The losing streak is now at nine consecutive games and give the Giants credit for not following the same script in how they wind up losing.

This time around, it was not a masterclass in bad football on defense. The Giants limited the damage to 16 points, and a mere 240 total yards allowed. They actually scored a touchdown on defense. The problem was, their defense outscored their offense, 7-6. The 16-13 loss to the Vikings was mostly a byproduct of terrible offense and, quite frankly, a scared offense that did not trust rookie Jaxson Dart to throw the ball on first down.

Here are some thoughts coming out of another winless Sunday for the Giants:

— We are going to hear all week that it is better for the Giants to lose in Las Vegas than it would be to finally end their losing streak, as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft is at stake in this clash of non-titans (both sitting at 2-13). No, the Giants will not be “tanking” this weekend but, in reality, how would anyone know the difference if they really and truly were? They play relatively hard enough and never win anyway, so how much different would it look if they, you know, did not exactly give it their all against the Raiders? It almost seems as if they do everything they can to make it look good as they find a way to walk off the field as losers. It would be wild if the Giants did not put the pedal to the metal in this game and won anyway. Do not put anything past this group.