NFL playoff picture: What does Giants-Colts mean for NFC standings

Result: New York pummeled Indianapolis in a 38-10 on Sunday. As a result, the Giants have officially clinched a playoff spot in the NFC and are locked into the sixth seed.

The New York Giants head into Week 17 with a chance to clinch a playoff berth. They are traveling to face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET. The Colts are playing for nothing but pride. New York is a 5.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Giants playoff picture

The Giants are 8-6-1 and sit in sixth-place in the NFC standings. They’re a game up on the Commanders, but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 1-0-1 record. New York would clinch a wild card berth with a win. If they lose, they can still clinch with one of three results: 1) losses by the Seahawks and Commanders, 2) losses by Seahawks, Lions, and Packers, or 3) losses by the Commanders, Lions, and Packers.

If the Giants lose and they don’t get any of the above help, they’d head into Week 18 with a half game lead on some combination of the Lions, Seahawks, and Packers. They would control their own destiny heading into that season finale in Philadelphia. It’s unclear right now who the Eagles would start at quarterback in that game as they play for the No. 1 seed while also getting Jalen Hurts healthy.

Tiebreaker implications

The Giants share the Colts as a common opponent, but it likely won’t matter for tiebreaker purposes given their head-to-head edge on Washington.