Giants Top Colts 38-10; Clinch Postseason Berth

Giants are in the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Author:
Joe Najarian
Publish date:
Jan 1, 2023 4:43 PM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - It was a party at MetLife Stadium on New Year’s Day as the New York Giants clinched their first playoff berth in 2016.

The Giants dominated the Indianapolis Colts in their most well-rounded game of the season, 38-10. New York racked up 394 yards of offense, including 217 rushing yards, against the ailing Colts.

Giants QB Daniel Jones was brilliant with both his arm and his legs. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards, two touchdowns, and a 125.2 passer rating. Jones was also the team’s leading rusher, with 91 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 11 carries.

Running back Saquon Barkley had 58 rushing yards on 12 carries, receiving a light workload as the Giants put the game out of reach. By the end of the game, the Giants had most of their backups playing; Jones received a loud ovation as he walked off the field.

Both teams punted on their first possessions, but the Colts would make the first big play of the afternoon. Facing 3rd-and-8 at their own 37, Colts QB Nick Foles launched a deep ball to receiver Parris Campbell, who hauled it in at the Giants' 14 for a 49-yard completion.

However, the Giants’ defense made a nice red zone stand to force the hand of Colts coach Jeff Saturday. With his team facing a 4th-and-1 at the New York 5, Saturday decided to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin, putting Indianapolis up 3-0.

This red-zone stand quickly became important, as the Giants’ offense responded with an 11-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. The first 50 yards of the drive came from the ground game, the biggest being a 19-yard run by Barkley. A 12-yard pass to Isaiah Hodgins moved the ball inside the 10-yard line, and Jones finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Richie James, giving the Giants a 7-3 lead.

New York’s defense quickly forced Indianapolis to punt, looking to capitalize on the offense’s momentum. The Giants then marched 64 yards in nine plays; a 10-yard pass to tight end Daniel Bellinger on 3rd and 6 moved the ball into Colts territory, and a 13-yard scramble by Jones and a 24-yard reception by Bellinger set up a 6-yard touchdown pass to Hodgins. With a 14-3 lead, the Giants were in control of the game.

It wouldn’t take long for the lead to grow. The Colts moved the ball to their 46-yard line, facing 3rd and 11. Foles then threw a pass intended for Campbell, but Giants safety Landon Collins, in his second stint with the team, intercepted the pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. The Giants now had a commanding 21-3 lead, and the MetLife Stadium crowd was in pandemonium.

The Giants got one last opportunity to score in the first half after forcing another Colts punt. A 19-yard completion to Hodgins sparked a 43-yard drive to the Indianapolis 18 in just 46 seconds. Graham Gano then kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 24-3 at halftime.

During the Colts’ last drive of the first half, Foles was injured while being sacked by Giants rookie linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Sam Ehlinger would take over QB duties.

The Colts’ backup QB would take the field quickly; although the Giants received the second-half kickoff, receiver Darius Slayton lost a fumble, and Rodney McLeod Jr. recovered for Indianapolis. But the Giants quickly snuffed out the Colts’ momentum, allowing just one yard over the next three plays, and McLaughlin missed a 48-yard field goal attempt to leave the Colts empty-handed.

From there, the Giants’ dominance continued. The offense marched 62 yards in six plays, sparked by a 28-yard completion to James, and Jones finished the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run, increasing the lead to 31-3. The Giants had scored 30 points for the first time all season and the first time since 2020, and it was only the third quarter.

Indianapolis finally responded on their next drive, moving 68 yards in 16 plays. The Colts converted a pair of fourth downs along the way, and Ehlinger threw his first career touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. for a six-yard score.

But the Giants didn’t take long to get those points back. A 25-yard run by Jones initially set up a 44-yard field goal by Gano; however, a penalty called on Indianapolis during the kick resulted in a first down for the Giants instead. After an unnecessary roughness penalty on Indianapolis moved the ball inside the 10, Jones scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to finish an 8-play, 70-yard drive. New York now led 38-10, and the game was effectively in garbage time.

Now playing their backups, the Giants chewed as much clock as possible on their final possession, ending on a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, time expired in the game on the Colts’ final drive.