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By Michael Stewart @TheTruthNYG

The New York Giants lost a heart breaker at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings on a game ending FG 27-24. Luckily for the Giants all the other team’s looking for a playoff spot all lose (Seattle, Washington and Detroit), so with a win this week at home against the Indianapolis Colts will give the Giants their first playoff appearance since 2016. The Colts have a 4-10-1 record this year after their 20-3 loss on Monday night to the Los Angeles Chargers.The Giants should not look past them as they play the Eagles in the final game of the regular season. Here are my top 3 ways the Giants could win the game and clinch a playoff spot:

  1. Giants Offensive Line: The Giants offensive line has had their ups and downs this season, but they will be tested against a respectable Colts defense and very active Defensive line that features DeForest Buckner, Kwity Paye, Yannick Ngakoue, Dayo Odeyingbo and ifeadi Odenigbo who have combined for a total of 29 sacks among them. If the Giants offensive line can’t allow Daniel Jones ample time in the pocket, this game could be a lot closer than what Giant fans expect it to be.
  2. Giants Defensive Front 7: Over the last 4 games the Giants defensive front 7 has produced 16 sacks and also done better against the run. The Colts will be without their best running back in Jonathan Taylor and will start Nick Foles at quarterback who struggled in his first start against the Chargers, so I expect the Giants front 7 to continue success and make it difficult for the Colts to put ample points on the board.
  3. Daniel Jones/Saquan Barkley: When the Giants roll it’s usually because Daniel Jones and Saquan Barkley are in high gear. It would be fitting for the Giants two best offensive weapons to have a solid game to give the Giants their first playoff berth since 2016. Despite last week’s disappointed loss to the Vikings, Jones and Barkley did their job to put the Giants in position to win. If both can duplicate their performance against the Colts, the results should be a lot different.

Final Thoughts:  The Giants control their own destiny as a win will put them into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Look for the Giants to come out of the gates at full throttle and expect DC Wink Martindale to blitz at a slightly higher rate in this game (50%) against quarterback Nick Foles. I think the Colts offense will struggle moving the ball consistently and the Giants will win by a slightly wider margin than the 5.5-point spread.  Final Score: Giants-16/Colts- 10