INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts are still in the playoff hunt, but there is a chance they’ll have to play Sunday’s must-win game against the New York Giants without starting quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Richardson did not practice Thursday — as the Colts returned to the field after having Christmas Day off. The Colts quarterback is dealing with injuries to both his back and foot.

This was the second-straight day Richardson was listed as “DNP” on the team’s practice report. However, Wednesday’s designation was only an estimation as the Colts didn’t practice on the holiday.

ESPN is reporting that the Colts are optimistic Richardson will be available for Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands, but a lot of that decision will depend on how much — let alone if — Richardson will be able to practice Friday. Richardson’s never played a game in his young two-year career after being limited in any capacity during the week of practice.

Neither Richardson nor head coach Shane Steichen have spoken to media since Richardson’s injuries were first listed on the practice report. However, Richardson did comment on how his body’s been feeling as the Colts use him more and more as a runner.

“You’re going to feel those hits the next day,” Richardson said. “It’s kind of weird because I was telling my family, like in college I didn’t really get sore. But NFL, it’s a different breed, different game. You have some grown men out there playing football, so it’s always a little different getting tackled by those guys. But it’s all part of it. You just have to keep adjusting and just keep your body right so you can keep performing.”

Richardson ran for 70 yards and a touchdown in the Colts 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. He also was 7-of-11 and threw for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Richardson’s amassed 499 total rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns so far this season — both stats franchise records for quarterbacks.

If Richardson is unavailable Sunday, the Colts will have to lean on veteran backup Joe Flacco, who was taking starting reps during Thursday’s practice. Flacco’s played in six games this season. The Colts are 1-3 with Flacco as starter.

Indy needs a win against the Giants to keep playoff chances alive. If the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos both win during their respective matchups on Saturday, the Colts will be eliminated from the postseason. Otherwise, the Colts need to win these final two games against the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars and get some help from a slew of other AFC teams. Full playoff scenarios have been detailed by the Colts’ JJ Stankevitz here.

For the Indianapolis Colts‘ second-to-last regular season game of the 2024 campaign, they’re set to face one of the NFL’s worst teams of the year: the New York Giants.

The Giants have found their way to the league’s worst record through 15 games at 2-13, and with their recent display of 10 straight losses and some abysmal performances on both sides of the ball, it’s difficult to see that status changing in the final motions of the season– even if Sunday’s meeting will be on their home field.

In fact, the Giants have ended up with one of the worst seasons in recent memory when playing at home, with New York’s struggles becoming even more apparent when looking at a stat uncovered by Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports.

For the 2024 regular season, the Colts have found more wins in MetLife Stadium than the Giants, despite the Giants playing seven games compared to one game for Indianapolis, which ended in a 28-27 victory over the New York Jets.

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The Colts are coming fresh off a victory last weekend against the Tennessee Titans to lift only one game behind .500 and should be able to build onto that for this Sunday against the Giants. With playoff implications in mind, Indianapolis couldn’t afford to drop this game as is, and the urgency becomes even larger considering the opposing team has yet to win a game at home on the season.

Playoff hopes are slim for Indianapolis regardless of the outcome on Sunday. However, if the Colts bow out of the race early thanks to a trap game loss vs. the two-win Giants, it’ll be an ugly look for the entire organization.

Thankfully, the Colts are 6-1 this season when playing teams with a losing record, and 1-7 when up against a winning record. As long as that trend continues, Indianapolis expects to have no trouble traveling to MetLife for the second time this season on Sunday.

Kickoff for Colts-Giants lands at 1 PM ET.

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The New York Giants host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and will head into their final two games of the season as the lone team in the NFL with just two wins.

With their loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16, the Giants’ current losing streak of 10 games is the longest in the NFL and the longest franchise history.

Meanwhile, the Colts are coming off a win against the Tennessee Titans keeping their slim postseason hopes alive.

The Giants opened as 7.5-point home underdogs earlier this week, and they will host their final home game of the season on Sunday.

Here are three causes for concern for the Giants ahead of Week 17.

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The hot hand

The Giants have struggled against the run all season long (although they’ve been better in recent weeks). They will now have to go up against a running back in Jonathan Taylor who put up 200-plus yards and three touchdowns last week.

The Colts ran 50 times in Week 16 and had just 11 passing attempts on the day. If Indy has their rushing game working again early on, expect them to keep going to it if the Giants can’t stop them.

Photo credit: Phil NY Giants Fan

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MetLife Stadium woes

The Giants are in danger of becoming the first team in NFL history to lose nine home games in one season. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, they are doing it as they celebrate the franchise’s 100th season.

In the last few home games, fans have funded banners to fly over MetLife stadium in protest. It certainly doesn’t help when fans cheered a few short weeks ago as the Giants’ attempt at a game-tying field goal was blocked against the Saints.

The Giants have been really bad at home this year and those struggles are likely to continue in Week 17.

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The injury report

One of the few players on the Giants who has something to play for personally is Malik Nabers. He and many other notable names appeared on the injury report on Wednesday. The Giants are so beat up on both sides of the ball that they can not afford more injuries.