The New York Giants had their best home performance of the season on Sunday, beating the Indianapolis Colts 45-33 for their first win in New Jersey in 11 months.
Except the victory couldn’t have come at a worse time.
With the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots losing in Week 17, the Giants’ victory dropped them from the first pick to the third in the upcoming NFL draft.
New York, the Titans and the Patriots are 3-13 heading into the final week of the season. New England controls its own destiny and can clinch the first overall pick with a loss to the 13-3 Buffalo Bills in Week 18.
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Quarterback Drew Lock, starting for the Giants for the fourth time this season, had one of the best games of his career.
Lock completed 17 of 23 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns for a nearly perfect passer rating of 155.3. He also ran to score.
Lock was especially decisive in the fourth quarter. Twice, Indianapolis cut New York’s lead to two points in the final 15 minutes. And both times, Lock led 70-yard touchdown drives to push New York’s lead to two scores.
The second was capped by a 5-yard run by Lock on third-and-goal.
While it was an exciting game, it could prove costly for the Giants, who are expected to look for a quarterback in the first round of April’s draft.
With Tennessee, also likely in the market for a new playmaker, now ahead of New York in the draft order, the Giants may have to settle for their second pick on draft day.
