Giants Clinch Playoff Berth With Rout of Colts but Say Super Bowl Is the Goal

The New York Giants have punched their ticket to the playoffs, but coach Brian Daboll made clear on Sunday that reaching the postseason was never the endpoint. A 38-10 rout of the Indianapolis Colts sealed the berth, and the team's message afterward was that the real prize still lies ahead.

"Our goal will never be to just make the playoffs," Daboll said following the win. "That'll never be just our goal."

Running back Saquon Barkley echoed that view. Qualifying, he said, is not the same as winning a title; it simply gives a team a chance to compete for one. "It's just another step ahead. We've just got to keep working," Barkley said.

Daboll also worked to keep his players grounded. He reminded them that a regular-season game in Philadelphia remains next weekend, and his postgame message was largely about celebrating responsibly. "Let's be a pro, let's be smart tonight," he said, urging the team not to ruin what it has been building. "You did the right thing on the field. Let's do the right thing off the field."

As the NFC's sixth seed, the Giants no longer see themselves as underdogs, according to the players. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said his focus shifted to the bigger goal immediately. "Once you're in, you're in the tournament," he said, adding that only one team can win at the end of it, and that is the ultimate objective.

Free safety Xavier McKinney, who started Sunday after missing seven games with a broken left hand, said the team's expectations have always exceeded those of outsiders. "We knew we'd be able to do this," he said. "Anything can happen when you get in the playoffs, and we're in it now." Left tackle Andrew Thomas offered a similar take: "Your record doesn't matter anymore. It's just who wins that day. Win and go home." Signs point to a postseason rematch with the Minnesota Vikings, a team the Giants nearly beat on Christmas Eve.

The Giants (9-6-1) have not been especially hot down the stretch, and they are 0-5 this season against the teams in the current NFC playoff field. Still, Barkley pointed to quarterback Daniel Jones as a reason for optimism after his performance against the Colts. "Everyone wanted to be a big critic of him and say this and say that, but he gave us the opportunity to play playoff football and he locked it in today," Barkley said. "When we needed him most he came up and made big plays."

The roster is young, and the playoff run is expected to be valuable experience for the foundation general manager Joe Schoen has assembled. But the players insist they are not satisfied. "We made the playoffs," Daboll said. "Hopefully there's a long way to go here."

Few expected the Giants to get this far, and the team now has a chance to prove doubters wrong once more in January.