EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – No one was angrier last week than Brian Daboll after Drew Lock threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in a 27-point loss in Atlanta. And the Giants coach let his quarterback know it.

"It wasn't great last week," Daboll said. "I was on him pretty good."

Instead of retreating into a shell, Lock reinvigorated his determination to succeed. The result was on display Sunday in MetLife Stadium, where Lock played the finest game of his six-year career in leading the Giants to a 45-33 victory against the Indianapolis Colts. Lock accounted for all five of the Giants' offensive touchdowns, throwing for four and running for another. He did not turn the ball over and was not sacked. His passer rating was a career-high 155.3.

Lock had invaluable support from rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, the Giants' ninth starting offensive line combination this season, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who scored the team's first kickoff return touchdown in nine years. But Lock was the primary catalyst and most important player as the Giants ended their franchise-record 10-game losing streak and won at home for the first time this season.

"I'm proud of him," Daboll said. "He's a mentally tough guy and had a good week.

"I get on the quarterbacks pretty good. Can't turn it over. Teams are 0-15 in the last however many years when throwing two pick-sixes. The average point differential is about 25 points. So, it's not good play. But, to have a game like that and bounce back, when things weren't great and I'm yelling at him and things like that… I got a lot of respect for Drew. I know he knows that. But I'm proud of him for the way he competed and came out and played."

Lock welcomed the tough love, because he knew Daboll was right, and he's benefitted from it in the past.

"Yeah, Dabs is fiery," Lock said. "But at the same time, I grew up playing hoops in good old Kansas City, Missouri. Shout out to Nodie Newton (AAU Basketball). I've been jumped before. I've been yelled at. (Head coach) Eric Thomas, Lee's Summit High School, he got at me. I've been around that. I'm used to that. Kind of gets me going. You can shell up or you can take it like a man. I've always been the one that kind of gets me going.

"I need a little bit of that. We had good conversations. He expects a lot from me, as I do myself. I can at least appreciate that. If things go bad and you don't have someone yelling at you, the classic, there should be some concern. But that is the exact opposite of Dabs. He cares about his guys. He cares about me, expects the world from me. We went out there and did that today."

Lock not only threw two touchdown passes to the opposing team last week, he also lost a fumble in the 34-7 loss. It was the 11^th time this season the Giants scored fewer than 20 points and the fifth in which they scored in single digits.

But Lock sensed in practice that a different Giants team would take the field on Sunday.

"This was a great week of practice for us," he said. "Not that previous weeks weren't, but a great week as far as when we made the mistakes, they were good mistakes to make then. Correct, be ready for this game. When we went out here today, bottom line was there's 11 of us out there on offense. I know the stats are going to lean heavy toward me, but those 10 guys came to play today. Getting the ball in those guys' hands.

"O-line, I think I hit the ground once and it was probably on the run. That would be my fault, not theirs. Just firing on all cylinders. (Guard) Jake Kubas, second start. GVR (Greg Van Roten, normally the right guard), popping to center. (Guard Aaron) Stinnie coming back from a concussion. (Tackle) Jermaine (Eluemunor), fighting back from injury, playing these last two weeks. (Tackle) Evan (Neal), coming out there. We're scrappy. Getting those guys together, that was their first time playing together. Just impressive, really impressive, those guys."

As was the entire offense. Lock threw touchdown pass of 31 and 59 yards to Nabers, who each time turned short throws into big plays, 32 yards to Darius Slayton, and five yards to Wan'Dale Robinson. He ran for a 5-yard touchdown after the Colts had closed to within 35-33 with 6:38 remaining.

Nabers caught seven passes, and his 171 yards and two scores were both season highs. He has 104 catches, 1,140 yards, and six touchdowns, despite missing two games. With one game remaining, he has crafted a rookie season for the ages.

"It means a lot," Nabers said. "Coming in as a rookie to do those things. It's been a long time, I don't know how long it's been since it happened, but it's been great for me to have the opportunity to do it. But I want to thank my offensive line, my quarterbacks that have been throwing me the ball, my receivers in my room. Even though they don't get as many targets as I do a game, they still find a way to uplift me and encourage me every week at practice, and still continue to be proud of what I've done, be proud of what we have done as an organization, as a group. So, just having those guys alongside me it's been a lot. It means a lot to me to have those guys and going out there and playing a football game with those guys."

"That's why we drafted him, where we drafted him," Daboll said. "I've been asked about it since training camp and I think the response has been, 'He's a pretty good football player.' He missed two games and he's battling through, I'd say, a pretty good injury with his toe."

Tyrone Tracy rushed for 59 yards and gained 14 more on two catches. Tracy (1,057 yards) and Nabers 1,142) are the third pair of rookies in NFL history to each exceed 1,000 scrimmage yards.

"To me personally, that means a lot," Tracy said. "When you put a lot of work into something and you see that you are reaping the benefits of it, it feels really good. And then for him (Nabers) I know he works hard, I see it for myself. To see him have success and the way he is having success, and he missed a couple of games this season, it's just remarkable."

"It's kudos to him and me that we came out here, come out there in practice, do our job and then come in the game and contribute to help the team win, and do as much as possible so we can win," Nabers said. "Seeing Tyrone go out every day at practice and do the things that he does, it's amazing. Me and him have been uplifting each other through the season. We had stuff at the beginning of the season that didn't go our way, but we stayed down with each other, uplifted each other and it's paying off."

Daboll said, "I think between (Nabers) him and Tracy, for those guys to do it in a season like this with a variety of quarterbacks, I think that's pretty impressive. They are the right kind of guys."

The Giants trailed just once in the game, at 3-0. But Lock threw three touchdown passes in a first half in which his rating was perfect (158.3), and his accuracy almost was (7-for-8). But Jonathan Taylor's 3-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left in the second quarter lifted the Colts to within 21-13.

Smith-Marsette pushed the lead back to 15 points when he fielded the second half kickoff and raced 100 yards untouched for the 22^nd regular-season kickoff return touchdown in Giants history and the first since Dwayne Harris' on Oct. 25, 2015.

Two weeks ago, Smith-Marsette's 56-yard punt return touchdown against New Orleans was nullified by a holding penalty.

"This one counted," he said. "This one actually goes down in the stat sheet as a touchdown. But they are all are special and credit to the 10 blockers. It's special to them, too, because we've been working our (butts) off all year and to finally get it to happen…no better feeling. We did it and we gotta go get ready, re-prepare and do it again next week. But it feels good to do it here."

"What a great return to start out in the second half," Daboll said. "I don't think he was touched, great blocking. That's what it needs to look like, though. You need to win the turnover ratio. You need good quarterback play. You need to take the ball away. You need run after catch. You need explosive plays. You need good tackling. There's no secret to this league. If you do all those things, you have a chance. It doesn't guarantee you anything."

The Giants needed no guarantees Sunday. They had an indomitable Drew Lock.

"I knew it was in me," Lock said. "I knew we could go out and do it. It takes everybody. That's the quarterback position. It takes everybody and those guys played their butt off for me today. Last week being the way it was, not playing up to my standard. Not playing up to the standard that Dabs holds me to or (offensive passing game coordinator & quarterbacks coach) Shea (Tierney) holds me to. It was disappointing, yeah. But we regrouped, fought throughout the week, rehabbed, studied, practiced, came out here, and it just played out the way it should have."