INDIANAPOLIS — Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ Sunday meeting with the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Broadcast: FOX59
Spread: Colts by 7.
History lesson, Part I: The Colts lead the overall series 12-7, including 2-0 in the playoffs. More on that in a bit. They’ve won four of the last five meetings, but the Giants whipped them 38-10 in the most recent meeting. In case you had forgotten, that was week 17 of the chaotic 2022 season. The Colts lost their final seven games and finished 4-12-1.
History lesson, Part II: The series includes a pair of Manning Bowls — Peyton vs. younger brother Eli in 2006 and ’10 — but every game pales in comparison to The Greatest Game Ever Played. That would be the 1958 NFL Championship Game pitting the Baltimore Colts and Giants Dec. 28 — 66 years ago today — in Yankee Stadium. The Colts’ 23-17 win in overtime — Alan Ameche taking a handoff from John Unitas and plowing in for a 1-yard touchdown — was televised by NBC and gave the NFL an incredible national boost.
Unitas passed for 349 yards and one TD while Raymond Berry set a championship-game record with 12 receptions for 178 yards and a 15-yard TD. Ameche finished with 65 yards and two TDs on 14 carries.
Draft picture: The Giants head into the game at 2-13 and with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. Lose out, and they get the prime pick of the next wave of collegiate talent. Find a way to win a game, and things could get dicey with other three-win teams (Cleveland, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Las Vegas and New England).
If you’re wondering, the 7-8 Colts are No. 16 in the draft pecking order heading into this weekend’s games.
It’s Joe’s show again: Quarterback Anthony Richardson’s latest misfortune is Joe Flacco’s latest opportunity. The presumed future of the Colts will miss the game with back spasms that have limited his mobility. That’s four times in less than two seasons, and twice this year, Richardson will miss time because of an injury.
It’s important for Flacco to make the most of every opportunity he gets. He’s 39 and in his 17th season. It’s very doubtful he’s back in Indy in 2025, but Flacco has given every indication he’d like to play an 18th season.
“I just try to stay in the moment,’’ he said. “People ask me all the time, ‘How long do you want to play?’, and I don’t have an answer for them.’’
The last time Flacco played, it wasn’t pretty. He suffered four turnovers — three interceptions, including a pick-6, and a lost fumble — in a 30-20 home loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Several teams undoubtedly will be looking for a veteran backup in the upcoming offseason — that includes the Colts — and a strong showing by Flacco could be evidence he still has something to offer. He should bring more efficiency and timing in the pass game than Richardson — 66.5%, a 91.5 passer rating — but also is more vulnerable to pressure. Flacco has been sacked 13 times in five games, including seven in his last two starts.
The Giants defense has struggled in several areas this season. It’s 31st against the run (142.6 yards per game), 32nd in completion percentage (69.8%), 25th in yards per play (5.7), 29th in yards per pass play (7.1) and 24th in scoring (24.1). They’re No. 9 in the league with 41 sacks, but sack leader Dexter Lawrence (9) is on IR. The top pressure threats are outside ‘backers Brian Burns (8 sacks, 15 QB hits, 14 tackles for loss) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (3 sacks, 13 QB hits despite a five-game stint on IR)
Ride the hot hand: And that would be running back Jonathan Taylor. The Colts featured their most impactful offensive player in last Sunday’s win over Tennessee, and he responded with 218 yards and 3 TDs, including 65 and 70-yarders. Taylor and Richardson (70 yards, one TD) were the catalysts as the Colts rushed for a franchise-record 335 yards.
Our advice to Colts coach Shane Steichen: Just utilize the Titans game plan vs. the Giants. The main difference, of course, is the run game will be without Richardson, and Flacco isn’t a reasonable facsimile. Richardson set the single-season club record for rushing by a quarterback with 499 yards in 11 games. Flacco has rushed for 889 yards in 194 games and has had more than 88 in a season only twice in his 17-year career.
Ride Taylor, with small doses of backups Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson. Taylor has handled at least 21 carries in five of his last six games, topped by 29 against the Titans. During that six-game stretch, Taylor has averaged 104.5 yards per game and 4.8 per attempt. He’s cracked the 100-yard barrier three times.
Take away Nabers: The defensive objective every game must be to neutralize the opposing team’s top threat. That would be wideout Malik Nabers. The No. 6 overall pick in the April draft has been one of the few bright spots for the Giants. Despite missing two games with a concussion and dealing with the team’s awful QB situation, Nabers has 97 receptions, 969 yards and four TDs. Per the Giants, he’s the only player in NFL history to have those stats in his first 13 career games.
Nabers’ 97 receptions are the fifth-most all-time among rookies, and the record 105 of the Rams’ Puka Nacua (2023) is within reach. He’s averaging 7.5 catches per game.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. — a rookie out of Purdue — has rushed for 721 yards and five TDs and added 34 catches, 263 yards and one TD in the pass game. And Wan’Dale Robinson has 78 receptions for 585 yards and two TDs.
Good for them. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley must limit Nabers.
Lock up Lock: It’s been a wild and unfulfilling ride for the Giants’ QBs room. From Daniel Jones (released after 10 starts and 2-8 record) to Tommy DeVito to Drew Lock to DeVito and back to Lock.
The 2019 second-round pick of the Denver Broncos is in his first season with the Giants and has gotten very little done. Lock is 0-3 as a starter and completed 52.7% of his passes with one TD and four interceptions.
The Giants are averaging a league-low 14.3 points per game. This is no time for the Colts’ defense to come up short.
And the winner is: Colts 24, Giants 13. Get up on the Giants early and see how badly they want to play for the No. 1 overall pick in next April’s draft. That’s it. Let them hang around and the Colts deserve whatever happens.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.