Giants Head to Las Vegas Short Two Starters as Winless Streaks Collide

The New York Giants’ late-season road trip to Las Vegas will come with notable absences, as the team ruled out tight end Theo Johnson and center John Michael Schmitz Jr. for Sunday’s matchup against the Raiders.

Both players were downgraded to out and will not travel with the team, according to reports, with Johnson sidelined by illness and Schmitz nursing a finger injury that has prevented him from practicing.

The timing could hardly be worse for a Giants roster that has already been stretched thin by injuries, inconsistency, and a long stretch of losses that has tested morale inside the building.

As Week 17 approaches, New York is not only battling another opponent but also fighting the weight of a season that has required patience from players, coaches, and fans alike.

1. Two Teams, Same Descent

The Giants arrive in Las Vegas with a 2–13 record, tied with the Raiders for the worst mark in their respective divisions and carrying a nine-game losing streak that has erased any lingering optimism. Las Vegas mirrors that slide, sitting at the bottom of the AFC West with the same record and the same run of defeats, turning Sunday’s contest into a rare meeting of teams searching for stability rather than playoff positioning. With postseason hopes long gone, the matchup has taken on an unusually raw tone, one shaped more by pride than by standings. For both locker rooms, the game represents a chance to halt momentum that has moved in only one direction for much of the fall.

2. What Johnson’s Absence Means

Theo Johnson’s unavailability strips the Giants of a young tight end who had begun to carve out a meaningful role in the passing game, particularly in the red zone. His size and willingness to work the middle of the field had made him a useful safety valve in tight spaces, offering quarterbacks a reliable target when plays broke down. Without him, the Giants will have to reshuffle their short-yardage and goal-line packages, leaning on depth players who have had fewer opportunities in high-leverage moments. That loss is less about one snap and more about rhythm, removing a piece that had gradually earned trust within a struggling offense.

3. Pride, Tape, and the Final Stretch

Inside the Giants’ locker room, the record is impossible to ignore, but it has also sharpened the focus on individual evaluation as the season winds down. Young players are competing for future roles, aware that every snap is now part of a larger audition rather than a playoff push. Veterans, meanwhile, are tasked with maintaining professionalism and setting a tone that reflects the standards the organization hopes to uphold, even in losing seasons. When the Giants take the field in Week 17, the goals will be stripped to essentials: protect the football, finish drives, tackle cleanly, and find a reason—any reason—to believe the slide can finally be stopped.