Giants Country

New York Giants Week 17 Report Card: Playoff Worthy

The New York Giants took care of business against the Indianapolis Colts to earn a postseason berth.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants Week 17 Report Card: Playoff Worthy
New York Giants Week 17 Report Card: Playoff Worthy /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - In case you were wondering, it's now safe for the members of the New York Giants to say the "P" word.

"Well, yeah," said offensive lineman Nick Gates after the Giants took apart the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 to clinch the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. "We're in, right?"

They sure are. The Giants got stellar performances across the board on offense and defense, and this week's grades are playoff worthy, regardless of who the opponent was.

Offense: A

Before anyone says, "Oh, it was just the Colts," remember that this week's opponents had a pretty good defense. But the Giants offense was better thanks to the prowess of quarterback Daniel Jones, who, if he hasn't proven yet that he's the Giants' best option moving into next year, then we don't know what else to tell you.

Jones finished 19 of 24 for 177 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 125.2 passer rating, his second-highest rating of the season. He also added 91 rushing yards on 11 carries, his rushing yardage besting Saquon Barkley, and scored two rushing touchdowns, all the while taking hit after hit and showing a type of toughness that the great Phil Simms and Eli Manning used to put on display week after week.

Want more to love? Barkley averaged 4.8 yards per carry as he set a new personal career high for rushing yardage in a single season. And Isaiah Hodgins came up with one of Jones's two passing touchdowns (the other by Richie James), giving Hodgins four receiving touchdowns in his last five games as a Giant.

The cherry on the cake? The offensive line didn't allow a single sack this week, only the second time this season Jones wasn't dropped. Officially the Colts only managed two hits on Jones, but it seemed like far more as Jones was, as previously mentioned, active as a runner.

Defense: A

People will say the Colts offense isn't very good, and it is hard to argue. But that doesn't mean the Giants necessarily had an easy time of things, at least in the beginning. That said, Landon Collins' Pick-6 was a dagger in the Colts' hearts. So too, was Kayvon Thibodeaux's sack of Nick Foles, a play in which Foles injured his ribs. (Thibodeaux, for those wondering, told reporters after the game that he wasn't initially aware Foles was hurt.)

The defense limited the Colts to 3 of 12 third-down conversions and just 252 total yards of offense, often getting pressure on the quarterback with just four. Again, say what you want about the Colts offense not being very good, but if the Giants defense plays like this next week and through the playoffs, look out.

Special Teams: B

Another week another breakdown by the coverage units, this time on kickoffs. Yes, the Colts had the best kickoff return game coming into this week, but a pair of 36-yard returns by Dallis Flowers could have been covered better. When it was said and done, the Colts averaged 28.8 yards per kickoff return--oh, and by the way, who else doesn't want to see Grham Gano having to be the one to tackle opposing kickoff returners?

Decent job by Gary Brightwell on both of his returns (20-yard average). Riche James didn't have any returns this week, thanks to the Colts' coverage, but he also made some smart decisions, such as letting a short punt hit the ground, which ultimately took a Giants' bounce.

Gano nailed his only field goal of the day, this one from 36 yards, and Jamie Gillan was solid, hitting a 47-yarder in his lone punt on the day that his coverage team couldn't down before it hit the end zone.

Coaching: A

Big kudos to Brian Daboll for sticking to his script and pounding it into his players' heads to not put the cart before the horse regarding the playoffs. Although everyone outside the building had the Giants easily handling the Colts this week, Daboll ensured the players maintained respect for the opponent.

Good job by offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to mix in more of Matt Breida this week in the running game to help keep Barkley fresh for what lies ahead. And kudos to Daboll for pulling some of his starters when the game was firmly in the bag--no point in leaving them out there to run the risk of injury, especially after the Giants lost Leonard Williams to a stinger earlier in the game.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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