INDIANAPOLIS (4-10-1) at NEW YORK GIANTS (8-6-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Giants by 5½
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Colts 6-9; Giants 11-4.
SERIES RECORD: Giants lead 10-8.
LAST MEETING: Colts beat Giants 28-27 on Dec. 23, 2018, in Indianapolis.
LAST WEEK: Colts lost to Chargers 20-3; Giants lost to Vikings 27-24.
COLTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (25), PASS (23), SCORING (31)
COLTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (20), PASS (11), SCORING (25)
GIANTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (6), PASS (27), SCORING (20).
GIANTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (T28), PASS (19), SCORING (20).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Colts minus-13; Giants plus-2.
COLTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Michael Pittman. The wide receiver needs 146 yards to become the fourth player in franchise history with 1,000 yards receiving in consecutive seasons. He would join Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne. Pittman has 47 plays for first down, including two rushing. His 90 receptions are tied for eighth in the NFL and his 27 third down catches are tied for second overall.
GIANTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Saquon Barkley. The 2018 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year is going for his first playoff berth. He has gained 87 and 84 yards rushing in the past two games and scored two touchdowns. He leads the team in rushing with 1,254 yards — 53 yards shy of his career high — and receiving with 55 catches. His 10 TDs — all on the ground — lead the team.
KEY MATCHUP: The Giants’ blitz-happy defense against the Colts offensive line. Colts quarterback Nick Foles threw three interceptions in his first start with Indy and was sacked a career-high seven times. The Colts’ O-line has allowed 56 sacks this season, the franchise’s single-season record since sacks became an official stat in 1982. The Giants are not a big turnover team, but they have 36 sacks and added pressure can lead to fumbles and interceptions.
KEY INJURIES: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and three-time All-Pro LB Shaquille Leonard (back) are out for the rest of the season and CB Isaiah Rodgers Sr. (knee) joined them on injured reserve his week. WR Ashton Dulin remains in the concussion protocol after taking a vicious hit Monday night. CB Kenny Moore II (ankle) has missed three straight games and TE Kylen Granson sat out last week with an injured ankle. … Giants OLB Azeez Ojulari (ankle) was hurt last week and is questionable. CB Adoree Jackson (knee) and S Xavier McKinney (broken hand) have outside chances at playing. McKinney returned to practice Thursday, starting a 21-day clock coming off IR.
SERIES NOTES: The Colts have won the past four meetings. New York can clinch a playoff berth with a win or multiple combinations of losses by Seattle, Washington and Detroit and Green Bay. The highlight of the series is the 1958 NFL Championship game, which was voted by a media panel as “The Greatest Game Ever Played” in the league’s first 100 years. The Colts — who played in Baltimore at the time — won in overtime on Alan Ameche’s 1-yard run at Yankee Stadium.
STATS AND STUFF: The Colts have lost their past five games and are 1-8 in their past nine. … Indy has been outscored 62-0 in the fourth quarter of the past three games and 90-9 during the final 15 minutes since interim coach Jeff Saturday replaced the fired Frank Reich. … Foles threw for 143 yards last week. He has thrown at least two TD passes in each of his three starts against New York. … RB Zack Moss has 36 carries for 143 yards since replacing the injured Taylor. … Jelani Woods leads rookie tight ends with three TDs catches. … DE Yannick Ngakoue has at least a half sack in five of his past six games. … DE Dayo Odeyingbo has 1 1/2 sacks in two straight games. … DT DeForest Buckner had 1 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble last week. … LB Zaire Franklin has at least nine tackles in six straight games and needs 15 to break Leonard’s single-season franchise record (163 in 2018). … New York is 1-4-1 in his past six games. … Barkley had a career-high eight receptions against Minnesota. … WR Isaiah Hodgins had a career-high eight catches for 89 yards and a TD last week. His three TD catches are tied for the team lead … WR Richie James also had eight receptions last week for 90 yards. … DT Dexter Lawrence has a team-high and career-best 6 1/2 sacks. … LB Jaylon Smith had a team-high 10 tackles and his first sack against Minnesota. …Ojulari has 5 1/2 sacks in six games in 2022.
FANTASY TIP: Giants QB Daniel Jones is having a career season and he is going against a team that has given up 113 points in its past three games. The fourth-year quarterback was 30 of 42 for 334 yards and a TD last week. He has career bests in yards passing (3,028), yards rushing (617), rushing touchdowns (five). The only quarterbacks who match those stats this season are Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts.
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot contributed to this report.
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