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As this season was shaping up, it was natural to look ahead and try to figure out how the stretch run might transpire for the Giants. It was natural to look at the calendar and anticipate the arrival of the holiday season and wonder about the Christmas Eve game in Minneapolis and the New Year’s Day game at home against the Colts.
And it was also even more tempting to contemplate what the Week 18 season finale in Philadelphia might mean for both teams. As the Giants were building a record of 6-1, thoughts of the playoffs were inevitable. As the Giants in a four-game stretch lost three games and tied one, postseason permutations became more challenging.
There was always a thought that the last game of the regular season, against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, would mean something to the Giants and might mean nothing to the Eagles. The Giants were in a battle for the final two spots in the NFC tournament and the Eagles, flying high at 13-1, looked as if they would have no trouble securing the No. 1 seed in the conference. The most likely scenario: The Giants would need the game to lock up a playoff berth and the Eagles, having already clinched everything they needed, would sit players and rest up for the playoffs.
Well, heading into Sundays game at the Linc, one team does need the game and the other team does not. What an unusual season this has been that the Giants have nothing to play for and the Eagles, after back-to-back losses, need to win to get the No. 1 seed and the only NFC bye in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Eagles (13-3) win they seal up the No. 1 seed. The 49ers (12-4) and Cowboys (12-4) are still in the running for the top seed but they need to win this weekend and they need the Eagles to lose.
The Giants (9-6-1) are locked into the No. 6 seed. They cannot go up or down. This is the classic “nothing to play for” game, even though coaches never use the word “meaningless” to describe these scenarios. Sometimes their actions — sitting their starters — belie their words.
Giants coach Brian Daboll, in the festive aftermath of the 38-10 playoff-clinching trouncing of the Colts, said he planned to go home and smoke a cigar and spend time with his family. He did not reveal his plans for the next game.
“He’s gonna make the right call whatever it is,” safety Julian Love told The Post. “Dabes has been in this situation many times in his career, whatever he says we’re gonna do, we trust him. He’s led us in the right way all season long.”
Yes, Daboll has been a part of many playoff teams in his time in the NFL, but never as a head coach. For the first time, this is his call. Most recently, Daboll was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo working for head coach Sean McDermott. When the Bills late in the 2019 season could not improve their playoff positioning they rested their starters. The next year, they played their starters one half to try to retain the No. 2 seed. In 2021, they played their starters the entire game in order to clinch the AFC East. Daboll might or might not do things the way others have done them. He is in charge now.
“I anticipate we play, for the most part we give ‘em a run,” Love said. “You want to keep momentum going. Analytics and things nowadays, you never know it could shake out. For my way, I want to play.”
More that came out of the Giants’ most lopsided victory of the season:
— The Giants had no trouble putting together their highest-scoring output in 43 games and yet Saquon Barkley did not put up huge numbers. He was called on only 12 times to run the ball and he produced 58 rushing yards, third on the team behind Daniel Jones (11-91) and Matt Breida (9-59). Barkley averaged 4.8 yards per attempt and his longest run went for 19 yards. The Giants did not need any more from their franchise running back — he also caught two passes that lost 5 yards — and his head coach admits there is some frustration there, when Barkley does not break many, or any, long runs.
“Saquon was running hard,” Daboll said. “Saquon is — he’s always coming to the sideline, and you can see it in his eyes, every time he touches the ball, he wants to go 80. So, I’m like, ‘Hey, buddy. That was a really good 2-yard run.’ And he’s [gets upset]. So, I’m like, ‘Relax, pal. It was a good 2-yard run. It’ll come. Let’s not go outside of doing what we need to do.’ “
— It was a bigger deal in the days leading up to the game than it turned out to be in the game itself. Yes, Azeez Ojulari was in uniform and able to play against the Colts, one week after leaving the loss to the Vikings with a sprained ankle. Ojulari did not start, with Jihad Ward taking his place up on the defensive line as an outside linebacker. As a matter of fact, Ojulari hardly played. He took the field on the first defensive series on the first obvious passing situation for the Colts. There was no real rotation, though, as Ojulari played only seven snaps. Moving forward, it remains to be seen if this was all precautionary — the Giants did not need him in the rout — or if Ojulari felt enough discomfort to limit his playing time.
— If it’s not broke … stick with it. The rotation at left guard continues and it was virtually an even split in this game, with Nick Gates starting and playing 37 of the 63 offensive snaps and Ben Bredeson rotating in for 36 snaps. A shared experience. It should not be forgotten that Gates is coming back from the horrific leg injury that nearly cost him his career and Bredeson hurt his knee earlier this season. Perhaps this is the reason the coaching staff decided to split the job, rather than give one player the full load. Keep them both fresh.
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— How rare was this rout for the Giants? Their 28-point margin of victory was their largest in more than eight years, since Dec. 7, 2014, when they whipped the Titans 36-7 in Nashville. Before this game, the Giants’ largest margin of victory this season was eight points, which they accomplished three times. That is why the curtain call Daboll gave to Daniel Jones was so special. The Giants previously were never in position to take him out of a game they were leading by so much.
— Xavier McKinney played 83 percent of the defensive snaps (48 snaps) in his first game off the non-football injury list recovering from the bye-week ATV accident that left him with three fractured fingers on his left hand. He had seven tackles, misplayed a ball in the air that resulted in a 49-yard reception for Parris Campbell and did not hold onto what should have been an interception. McKinney after his first action since Oct. 30 told the Post “I’m tired as hell,” but he said it with a smile.
— At one time, this would have been a big deal. Now, it is barely a footnote. Kenny Golladay played seven snaps. The Giants were rolling and they actually were able to rest players in the late minutes of the fourth quarter — right tackle Evan Neal was the only player on offense in for all 63 snaps. Golladay got the mop-up time — “gar-BAGE time,” as Marv Albert used to say on Knicks broadcasts. Tyrod Taylor was in at quarterback and handed the ball off as the Giants ran out the clock. Yes, Golladay is still on the roster. He comes and goes and practices and sits in front of his locker during the media periods. He pleasantly declines to be interviewed. Soon enough, he will be removed from the roster and his Giants career will be over and done with.
— “Four” is not supposed to be the answer to the question “How many touchdown receptions does the team leader have this season?” That is the answer for the Giants. Richie James and Isaiah Hodgins both caught touchdown passes against the Colts to give them four scoring catches. James had a total of three touchdown receptions in his first three NFL seasons with the 49ers and he has all four of his TDs this season in the past seven games. Hodgins signed with the Giants in early November, with no touchdown catches in his three career games with the Bills. Hodgins has all four of his touchdown receptions in the past five games.
— That Pick Six for Landon Collins? It was the second of his NFL career and his first on U.S. soil. Collins scored his first touchdown on Oct. 23, 2016 when he returned an interception of Case Keenum 44 yards against the Rams. That game was played at Twickenham Stadium, the home of English rugby in London. Collins had two interceptions in that game and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. He was a great player for the Giants that season — the last time the Giants made the playoffs. Six years later, after a stopover in Washington, Collins is contributing to another Giants playoff team.
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