MetLife Stadium —Head coach Brian Daboll has a lot to smile about after his NY Giants beat the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Daboll was doused with Gatorade after the game, a Giants’ tradition first associated with coach Bill Parcells in the 1980s.
“It was sticky,” Daboll said, noting the team was given the next two days off by Jones when he broke the team down after the game.
Giants’ quarterback Daniel Jones was a surgeon throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more as the G-Men beat the Indianapolis Colts 38-10, they return to the post-season for the first time since 2016.
The G-Men won for the second time in three contests to improve to 9-6-1 and clinch the sixth playoff seed in the NFC, their first postseason berth since 2016. They will play their final regular-season game next weekend against the top seeded Eagles at the Linc.
“It’s a beautiful thing and I’ll be honest,” said running back Saquon Barkley. “No one outside the men and women in that facility gave us a chance.”
The Giants finished 5-3-1 in MetLife Stadium, their best home record and first winning mark since they were 7-1 in 2016.
Jones led the G-Men in rushing with 91 rushing yards on 11 carries, including touchdown runs of 18 and 10 yards. The 91 yards is the third-highest total of his career (107 at Jacksonville on Oct. 23 and 95 at Washington on Sept. 16, 2021). Jones’ 11 carries ties for his second-highest total; he had 12 vs. Washington on Dec. 3 and 11 at Jacksonville. All six of his career double-digit carry games have been this season.
Jones instincts was the difference of the game making timely throws and when the pocket closed down, he used his legs to move the chains. He was cool as bag of cotton all game long.
Daboll, immediately changed the culture and got the Giants to focus one week at a time and to believe in themselves. The G-Men overcame injuries and a 2-4-1 slide in November to become the third NFC East team to qualify for the postseason. They just stuck to the script and played hard for 60-minutes this season.
The Giants will make their 33rd postseason appearance, which ties them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the third-highest total in NFL history, behind the Green Bay Packers (35) and Dallas Cowboys (35, including this season).
The Colts started Nick Foles at quarterback and replaced him with Sam Ehlinger when Foles suffered a rib injury late in the second quarter, passed for 124 yards, the lowest total by a Giants opponent since Washington threw for 99 yards in the 2021 season finale.
The G-Men gained 394 yards, their third-highest total of the season (445 last week in Minnesota, 436 at Jacksonville and 413 vs. Detroit). Their 217 rushing yards is their third-highest total (262 vs. Chicago, 236 at Jacksonville).
The Colts (4-11-1) lost their sixth straight game, and ninth in 10.
“We still got one more week. I’ve got to keep these guys playing good football for the last week, and try to get a win and finish this season off in the right way.” Colts head coach Jeff Saturday said.
NYG scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 24-3 halftime lead. It was their highest-scoring quarter since they put 27 on the board in the second at Washington on Dec. 9, 2018. Their 21-point halftime lead was their largest since they led 34-0 in 2018 in Washington.
Landon Collins, one of two players from the ’16 team, broke the game open late in the second quarter with a 52-yard pick-6 as the Giants sealed it after that.
Players said the locker room was lit.
“Loud, dancing, laughing, so many emotions,” defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “It’s all of the signs of excitement. We worked hard, starting in the spring with these guys with the new coaching staff, and it’s all playing out.”
Jones completed 19 of 24 passes (79.2%) for 177 yards, two touchdowns and no picks for a 125.2 passer rating that is the third highest of his career. Jones has five career games in which he completed at least 76.5% of his passes – all this season.
When he walked off the field, the crowd was shouting his name–Daniel–Daniel, he finally earned the respect of the NY fans.
UP Next:
NYG will travel down Rte. 95 to play the Philadelphia Eagles for a 1:00 P.M. start time.
