QUARTERBACK
Drew Lock: 17/23 – 309 yards / 4 TD – 0 INT / 155.3
I would bet money on the likelihood that decades from now, an old-aged retired Drew Lock will look back on this game as the best of his career. It was one of the top-ten, single-game passer ratings in NYG history. While I cannot put his actual performance up there with the other ones (Kerry Collins in 2002, Phill Simms in 1984, Eli Manning in 2015), Lock should hold his head high after this one. He looked much more decisive and confident. His ball placement was more much accurate and consistent. The offensive line did their part, and he received a ton of help from the receivers after the catch. They gained a combined 174 yards after the catch. Lock also scored a fifth touchdown on the ground, the final nail in the coffin for the Colts. He is playing for a 2025 job right now, whether it is here or somewhere else. It will be interesting to see how he carries over the performance to the Eagles game next week. He’s never had consecutive 100+ passer rating performances.
RUNNING BACK
-Tyrone Tracy: 20 att – 59 yards / 2 rec – 14 yards
Tracy had a forty-yard run in the first quarter and that was essentially it. The other 19 carries produced 19 yards. He also fumbled (luckily it was not a turnover), his fourth of the year. That gives him the third-worst fumble rate in the NFL. He will need to do everything with the ball tucked “high and tight” all offseason. At home, on vacation, in bed, while showering. Everywhere. The 2025 running back class in the draft is going to be loaded and there are a handful who can come in and take that number one spot next year in an instant. On the positive side, his physical blitz pickups in pass protection were very good.
-Devin Singletary added 21 yards on 4 carries, in addition to a 9-yard catch. This is a guy who will almost undoubtedly be back in 2025 because of the contract. I don’t think we have seen the best of him here and that there is more to chew off from him in the future. He still has the elite quickness and change of direction.
WIDE RECEIVER
-Malik Nabers is the player of the game in a season where he is the team’s player of the year. His 7 catches for a career-high 171 yards showed just how versatile and dangerous of a weapon he can be. He had 59- and 31-yard touchdowns where he created everything post-catch. He had two high-difficulty catches downfield that showed elite concentration and ball skills. And he lined up all over the offense. This is what Daboll dreamed of when he was salivating over Nabers during the pre-draft process. This is the Stefon Diggs he had in Buffalo (if not more). Nabers is now just two catches away from setting an all-time record in receptions by a rookie receiver, in a season where he missed two games. Tight End Brock Bowers, by the way, broke the record (all positions) this week and currently sits at 108 on the year.
-Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson got in on the fun. Slayton’s only catch was a 32-yard touchdown where he broke a tackle post-catch and outran the rest of the Colts’ defense to the end zone. Robinson was the team’s second-leading receiver with 71 yards on 5 catches. That matched a season-high in yardage for him and the 14.2 per reception were the highest since Week 18 of last year. Robinson dropped a pass in the fourth quarter. On the very next play, he made a high-level, diving catch for 18 yards. Then, two plays later he converted a 3rd-and-8, broke two tackles, and gained a total of 35 yards. Lock then scored his rushing touchdown three plays later to give NYG a two-score lead. Nice bounce back for Robinson and this is the kind of tape that leaves you wondering just how good this kid can be.
TIGHT END
-While there was a ton of production to go around yardage-wise, the tight ends barely saw any action in the passing game. Lock only completed 17 passes after all. One of them went to Chris Manhertz for 12 yards. Daniel Bellinger, once again used mainly as a blocker, was not thrown to once. After a strong few weeks as a blocker, he did not grade out well in this game. There were no bad losses, but he did not maintain good contact and missed a few angles against the sneaky-fast Colts’ defense.
OFFENSIVE LINE
-A really solid overall game for the group overall in pass protection. Drew Lock wasn’t sacked once, and he was pressured just four times. The low volume of passing contributed, but if you are a pressure rate guy, this was one of the top-three performances we’ve seen all year. They got dominated in the run game, however.
-Jermaine Eluemunor and Greg Van Roten (who played center) exemplify exactly that. They were unbeaten in pass protection, but Eluemunor was struggling in space as a run blocker. Van Roten allowed a TFL and was pushed back twice that led to TFLs. Grover Stewart, a very good defensive tackle, was creating a new line of scrimmage with him routinely. I’ll take pass protection over run blocking any day, but neither were “studs” because of how badly they lost in that half of the game.
