Thanks to an overtime win by the Bengals on Saturday over the Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts will enter Sunday’s game against the Giants with their playoff hopes still alive.
Help is certainly still a big part of the equation when it comes to the Colts making the postseason, but first they have to take care of their own business against the Giants.
This is a New York team that enters the game at 2-13, currently holding the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and has lost 10 straight games. It’s not often that the Colts are the clear-cut better team, but that’s the case today, and hopefully, they can operate as such.
However, they’ll have to do so without Anthony Richardson who was ruled out on Saturday with back spasms. That means that Joe Flacco will make his fifth start of the season for the Colts.
This game will be televised regionally on FOX in Week 17. Kickoff will be at 1:00 PM ET with Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma calling the game from the booth at MetLife Stadium, along with Megan Olivi reporting from the sidelines.
Keys to the game
Below are my three keys to the game for the Colts. For a deeper dive into these crucial X-Factors, click here.
– Get Jonathan Taylor and the run game going
– Matt Goncalves vs. Brian Burns
– Containing Tyrone Tracy and the Giants’ run game
Colts inactives
The Colts have listed five players inactive for this game. For a closer look at the impact of this, click here.
QB Anthony Richardson
DT Adetomiwa Adebawore
TE Will Mallory
DE Isaiah Land
OL Dalton Tucker
Live scoring updates
First Quarter
Matt Gay makes a 32-yard field goal to give the Colts a 3-0 lead.
Sparked by a 40 yard run by Tyrone Tracy, the Giants touchdown drive concluded with Malik Nabers turning a screen into a huge catch and run.
Second Quarter
Another explosive play given up by the Colts’ defense leads to a 32 yard touchdown pass for the Giants. New York leads 14-3.
Another failure in the red zone by the Colts’ offense results in a field goal. Colts trail 14-6.
More big plays by the Giants offense results in another touchdown. Giants lead 21-6.
The Colts find the end zone for the first time just before half, cutting the Giants lead to 21-13.
Third Quarter
Yikes. The Giants open the second half with a kick return touchdown. New York leads 28-13.
In-game analysis
– The Colts’ offense is moving the ball well early, but a turnover an an ill-advised throw by Flacco when he was under duress and a sack on third down in the red zone has resulted in only three points.
– I like how Steichen is getting Mitchell involved early on a screen and end-around, which can take the place of the quarterback run game that is absent without Richardson.
– Poor angles, not filling running lanes, and missed tackles hurt the Colts badly again on the Giants first touchdown drive.
– Explosive plays through both the air and on the ground have burned the Colts defense all season and did again on the Giants first scoring drive, which included a 40 yard rush and 31 yard touchdown pass on a screen.
– Without the threat of the quarterback also being an option in the run game, the Colts are struggling to get things going on the ground. This isn’t the first time that this has happened this season.
– Almost no pressure on Giants’ quarterback Drew Lock and Malik Nabers is torching the Colts’ secondary. Seemingly anytime Indianapolis gives him a one-on-one matchup, Nabers is making them pay.
– Nice response by the Colts’ offense after the Giants’ kick return for six. A heavy-dose of Taylor on that scoring drive, who is picking up steam as the game progresses.
Highlights
JT punches it in for six.
đź“ş FOX pic.twitter.com/RguPJZxfqV
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 29, 2024
(Please note that this article will be updated as the game unfolds.)