Raiders vs. Giants: 3 X-factors on defense for Week 17

The Las Vegas Raiders will play the New York Giants on Sunday to help decide which organization owns the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft . Patrick Graham's defense will be without starting safety Jeremy Chinn , who was placed on season-ending IR earlier this week . The Raiders will have the challenge of preparing for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

With the draft-order discussion dominating this showdown, we've identified three X-factors for the Raiders defense in Week 17.

Malcolm Koonce , EDGE

Malcolm Koonce arguably played his most productive game of the season in Week 16 . Koonce was a menace around the line of scrimmage, routinely making CJ Stroud uncomfortable in the pocket. He'll attempt to apply that same pressure on an inexperienced quarterback in Dart.

Isaiah Pola-Mao , S

With Chinn on season-ending IR, there will be a bigger spotlight on fellow safety Isaiah Pola-Mao. The former USC standout has registered 87 tackles and two interceptions this year. Lonnie Johnson should get the majority of snaps opposite Pola-Mao in Chinn's absence.

Darien Porter , CB

Raiders GM John Spytek will use these final two contests to continue evaluating his roster. Rookie cornerback Darien Porter is one of the most important young Raiders. Porter has been inconsistent, which should be expected given the difficulty of the cornerback position, paired with how raw he was coming out of Iowa State .

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders vs. Giants: 3 X-factors on defense for Week 17