INDIANAPOLIS -- Confronting a fourth-and-inches situation on the first defensive sequence of the third quarter here on Sunday afternoon, New York strong-side linebacker Brandon Short peeked quickly at Mike Barrow, and the middle linebacker colleague gestured animatedly to the left-hand side of the Indianapolis Colts offensive line.

Sure enough, just seconds later, Indianapolis tailback James Mungro took a handoff from Peyton Manning and moved one step toward his left. No more than a microscopic step, though, because Mungro was buried there by Short, knifing into the backfield to blow up the play before it ever had a chance.

"Yeah, a good student (of the game)," acknowledged Barrow when asked about Short, a third-year veteran in his second season as a starter. "A pretty quick learner."

	Short

	Jones

Pretty quick, period, it seemed in the Giants' 44-27 win over the Colts.

In fact, the Giants' outside linebacker tandem of Short on the strong side and weak-side partner Dhani Jones was a relatively significant part of the victory that left New York just one win shy of a playoff berth, and moved the team's December record under coach Jim Fassel to an impressive 18-5.

The pair combined for a dozen tackles, each had an interception, and both had a pass defensed. The New York defensive front, in particular end Kenny Holmes who had two sacks, made life miserable for Manning much of the day. But it was Short and Jones, who have 43 career starts between them, who made most of the plays.

Credit coordinator Johnnie Lynn for designing a blueprint that highlighted his two young, athletic linebackers.

Said Jones, whose first-quarter interception led directly to his team's initial touchdown of the afternoon, and who hounded Indianapolis star tailback Edgerrin James much of the day: "When you're put into a position to make plays, you're expected to make them, right? We had a good feel for that they were going to do. All we had to do was to do our thing."

Especially early in the game, the Lynn game plan called for Jones to align inside of Holmes, with the right defensive end posted wider than usual. The design negated the preferred two-tight end offense of the Colts, the set that typically balances the formation and eliminates a defensive weak side read, and disrupted the Indianapolis blocking calls.

On his first four rushes, James totaled minus-1 yard, and never got beyond the line of scrimmage. Jones either made the tackle or assisted on the stop on three of the four carries. For the game, the much-stifled James eked out 13 yards on 10 carries and was a non-factor, even early on, before the game got out of control and Manning was forced to throw on nearly every down.

Manning allowed that the Giants' outside linebackers were "very active and effective" and that might have been an understatement.

	“	When you're put into a position to make plays, you're expected to make them, right? We had a good feel for that they were going to do. All we had to do was to do our thing. ”
		— Giants LB Dhani Jones

Only two years ago, when they played in Super Bowl XXV, the Giants had a veteran linebacker corps, with Barrow flanked by Ryan Phillips and Jessie Armstead. But the nondescript Phillips exited in free agency after that Super Bowl and the strong-side linebacker has knocked around ever since. And the coaches, feeling Armstead had lost a step or more, barely noticed, it seemed, when Armstead signed this spring with the rival Washington Redskins.

A fourth-round choice in the 2000 draft, Short, 25, became a starter last year and the former Penn State standout had 62 tackles and a sack. Jones was a part of the 2000 draft as well, chosen in the sixth round, but the University of Michigan star missed his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury, was a backup in 2001, and moved into the lineup this summer.

Physically imposing, a guy who immediately passes the "eyeball" test, the loquacious Jones, 24, could be a future Pro Bowl performer.

"He's got the tools," said Barrow, "that's for sure."

The range and quickness of the outside linebacker duet permitted Lynn to do some things the Colts had problems picking up, and the coordinator also assigned cornerback Will Allen to shadow star Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison most of the game. Harrison finished with 10 catches for 128 yards and one touchdown but, like the Indianapolis offense in general, much of his production came after the outcome was decided.

Of the Colts' output of 20 first downs and 399 yards, the bulk came in the fourth quarter, after Indianapolis trailed 30-6. The Colts recorded half of their first downs and 202 yards in the final quarter. Before the quarter, the Colts managed only a pair of Mike Vanderjagt field goals, and five of the first 10 possessions ended in punts, another in a blocked punt, one on downs and another on Jones' interception.

Late in the first half, trailing by just 10-0 at the time, the Colts got a break when Giants tailback Tiki Barber fumbled at his own 6-yard line. It looked as if Indianapolis would get back into the contest after playing so poorly for nearly 30 minutes.

But three Mungro runs, including an inexplicable rushing call on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, netted only two yards. At that juncture, the air went out of the Indianapolis balloon, Short allowed.

"I think, in their hearts, they knew we had them," Short said. "We felt like we had them as soon as we walked into the building."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.