It occurred on an unusually heat late December Sunday afternoon, because the cloudy and wet skies cleared, leading to blue sunshine because the Giants tasted one thing they haven’t chewed on for practically three months.
They gained a sport.
They usually misplaced (for now) the No. 1 decide within the 2025 NFL Draft.
Two disparate pathways interconnected as one of many worst seasons in franchise historical past nears an finish. The Giants had a sudden outburst of passing competence from Drew Lock and a few greatness on show from rookie Malik Nabers, constructed a 21-6 lead after which held on for a wild 45-33 victory over the Colts at half-filled MetLife Stadium.
That ended a franchise-record 10-game dropping streak and prevented the Giants from turning into the primary staff in NFL historical past to go 0-9 at residence in a season.
Within the right here and now, this was excellent news for head coach Brian Daboll and basic supervisor Joe Schoen, who’re down the stretch of such a brutal season that possession should contemplate making modifications at certainly one of each positions.
Trying forward, the hunt to search out the subsequent franchise quarterback took successful. The Giants (3-13) went into the day proudly owning the No. 1 decide and with the uncommon victory, they dropped out of the No. 1 and No. 2 spot and fell to No. 3 or 4.
So, for functions of tanking for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, the Giants took successful, with one sport remaining of their season — at Saquon Barkley and the Eagles — to both win and drop additional within the first spherical or lose and transfer again into the highest two picks.
This was a wierd and weird expertise for the Giants, who gained a sport for the primary time since Oct. 6 in faraway Seattle.
With the loss, the Colts (7-9) have been eradicated from playoff rivalry within the AFC — deservedly so, after giving up 45 factors to a staff that was final within the league in scoring at 14.3 factors a sport.
Lock out of nowhere went loopy, finishing 17 of 23 passes for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns. He additionally scrambled for a 4-yard landing that put the Giants forward 42-33 with 2:57 remaining.
A lot of the manufacturing got here as the results of Nabers wanting just like the star goal the Giants envision him to be. Nabers caught seven passes for a career-high 171 yards and two touchdowns. Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson additionally hauled in scoring passes from Lock.
Joe Flacco, beginning instead of injured Anthony Richardson, was 26 of 38 for 330 yards, with two landing passes and two interceptions.
When Lock hit rookie Nabers on a 31-yard catch-and-run for a landing late within the first quarter, it gave the Giants their first lead at residence since Week 4 of the season. Lock later discovered Slayton on a 32-yard scoring hookup and Robinson on a 6-yard landing toss after stepping up within the pocket to flee strain. That eruption of factors put the Giants forward 21-6 with 5:55 left within the second quarter.
The three scoring passes for Lock marked solely the second time since Week 16 of the 2019 season {that a} Giants quarterback had three landing passes in a sport. Tommy DeVito did it in Week 11 final season towards the Commanders.
Lock within the first half was 7 of 8 for 148 yards and three landing passes.
When Ihmir Smith-Marsette took the opening kickoff of the second half again 100 yards for a landing, the Giants expanded their result in 28-13. If anybody thought the Giants would possibly cruise to a victory they haven’t been watching this staff this season, or for the previous decade or so.
The Colts closed to inside 28-20 on Jonathan Taylor’s 26-yard landing run and threatened to get even nearer on a drive that ended with a fourth-down cease of Taylor by Elijah Chatman. Daboll rolled the cube on 4th-and-2 from his personal 42-yard line however Tyrone Tracy was stopped for no acquire on the ultimate play of the third quarter.
It obtained stickier when Flacco hit Alec Pierce for a 13-yard scoring hookup to make it 28-26 with 10:53 remaining. The slim lead held agency when the Colts botched the two-point conversion strive, as Flacco handed to Michael Pittman however Pittman’s lateral to Taylor was fumbled away.
Nabers broke tackles en path to a 59-yard catch-and-run landing that made it 35-26 and the Giants have been secure.
