The Giants are in the ideal position for Week 17 of the NFL season. They possess the gift of pristine clarity. They don’t have to scour the league, like the Jets and a half-dozen other teams, for assistance; depending on the generosity of strangers this late in the season is a dreadful position to be in.
The Giants need not consider how much their starters should play, how desperately they need the game, or the risk-reward ratio of winning a regular-season game. It’s simple. Easiest formula possible.
Win the contest.
That is it. That is all. Beat the Colts at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, punch your ticket to the playoffs, and play a meaningless game against the Eagles the following week in which neither team has much at stake.
Beat the Colts and the rest will fall where it may.
Brian Daboll, head coach of the Giants, stated that each week the team attempts to control its own fate by attempting to win a game. This week, the objective will be the same as always: to start the season 1-0.
Give Daboll the same discipline and self-awareness that he expects from his players. He expects the same of himself. Four times on Monday afternoon, when he spoke with media for the first time since his team’s painful 27-24 loss to the Vikings on Christmas Eve, he was steered toward a discussion of the playoffs.
He claimed the Fifth on all counts.
This week, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and the Giants must defeat the Colts in order to qualify for the playoffs.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“I believe everyone understands what you just stated,” Daboll said in response to a question about if his message to the squad this week differed in any way, given that a victory would qualify them for the postseason. He did not bite. He wasn’t even nibbling. “Ensuring that we are prepared, ready to go, and putting our best foot forward”
In the 72 years since their first meeting – Giants 55, Colts 20 at Baltimore’s old Memorial Stadium — the Giants and Colts have played each other 19 times, with the Colts claiming 12 victories. The most notable occurred on December 28, 1958, less than 64 years ago, when Alan Ameche’s score won the first-ever NFL overtime game, giving Baltimore the NFL title.
And it has been a few days longer than 20 years since the Giants last defeated the Colts (only the Chargers, whom the Giants haven’t defeated since 1998 have a longer streak); since then, the Colts have won four consecutive games (including two Manning Bowls).
The final three weeks of the 2002 season are more significant than you might expect. The Giants were 8-6 and needed to win their final two regular-season games — at Indianapolis and at home against Philadelphia — the same two teams they will close the season against this year. They defeated the Colts at RCA Dome 44-27 thanks to a career day from Amani Toomer, who caught 10 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns from Kerry Collins.
And for their troubles, the Giants drew the 49ers in the first round of the playoffs, which is likely to happen again this year. If you’re a Giants fan, you’ll be pleased to hear that we won’t be discussing that game at all in this column.
The Giants should be a heavy favorite over the Colts, who will be without quarterback Jonathan Taylor and will be led by Nick Foles (who made his season debut Monday night against the Chargers). MetLife Stadium should have a playoff-worthy atmosphere, the only consolation benefit for missing out on the tournament in Minneapolis.
Michael Pittman Jr. of the Colts is tackled by Derwin James Jr. No. 3 of the Los Angeles Chargers and Drue Tranquill as his helmet falls off.
As we have observed, Daboll neither encourages nor permits his players’ imaginations to go amok.
“We’re not in it yet,” he stated, deftly brushing aside the final question. “I’m not going to look too far ahead, and we’ll focus on beating the Colts.”
Simple response Simple equation. Simple fact. Simple task. If the Colts are defeated, nothing else matters.
»By getting rid of the Colts, the Giants can simplify their playoff fate«