Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) passes to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (1) on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The pass fell incomplete. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Following their road drubbing against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, the New York Giants will return home to MetLife Stadium for the final time in the 2024 season, and they will do so as an obvious home underdog to round it all out.
The Giants' last two appearances in East Rutherford have not been pretty. The franchise is flirting with its first 0-9 record inside the friendly confines of its stadium since the franchise was conceived in 1925.
They've had to witness fan-financed planes soar across the sky above with negative messages for ownership to clean house at the end of the year and suffer two tough losses to the Saints, a close affair that came down to a blocked field goal, and the Ravens, a brutal three-score blowout.
Now, they'll perform one more time in front of the few Giants fans brave enough to attend the last homestand in the bleak atmosphere of MetLife Stadium, but not without being the preliminary underdog in the eyes of the sports betting world.
Per FanDuel's opening odds for Week 17, the Giants (2-13) will host the Indianapolis Colts (7-8) as an 7.5-point underdog for the final non-divisional affair of the season.
The opening line is another large number for a game in which the team they are facing is just below .500 with a slim chance for the postseason, but fair nonetheless for an organization that is capable of matching it and dancing with the saddest campaigns in all of football history in the Big Apple.
The last time these two franchises met up was in MetLife Stadium in Week 17 of the 2022 season, and the roles were reversed from where they stand two years later.
The Giants were shocking the football landscape with a 8-6-1 record knocking on the door of the playoff picture, while the Colts were the bottom-barrel team just waiting for their draft selection.
The Giants won that game in thrilling fashion, 38-10, to secure their first berth in six seasons against one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Now, they'll assume that title against a Colts squad that is still mathematically alive and sitting a weight class above their unit in overall production.
Led by sophomore gunslinger Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis ranks 23rd and 22nd in total points and yards this season, respectively, with the more impactful portion coming from their ground attack.
The Colts average 120.9 yards and have scored 13 touchdowns in that department, which isn't far off from New York's wheelhouse of 142.9 allowed to opponents.
In the air, the Florida product has dealt with several injuries that have hampered his availability and performance on the gridiron.
Still, he has led the Colts to 24 touchdowns and threaded an average pass of 5.9 yards, which are both good for 24th and 20th with two games left to go.
The Colts' defensive end's weakness has kept them from consistently winning. Like the Giants, the Colts' unit is one of the worst at slowing down opposing running backs. They give up 24.1 points per game thanks to their 23rd-ranked pass defense and struggles in third-down and red zone stops.
As such, it is another matchup like Atlanta in which the Giants could upset the oddsmakers, cover the wide spread, and potentially beat the Colts to not leave their home faithful empty-handed.
It will take a much better performance than what they gave on the road against the Falcons, who had a lackluster offense for a stretch yet still found ways to put up 34 points on both sides for a rout.
Whether the fans would rather see them win or lose the last home showing to preserve their beeline route to the No. 1 draft pick in April, the game could determine the fates of many within the organization whose only hope is finishing with pride and a sense of fight in the campaign's curtain call that ownership will still be watching closely.
Thus, with two more games left on the schedule, the Giants have one more chance to accomplish something they haven't sniffed out all year: a win in New Jersey.
The roster is crumbling all over the place, but there has still been no quit apparent in the locker room, and perhaps they'll have one more run in them for their coaching staff and fans before the fat lady sings on a completely forgettable 100th season.
The over/under points total for the matchup is 40.5 points, slightly less than what the oddsmakers projected in Week 16. The Colts have covered it in nine of their games, including each of the last three, while the Giants have done the same in just six contests.
Indianapolis has a history in the overall series dating back to 1993 when they migrated from Baltimore. They hold a 12-8 advantage in the all-time record book with New York.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.