Shortly after he was drafted by the Bills, Isaiah Hodgins sent a photograph to Brian Daboll and waited to see if his offensive coordinator had a sense of humor. 

How would Daboll react to some wordless trash talk — an image of Hodgins’ father scoring a regular-season touchdown for the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams against Daboll’s Patriots in 2001? 

All uncertainty was erased by Daboll’s zinger of a text-message reply: “20-17.” Even though he was just 3 years old at the time of Super Bowl 36, Hodgins knew that was the final score when the Patriots — with Daboll as a young defensive assistant coach — avenged their regular-season loss with one of the NFL’s greatest upsets. 

“My dad knew it was coming, so it was pretty funny,” Hodgins said. “It’s crazy thinking how long Dabes has been in the league. It shows how good of a coach he is.” 

Whether it was that initial joke after he was a sixth-round draft choice in 2020 or his subsequent flashes in practice or a combination of the two that endeared Hodgins to Daboll, it’s scary to imagine where a limited Giants passing offense might be without the first-year head coach’s inside knowledge of Hodgins’ potential. Since he was claimed off waivers from the Bills on Nov. 2 after the Giants did not make a move at the trade deadline, Hodgins has played 243 offensive snaps — second-most among their receivers. 

“Isaiah has done a really nice job, not only in the red zone but being a factor on third down, and first and second down,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “He’s a really good blocker, a tough kid. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him.” 

Switching teams was a trade-off for Hodgins. He went from a spare part on a Super Bowl contender (16 snaps in two games over eight weeks of the season) to a key piece in a playoff race. He went from Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen to prove-it Daniel Jones, whose “dedication to the game is definitely motivation for everybody,” Hodgins said. 

“It was a blessing in disguise,” he added. “There was always a part of me that wanted to play in Buffalo really badly, but it wasn’t as big a role as I have here. Playing in the same offensive system, and watching [receivers] Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders, John Brown and how they run routes, how they take care of their bodies, their knowledge of the game, I got to learn all that. I’ve been trying to bring some of the stuff I learned over there to here and apply it on game day.” 

Hodgins’ father, James, scored four touchdowns across a seven-year NFL career as a fullback that ended with the 2006 Jets. His son will carry a two-game touchdown catch streak into Sunday’s game against Washington, and it could’ve been three — one against each of the Giants’ three NFC East rivals, no less — if not for a penalty that nullified Hodgins’ Thanksgiving score against the Cowboys. 

“I was around the football environment as a kid so I felt like the true love of playing the game was rooted in me,” Hodgins said. “It’s almost like I didn’t have the option, like I was chosen for it.” 

Hodgins put Commanders cornerback Christian Holmes in a blender with a fake-slant-and-out route for a touchdown when the teams tied. The Giants could exploit the matchup again Sunday. 

“In Buffalo, if it was a game or a real practice situation, it was Diggs running that route,” Hodgins said. “But I practiced all the time in one-on-one [drills]. When I came to the sideline, Dabes said, ‘You’ve been running that route for three years. It’s about time!’ ” 

Longer than even Daboll knows. Isaiah harbored those dreams as a star-struck kid meeting his father’s Cardinals teammates Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner. 

“My dad dealt with injuries, being cut, getting contracts, all the ins and outs,” Hodgins said. “He definitely critiques me: No matter how well I do, there’s always something I can do better. He was happy about the touchdowns, but he’s always like, ‘What other plays did you mess up?’ He was like that my whole life, and it kept me going and in a humble state of mind.” 

More photographs of Hodgins family touchdowns are welcome sights for Daboll. 

“They told me when I first got here, ‘You know the playbook. Get ready to play right now,’ ” Hodgins said. “I’m ready.”