sustain drives. But if the Giants lapse into their familiar breakdowns, the door swings open quickly. Pre-snap motion, outside-zone looks, and Ashton Jeanty in space are precisely the kinds of stressors that have unraveled this defense all season.

At 2–13, both teams sit at a crossroads where logic clashes with emotion. A loss strengthens draft position and long-term planning, but a win offers something harder to quantify: belief, momentum. On Sunday, pride may matter just as much as position.