-Aaron Stinnie got the start at left guard and Jake Kubas played right guard. Stinnie allowed a pressure and provided what one would expect overall. A replacement-level player who held up enough, but also did not create much by himself. Kubas is a fun watch. He plays hard and through the whistle; definitely adds to the physical presence of a unit. Maybe they have a future Seubert in him. He allowed a pressure and was flagged for a huge false start when NYG had the ball at the 1-yard line.
-Evan Neal allowed two pressures and, once again, had multiple ugly losses. It looks like he makes his mind up pre-snap sometimes. Instead of reacting, he “jumps” to his set and just has no hope of recovery if the defender zigs when Neal was planning on a zag. The more I see, the more I lean toward SPACE being the culprit to Neal’s issues. More space = more problems.
EDGE
-The defensive player of the game was Brian Burns, a guy who when all is said and done has proved he was worth the contract Schoen gave to him. He had a team-high 5 pressures and added 3 TFL. The dude is here to rush the passer, but he is not a one-trick pony. His speed and bendability can be tough to square up for blockers on anything laterally.
-Kayvon Thibodeaux was not as effective all game, finishing with two tackles and 3 pressures. But he did record a sack-fumble in the fourth quarter. The thought remains the same with him. He does not have enough variety in his arsenal and the lack of power limits his ceiling severely. I will have more thoughts on him moving forward, but I am leaning toward the edge being an important team need after next week.
-Tomon Fox and Boogie Basham rotated in again. Basham got in on some solid run-defense action, finishing with 3 tackles and added a pressure. Fox made a special teams tackle and held the edge well, but did not make much of an impact.
DEFENSIVE LINE
-Rakeem Nunez Roches had a first quarter sack, beating Mark Glowinski in his revenge game against the Giants. He added a tackle as well. Jordon Riley added a TFL and was a key cog in a couple of their short-yardage stops. While I have not seen much in pass-rush progression, the tools are still obvious enough to warrant more looks here. He has something worth working with.
-Elijah Chatman is really getting a fair look. He played 47 snaps (5th straight week of 30+). He got going in the second half and finished third on the team with 3 pressures. His low center of gravity and ability to turn gave Glowinski fits. One of them was a really nice win against Quenton Nelson. He also hustled his way to 4 tackles. He was as active as any game we have seen him in this year. Always good to see guys end the year strong. Let’s see what he can do next week against PHI.
-Elijah Garcia recovered a fumble and finished with 2 tackles, while Armon Watts was having a disruptive game before suffering a serious knee injury that led to him being carted off. His one pressure led to an interception, and he added a tackle. I do not have a current update on the injury, but a guy this size won’t be ready by the start of 2025. Unfortunate for him.
LINEBACKER
-Ty Summers, tip of the cap to you. This was his first start since 2020 and he had a career-high in snaps (66). The 11 tackles were also a career-high. He plays fast and physical, sticking his facemask into oncoming traffic often and he leaves a mark. While he got torched in coverage a few times, he is doing a nice job of proving he should be on a roster next year.
-Darius Muasau added 8 tackles with no misses as he adjusts the speed of the game. This game action (especially against a back like Taylor) is huge for him. His depth in coverage has been getting better as well.
-Isaiah Simmons barely played, but was a letdown in coverage. He gave up a long 3rd-down conversion when he could not hang with the second-string Colts tight end on a simple crossing route. No feel whatsoever. Tough guy to watch because the talent is so rare, but as we know, that only does so much in the NFL.
CORNERBACK
-Deonte Banks is the biggest disappointment of the season from a personnel perspective. More than Daniel Jones. The lack of progress in his second season puts cornerback at the top of the defense’s offseason wish list. He was flagged for two more deep pass interference penalties (adding up to 63 yards) and he allowed 6 catches for 109 yards. He did break up one pass down the field, but even on that one and the others, he always fails to find the ball. He goes into full blown panic mode and just grabs the receiver. This is basic-level stuff especially for a guy drafted in the first round.
-Andru Phillips brought in his first career interception. As a matter of fact, it was his first interception since high school. Remember, this is a guy who entered the league with a question mark on the ball production portion of his grade sheet. This was the first time he got his hands on a ball this year and it was an errant throw by a pressured Joe Flacco. He added 3 tackles.
-Adoree’ Jackson was flagged for a deep pass interference and allowed a touchdown. Cor’Dale Flott appears much more comfortable and effective in coverage at this point of his career.
