The New York Giants attempted to get aggressive near the goal line during the fourth quarter. They instead became the brunt of online jokes after a botched two-point trick play — one that reminded fans of a move the 2015 Indianapolis Colts pulled.
Lining up in an exotic three-down offensive linemen formation, New York quarterback Daniel Jones, fresh off his benching, tried to fling a swing pass. The formation also featured just one wide receiver to the right and everyone else forming a blocking wall to the left. This became New York's attempt to cut the Pittsburgh Steelers' 23-15 lead to six.
However, Pittsburgh's Alex Highsmith read it perfectly. He burst through a group of blockers who didn't move after the snap. The linebacker forced an incompletion and got Jones venting about the botched opportunity.
The NFL world didn't take long to ridicule the Giants for their confusion. League insider for The 33rd Team Ari Meirov was perplexed.
“I don't know what the heck I just watched, but this was an actual NFL play,” Meirov posted on X, formerly Twitter.
One fan, however, drew a comparison to an identical formation from the Colts that became revered for the wrong reasons.
Looking back at the Colts' play on a night the Giants tried a similar move
It became known as the “Colts catastrophe.”
The Colts shifted their line to the left on fourth-and-three against the New England Patriots during the 2015 season. Even punter Pat McAfee sprinted in that direction during the “swinging gate” formation. Upback Colt Anderson then trotted over to the center, playing the role of quarterback.
New England was not fooled. The punt return team immediately identified that a fake punt was coming. Anderson immediately got stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, culminating in the turnover on downs.
Monday's trick play attempt looked eerily similar to that infamous '15 Colts decision. Boston Herald Patriots reporter Doug Kyed was at that 2015 contest and reacted to this blown-up play.
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“Shades of the Colts fake punt against the Patriots in this Giants two-point conversion attempt,” the longtime Pats reporter Kyed shared on X.
ESPN Manningcast guest and former NFL head coach Bill Cowher was another in disbelief.
“That's not the two-point play I would've called,” the former Steelers head coach said to Peyton and Eli Manning. “I don't know about that one.”
Pittsburgh responded with a seven-play, 61-yard drive that ended with a Chris Boswell 27-yard field goal to make it 26-15. The Giants eventually fell 26-18, which dropped their record to 2-6.
