Suspend breathless anticipation about choosing Shedule Sanders or Cam Ward to return for a less convincing continuation of this season.
For some, the Giants lost, finished 2-15, and grabbed with both hands the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which they claimed when they lost last week to a franchise-record 10th place. seemed almost a foregone conclusion. Continuous games. But something interesting happened on the way from the bottom of the league to the top of the first round. The Giants went on the road in Week 17 and won the game. That was amazing enough, and beating the Colts 45-33 to accumulate points was a truly amazing turn of events.
In just that way, the Giants would drop from No. 1 to No. 4 (behind the Patriots, Titans, and Browns) on the draft board, with one game left to potentially reshuffle the rankings. This shows once again that while the events at the end of April are on the minds of so many NFL observers, they are not reaching the hearts of the coaches and players on the field each week. .
Here are the takeaways from the Giants' first win since Oct. 6.
— When fans like to tank, they don't take into account the effect that constant losing has on a young player's psyche. The growing frustration with rookie Malik Nabors was all the 21-year-old needed to understand that he needed to be part of a win before his first year with the Giants was over. Another rookie, running back Tyrone Tracy, couldn't contain his excitement to finally leave the field on the right side of the score.
“The energy in the locker room is different, the energy on the sideline is different,” Tracy said. “Everything is different when you win. It's what we needed and it's what we worked so hard for. When we kept trying and finally got that result, when we were in the locker room I can only imagine how everyone is feeling.”
— Darius Slayton made the catch over the middle, but lost his footing and began to stumble forward, making it look like he was headed for the turf. However, he regained his balance in the nick of time and completed a 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown reception. “I didn't mean to be depressed,” Slayton said. “I was doing somersaults and front flips and trying to figure out a way to get into the end zone.”
Slayton is the last remaining man from the 2019 draft class. He remains the longest-tenured Giants player to suit up every week. Daniel Jones, the No. 6 pick that year, was benched but was released early this season. Dexter Lawrence, the 17th overall pick, is on injured reserve with a dislocated elbow. Slayton is not under contract through 2025, so he is completing his sixth and likely final year with the Giants. The touchdown he scored against the Colts may be the last he scores with the Giants.
“We don't know what the future holds,” Slayton said. “Obviously, I'm a free agent after this year, so we'll see how it goes. If this was my last race, it would have been a good one to go out.”
— These are the comments and observations the Giants expected to hear regarding Nabors after games this season.
“The Colts couldn't cover him, they couldn't tackle him…The Giants offense made big-time plays all over the field. I haven't said that all year.”
This was Chris Sims on NBC's “Football Night in America.” The feeling was worth more than the money. Nabors had a lot of receptions in his rookie season, but not enough yards and certainly not enough explosive plays or moments after the catch. Against the Colts, Nabors was all of that, catching seven passes for a season-high 171 yards and two touchdowns on scoring plays of 31 and 59 yards.
It was all part of Drew Lock's career day, and he made the most of the 23 passes he attempted. Lock completed 17 of them for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for a touchdown. Lock had a passer rating of 155.3. After that, Sims enjoyed broadcasting.
“You can't stop Drew Lock!” Sims said. “This day is different. We will not give up on anyone, we are the New York Giants!”
— If you feel like the Giants' 45 points are the most they've scored in a while, go with that feeling. The last time that total was exceeded was on Nov. 1, 2015, in New Orleans when Eli Manning and Drew Brees engaged in a classic shootout that the Saints won 52-49. The Giants' 45 points were their most points in a win and home game since Dec. 9, 2012, when they defeated the Saints 52-27.
–Sad, but true. The Giants won the turnover battle 3-0, which was great for them. This was the first time the Giants had a positive turnover differential all season. This game ended a streak of eight consecutive games in which the Giants committed at least one turnover.
–If Lock recorded the Giants' highest passer rating over the last six years, hang your head. The last time a Giants quarterback had a rating higher than Lock's 155.3 was Manning on Nov. 18, 2018. Manning posted a 155.8 rating in the 38-35 win over the Buccaneers.
— Brian Burns is hard on himself. He had a great performance against the Colts, being on the field on 60 of 77 snaps on defense, recording six tackles (three for loss) and one quarterback hit. He almost got sacked by Joe Flacco, but instead of going for the body, Barnes tried to make a bigger play by stealing the ball and going for a strip sack. But Flacco protected the ball and Barnes didn't have to do anything.
Afterward, Barnes sat at his locker and thought about the play he missed.
“I was just a little upset because of the chance we had and the play we missed there. We could have had a really, really, really good game,” Burns said. “It was a decent match. If you watch this movie you’ll be sick to your stomach, man.
“None of the games I missed really did anything for them, just the fact that it would have been an energy booster for the rest of the team. Sack, sack and all. I was close to him, but I couldn't buy it.