SAFETY
-Dane Belton played one of the best games of his career. He had a high-difficulty interception and added 8 tackles. He also broke up another pass and his speed in deep coverage got me thinking he could be a Pinnock replacement if they need one. I’ve always liked the combination of speed and play style of Belton, but the mistakes were frequent early on. He looks more comfortable than ever right now and do not forget he has 5 interceptions in three years as a part-time player.
-Speaking of Pinnock, his rough end-of-season took another hit. He allowed a touchdown and 48 yards through the air on 4 targets with no forced incompletions. He made a couple of nice plays against the run among his 10 tackles. He will be an interesting situation to follow in free agency. I like the player and the attitude he brings. But there is a good shot his cap number will double to $6+ million if they want to keep him in blue, and there will probably be a more economic solution.
SPECIAL TEAMS
-K Graham Gano: 1/1 (Made 30)
-P Jamie Gillan: 3 punts / 48.7 avg – 46.3 net
3 STUDS
-WR Malik Nabers, ED Brian Burns, S Dane Belton
3 DUDS
-CB Deonte Banks, CB Adoree’ Jackson, LB Isaiah Simmons
3 THOUGHTS ON IND
(1) I have (almost) come full circle on this organization and its front office. GM Chris Ballard took over in in 2017. Andrew Luck missed the season while recovering from a shoulder injury. In 2018, they went 10-6 and won a playoff game. Then, the unexpected Luck retirement and a three-year run of patching the position together with a trio of Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz (via trade), and Matt Ryan before drafting Anthony Richardson. I thought he was the next big thing at GM for a few years, but what I’ve realized is something I fear with NYG. They are simply trying to be competitive more so than creating a plan to win the Super Bowl. Their depth is never good enough. They draft well, not great. But their hit rate in free agency as well as their approach to the quarterback position has lacked cohesion.
(2) I sit here and often criticize draft picks and personnel approaches. Time for me to take a punch myself. I wanted NYG to pick Colts’ DT Adetomiwa Adebawore in the first round of the 2023 Draft. He got drafted in the fourth round by the Colts and has 3 sacks on 146 pass rush snaps as a rotational defender. Big whiff by me.
(3) What is happening with Anthony Richardson is something to keep in mind when thinking about the future of the NYG at quarterback. He was one of the most inexperienced QBs to ever be drafted, let alone in the top five. This was a clear example of a team that did not have a plan for him. He was not ready to lead an NFL offense last year, so they overly relied on his legs. It led to multiple injuries because he just did not have the ability to process through multiple reads. He tucked the ball and scrambled too soon, too often. I know Jalen Milroe’s name will be a main talking point in the coming months and while they are not that similar as prospects, the theme is the same. He cannot be the guy for an NFL team in 2025. Don’t make the same mistake. For the record – I still think Richardson has a shot at being a good starter.
3 CLOSING THOUGHTS
(1) One of the debates I hate to be involved in is the “root to lose or win” at this point of the season. It is lame and never ends with anything other than people refusing to look at a different perspective. At the end of the day, you do you and be content with them doing them. The only indisputable fact is that you will never be able to credibly expect pro athletes to not try and win. And because of that, it is a pointless conversation. You wouldn’t try to suck at your job either if your performance impacted your future employment. Listening to fans cry and point a critical finger at a team for trying to win on game day is like listening to a 12-year-old yell at the sky for raining and canceling his baseball game.
(2) A positive I am walking away with is the fact this team has the base of a solid offensive line, dare I even say a very good offensive line, for the future. A lot of this depends on Andrew Thomas coming back fully healthy. But if they can add another solid piece in FA or the draft, we are looking at a good starting five AND a potentially deep unit for when injuries pop up. You need both to be considered secure. Eluemunor and Thomas are one of the better OT pairs in the league. If Kubas ends up being a lucky UDFA (there is a real shot at that) and there is one more good interior player added, now we’re talking.
(3) Tyrone Tracy, Jr. and Malik Nabers are the first rookie pair to both reach 1,000+ yards from scrimmage since Marques Colston and Reggie Bush did it in 2006. If you think about it, that’s kind of amazing. While opportunities are a big help and this team’s lack of talent (at RB especially) helped to open the door, this rookie class is going to help Joe Schoen keep his job. While it takes way longer than one season to evaluate a draft class, what they did in 2024 looks like something top shelf. If you look at every rookie class league wide, NYG is going to be top-10 (maybe top-5) in year one impact from their guys. That is worth something. Nabers, two starting DBs, a starting RB, a starting TE, and an undrafted guard who has a future could easily be considered part of the solution here.
