Was the Giants' offensive explosion vs. the Colts something to build on?
Malik Nabers of the Giants runs in a first-quarter touchdown reception against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
So where was this Giants offense all season?
Was Sunday’s 45-33 win just a one-game mirage against a poor Colts defense?
Whatever the answer, the Giants on Monday were still enjoying their first win since Oct. 6. A 10-game losing streak ended with their most points in a game since a 52-49 loss to the Saints in 2015.
It took them out of the cellar for the NFL’s worst offense this season. Now they’re merely second-to-last at 16.3 points per game heading into Sunday’s finale against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
“I think we have some good skill players that can make plays down the field and make plays with the ball in their hand,” coach Brian Daboll said Monday. “It’s good to see those guys do that. It’s a good group and they were productive.”
If only it were that simple. This was the same Giants unit that had two passing touchdowns in the previous six games. This was an offense that hadn’t scored 30 points in a game this season before Sunday.
Whatever the Giants tried to do didn’t work with Daniel Jones or Tommy DeVito. Drew Lock didn’t throw the ball downfield much in his previous three starts. Injuries crippled the offensive line as the Giants started their ninth combination of the season.
But it worked Sunday, proving that as much as some fans want teams to tank, players and coaches always want to win.
Even though the Giants (3-13) slipped from first to fourth in the draft order, they were pleased to show they hadn’t quit.
“We knew we had it in us,” said Lock, who on Sunday became the fifth player in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards and four touchdowns, run for a score and have a passer rating above 155. “It was just time to go out and show it and do it and make plays when they were there. Sure enough, we went out and did that today. So it was a fun time.”
The Giants not only forced three turnovers but had their first turnover-free game after eight straight with at least one. The Giants also were 7-for-13 on third-down conversions, a significant improvement after ranking 29th in that category.
Receiver Darius Slayton said there’s better chemistry on offense thanks to more practices with Lock. For Daboll, it came down to better execution and ball security.
“When you don’t turn the football over, you win the explosive plays, you convert on third down and do a good job in the red zone and get off to a fast start, those are elements to scoring points and winning football games,” he said. “That’s what you try to do every week. So it’s the first time we won the turnover ratio, and that’s hard to do.”
The Colts — ranked 29th in total defense and 27th in scoring defense — also played a part in it. They couldn’t stop the Giants from turning short catches into big plays, with Malik Nabers gaining 105 of his 171 yards after his catches.
Can the Giants build on it moving forward?
Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. both passed 1,000 scrimmage yards for the season. They should make things easier for their next quarterback.
Could the offense find even more life Sunday if the Eagles, locked into the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed, decide to rest players ahead of the playoffs?
Daboll dodged looking that far ahead, just as he deflected questions Monday about facing Saquon Barkley a second time this season. The former Giants running back is 101 yards shy of breaking the NFL single-season record of 2,105 by Eric Dickerson.
“Teams are so different from one year to the next,” Daboll said. “Our focus is really on the task at hand. We have a lot of guys that are committed to trying to do things the right way and competing at a high level.”
For one game, the Giants got that message to click on offense. It’s up to them to decide if it can mean something more in Sunday’s finale and beyond.
Notes & quotes: Daboll had no update on defensive tackle Armon Watts, who was carted off in the first quarter Sunday. He was ruled out with a knee injury after struggling to put weight on his left leg.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
