Why Giants’ rookies badly needed this win — NFL draft positioning be damned

We interrupt the breathless anticipation about selecting Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward to return to the less-compelling continuation of this season.

To some, it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Giants would lose out, finish 2-15 and hold onto with two hands the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft that they claimed last week when they lost their franchise-record 10th consecutive game. But a funny thing happened on the way from the bottom of the league to the top of the first round. The Giants went out in Week 17 and won a game. That was surprising enough, and that they piled on points in a 45-33 shellacking of the Colts was truly a stunning development.

Just like that, the Giants dropped from No. 1 to No. 4 on the draft board (behind the Patriots, Titans and Browns), with one game remaining to possibly re-sort the order once again. This showed, once again, that an event that takes place at the end of April is on the minds of so many NFL observers but does not register with coaches and players who take the field week in and week out.

Here some takeaways from the Giants’ first victory since Oct. 6:

— When fans embrace tanking, they fail to take into account what ceaseless losing does to the psyches of young players. The frustration growing in rookie Malik Nabers was all anyone needed to see to realize that the 21-year old needed to participate in a victory before the end of his first year with the Giants. Another rookie, running back Tyrone Tracy, could not contain his excitement about finally walking off the field on the right side of the score.

“The locker room energy is different, the sideline energy is different,’’ Tracy said. “Everything is different when you get a win. It’s something we needed and also something we worked hard for. For us to continue to work and work and finally get to reap the rewards, you can only imagine the type of feelings everyone is having in the locker room.’’

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— Darius Slayton made a catch over the middle and it looked as if he was headed to the turf as he lost his footing and started stumbling as he lurched forward. But he regained his balance just in time and completed a 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown reception. “I wasn’t going down,’’ Slayton said. “I was going to somersault, front flip, somehow, some way I was going to find a way into the end zone.’’

Slayton is the last man standing from the 2019 draft class. He is the longest-tenured Giants player still suiting up every week. Daniel Jones, the No. 6 pick that year, was benched and then released earlier this season. Dexter Lawrence, the No. 17 overall pick, is on injured reserve with a dislocated elbow. Slayton is finishing up his sixth and possibly his final year with the Giants, as he does not have a contract for 2025. The touchdown he scored against the Colts might be the last one he gets for the Giants.

“I don’t know what the future holds,’’ Slayton said. “Obviously I’ll be a free agent after this year so we’ll see how that goes. If this was my last one it was a nice one to go out on.’’

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— These are the comments and observations the Giants expected to hear after games this season regarding Nabers:

“The Colts couldn’t cover him, they couldn’t tackle him… big time plays from the Giants’ offense all over the field. I haven’t said that all year.”

This was Chris Simms on NBC’s “Football Night In America” and the sentiment was on the money. There have been plenty of receptions in Nabers’ rookie season, but not enough yards and certainly not enough explosive plays and yards-after-catch moments. There was all of that for Nabers against the Colts, as he caught seven passes for a season-high 171 yards, plus two touchdowns on scoring plays of 31 and 59 yards.

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It was all part of Drew Lock’s career day, as he made the most of the 23 passes he attempted. Lock completed 17 of them, for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. Lock’s passer rating was 155.3. That prompted Simms to have some fun on the broadcast.

“You can’t stop Drew Lock!’’ Simms said. “Not on this day. We don’t let up for anyone, we’re the New York Giants!”

— If it felt as if the 45 points by the Giants was the most they’ve scored in a long time, go with that feeling. The last time they surpassed that total was Nov. 1, 2015, when Eli Manning and Drew Brees engaged in a classic shootout, won by the Saints 52-49 in New Orleans. The 45 points were the most by the Giants in a win and in a home game since Dec. 9, 2012, when they beat the Saints 52-27.

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— This is sad, but true. The Giants won the turnover battle 3-0, which was great for them. It was the first time all season the Giants had a positive turnover differential. This game ended a streak of eight straight games with the Giants committing at least one turnover.

— If you had Lock compiling the highest passer rating for the Giants in six years, take a bow. The last time a Giants quarterback had a rating higher than Lock’s 155.3 was Manning on Nov. 18, 2018. Manning had a rating of 155.8 in a 38-35 victory over the Buccaneers.

— Brian Burns is hard on himself. He put together a fine performance against the Colts, with six tackles — three tackles for loss — and one quarterback hit, on the field for 60 of the 77 snaps on defense. He nearly had a sack of Joe Flacco but instead of going for the body, Burns tried for a bigger play, going for the ball for a strip sack. Flacco protected the ball, though, and Burns came away with nothing.

Afterward, Burns sat in front of his locker and considered the plays he failed to make.

“I was just a little upset because of the opportunities and the plays I left out there, I could have had a really, really, really good game,’’ Burns said. “It was a decent game. Once I watch this film I’m gonna be sick to my stomach, Oh boy.

“None of the ones I missed really resulted in anything for them but just the fact it would have been an energy booster for the rest of the team. Strip sacks, sacks, everything. I was around him a lot and just couldn’t buy one.’’