It would be easy for the New York Giants to take it easy with two games left in the season, but according to head coach Pat Shurmur, that’s not what they’re going to do. At least, not if they play the game his way going into today’s game with the Indianapolis Colts, the third place team in the AFC South that right now is more well-known for their free agency rumors than their play on the field.
In other words, it’s not a huge game by any means. The Giants are out of the playoffs and Colts fans are still depending on two wins and a ton of luck, in the same way that the Giants hoped on making the playoffs following their 1-7 start to the season. But the Giants are still professionals who are being paid to give their best performances, and Shurmur pointed that out on Friday.
“Let’s assume you have a finite number of games that you’re going to play as a football player. I don’t know why you would let down. We’re paid to play and it just so happens that our profession is our hobby. That’s part of the narrative that I don’t understand,” he said. “We just got to go out and play the game like nothing the next day matters. Just go play ball.”
While there’s no more playoff hopes at this point, playing well in the Colts game and the season finale one week after it would help certain players out in position battles. Even if there’s nothing at stake, the coaches will still evaluate their players and look for good performances. Shurmur himself confirmed that the staff will expect the same performances they would have expected earlier.
The Giants have a good chance to put on that kind of performance against the Colts, who are also struggling this season and sit at third place in their division with eight wins. Will they come out with a win going into the last week of the season? Time will tell. But if the words of Pat Shurmur are anything to go by, fans should expect a full effort.