What if NFL fans rooted for their team to lose a game and fans of the other team did the same? That upside-down reality is playing out in many households on Sunday, when the Las Vegas Raiders meet the New York Giants in Sin City. Both teams are 2-13 and many of their respective fans are already looking ahead to next year, starting with the NFL draft in April.

With two games left in the regular season, the loser at Allegiant Stadium is one step closer to finishing with the league’s worst record and earning the first overall choice. Raiders and Giants fans contacted by The New York Sun admit to being torn between their fandom and rooting for a loss. Some view it as one in the same.

“I want the Giants to lose,” a long-time Giants fan, Alex Friedman of New York, told the Sun. “At this point a win means nothing and keeping the first pick is more valuable. But I want the Giants to play well and keep it close and Jaxson Dart to look good.”

A Giants supporter from Las Cruces, New Mexico, Danny Nunez, said he is torn. “I want to win so we are not in last place,” he said. “But I want to lose because it will give us a good chance to deal our pick for more lower round picks.”

Mike McCormick of Newport Beach, California, a Raiders fan since their Super Bowl era, wants the best of both worlds, understanding he probably can’t have it. “I always want them to win,” he told the Sun. “If they get a high pick, they need to trade it and draft offensive linemen. Get three of them, and another free agent.”

The Raiders and Giants have endured dreadful seasons after entering 2025 with high expectations. Las Vegas hired a new head coach in Pete Carroll and a general manager in John Spytek. Quarterback Geno Smith was signed to a big contract and Las Vegas looked headed in a positive direction following a season-opening 20-13 victory over the New England Patriots. But the team’s fortunes went downhill from there as the Silver and Black lost four straight games and tasted victory just once in their last 14.

Getting the no. 1 draft pick is a loser’s Super Bowl. Owning the top pick provides access to the draft’s most coveted player, often a quarterback capable of altering a team’s trajectory for a decade. With the first overall selection, the Raiders could draft Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, or trade the selection for multiple draft picks to address their many needs.

“We need the first pick,” a long-time Raider backer, Mike Naso, of Aventura, Florida, told the Sun. “I like the Indiana quarterback. He’s 6-foot-5 and going to be a star.”

Mr. Cormick is less confident in using the top choice on a quarterback: “If you get Mendoza, with this O-line, he will get ruined.”

Current players don’t care about the draft. That never changes.

Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby became upset on Friday and left the team’s practice facility after learning he was being shut down for the final two games of the regular season due a knee injury.

“I don’t give a s— about the pick, to be honest,” Mr. Crosby said this week. “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. That’s what I focus on every day. Being a great leader, being an influence. Being that guy on a consistent basis for my team.”

Mr. Crosby, 27, has played 110 regular season games, but only one playoff game since joining the Raiders in 2019. The franchise has made just two playoff appearances without a win since losing to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season.

The Giants drought isn’t quite as long, having won Super Bowls in 2007 and 2011. But they have made just two playoff appearances since then, the last coming in 2022, Brian Daboll’s first season as head coach.

Any thoughts that Mr. Daboll might be the next Bill Parcells quickly faded. Following losing seasons of 6-11 and 3-14, he was fired after a 2-8 start in 2025. The Giants have lost five straight under interim coach Mike Kafka and will be looking for a new head coach at season’s end.

Unlike the Raiders, who may be moving on from Mr. Smith, the Giants might have found their franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart. The rookie from Ole Miss has shown promise during his 10 starts, completing 62 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.

“I like Jaxson a lot,” Mr. Nunez said. “He is a mobile quarterback. He needs to know when to get down and when to go for the extra yards. I think once he has [Malik] Nabors and [Cam] Skattebo back he will shine.”

The players will chase the thrill of victory even if it’s temporary, while their loyal but disheartened fans are already looking more long-term. A supposedly meaningless game carries plenty of meaning.

“I never want to see us lose, but we have had a losing environment for too long,” said Giants fan Bill Deerin of Oceanport, New Jersey. “I would like to get that no. 1 pick and trade it for a bunch of other picks. I think our priority is the offensive line. We need to protect Dart otherwise he will have a short career.”

Owen Ripperger of New York agrees: “The theoretical haul we could receive for the no. 1 overall pick could change the trajectory of the franchise especially with the young talent the Giants already have,” he said. “I think losing pushes upper management to clean house and let’s give the new guy all the ammo we can to succeed.”

The Raiders conclude their season against the nose-diving Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday in Las Vegas, while the Giants close out at the Meadowlands against the Dallas Cowboys.

“Both teams need a ton of help,” Mr. Naso said of the Raiders and Giants. “Even if you combined the teams they would still maybe win three games.”