Sunday, December 23, 2018

Giants Choke Away Large Lead in Indy, Lose by One

COLTS 28 - GIANTS 27 

Only the 2018 Giants could find a way to lose.

With leads of 14-0, 17-7 and 24-14, the Giants still found a way to give away a game to the Indianapolis Colts as Big Blue fell 28-27 in the next to last week of the season, allowing a desperate Colts team to escape with their playoff lives still intact.

For a Giants team that didn't even show up last week against Tennessee, they got off to a sizzling start with a 14-0 lead right out of the gate. But of course it wasn't enough.

The momentum started to turn when Colts quarterback Andrew Luck hit TY Hilton on a 55-yard catch-and-run to set up the Colts second touchdown of the day to cut the Giants lead down to 17-14.

After the Giants quickly responded with an eight play, 85-yard drive, culminating in a one-yard Eli Manning run to give Big Blue a 24-14 lead, the Colts stormed right back.

A seven play, 74-yard drive by Indy was highlighted by a hideous holding penalty on Janoris Jenkins, erasing a fumble by Luck that would have given the Giants the ball right back. Instead, Indianapolis retained position and scored two plays later on a Marlon Mack three-yard run to make it 24-21.

Unfortunately for Big Blue, the just don't have the horses to outlast a team like the Colts. A three-and-out by the Giants offense proved deadly as Indianapolis continued its roll offensively with Luck orchestrating an inspired two-minute offense to take the lead.

A 14-yard scramble by Luck moved the football to the Giants 30-yard line with two minutes to go. A few plays later, Luck hit Hilton again from 12-yards out to give Indy a new set of downs inside the Giants 10-yard line. Finally, Luck found Chester Rogers for the go-ahead score to give Indy a 28-27 lead.

As has been apropos of the entire season, the Giants had one more shot with 0:55 seconds to go, but Manning was picked off by Malik Hooker sealing the Giants fate.

At 5-10, Big Blue finishes this nightmare of a season next week against the Cowboys.

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