Why the Giants Will Beat the Colts, Why They Won't, and a Prediction

The New York Giants can punch their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2016 if they can beat the Indianapolis Colts.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 1, 2023 8:00 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Just win, baby.

It's that simple for the New York Giants this week. Win, and they'll punch their ticket to the NFC playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Lose? Well, things might get a little--no, make that a lot--dicey around 4 p.m. on New Year's Day.

The Giants weren't supposed to be challenging for a postseason berth, but no one told them. They've taken advantage of a new coaching staff that's sort of caught a few early-season opponents off-guard. They've won games on a very team-friendly schedule they were supposed to win.

And they've never looked beyond the current day's, which is how head coach Brian Daboll has wanted it from Day 1, even given what's now at stake.

“It’s our next game,” Daboll said this week after several failed and repeated attempts by reporters to get him to open up more about the opportunity to make the playoffs as a first-year NFL head coach.

"I think everybody knows (the implications). But what we can control is, again, the same stuff we try to control each week—making sure we’re prepared, ready to go and go out there and put our best foot forward.”

His message has been received by his players, who have chanted in unison that if they take care of the immediate tasks at hand--the practice, the cleanup of mistakes that cost them last week's opportunity against the Vikings, and the rest of the preparation,--everything will take care of itself at the end of the day.

And in this week's case, the Giants will finally give their fan base, which has endured some really bad football for most of the last decade, something to cheer about.

Why the Giants Will Win

There's no tactful way to say this, so here goes. The Colts are a mess. Their offense is ranked at or near the bottom of the league in average yards per game, rushing, passing, interception rate, and sacks allowed.

They're averaging about 29:30 minutes in time of possession, and except for their win over the Raiders and their epic collapse against the Vikings, they've been unable to score more than 20 points in four of their last six games.

Interim head coach Jeff Saturday is sticking with Nick Foles at quarterback despite his throwing three interceptions. Lead rusher Jonathan Taylor is on injured reserve. So is it any wonder that Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale admitted there is "blood in the water"?

If the Giants defense isn't licking its chops over facing a Colts offensive line that has allowed the second-most sacks in the league, something is wrong. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Colts have a good defense that features veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, but they will be without Yannick Ngakoue, who was placed on injured reserve with a throat injury.

Simply put, there is no reason for the Giants to lose this game. None. And if they do, then they don't deserve to be in the playoffs this year.

Why the Giants Will Lose

No one is suggesting that the Giants are taking the Colts lightly--Daboll won't allow that mindset to permeate his locker room, nor should he, despite Martindale's "blood in the water" comment made this week.

But sometimes, when a team comes up against a group with nothing left to play for but pride, it can manifest itself into a more dangerous opponent than what appears on paper.

The Colts are that team. They have been long out of the playoff race in the AFC. They've had one turmoil after another and will head into the off-season with a very uncertain future on offense.

On the other hand, they have a solid defense that one would think would want to put on a strong showing to remove one thing from general manager Chris Ballard's to-do list as he and team owner Jim Irsay figure out their next moves regarding a permanent head coach and, perhaps just as important, a quarterback.

Although these two teams don't have a modern-era history, how sweet might it be for the Colts to play the role of spoiler in a game not very many people are giving them a chance to win?

The answer is very, which is why the Giants can't take this team lightly.

Prediction

The Colts are one of those teams that the Giants are supposed to beat. And if they can't, then forget about the other scenarios that would allow New York to clinch a postseason berth because they won't matter.

That said, the Colts offense is a mess, and while their defense figures to put up enough of a fight, it most likely won't be enough to spoil the Giants' New Year's Day postgame celebration of reaching the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Giants 27, Colts 17