Giants lose to the Vikings 27-24

"Things were off to a slow start for both teams until the first quarter was half over. Minnesota was on the field for their third time when Kirk Cousins started connecting well with his receivers. A 12-yard touchdown pass got the Vikings the first score of the game. The Giants got into rhythm on the next drive, and had a first down at the Minnesota 39-yard line when Daniel Bellinger caught a pass and fumbled it away to the Vikings. Cousins picked up where he left off earlier, but the Giants were able to make a stop at their 22-yard line.
A Vikings field goal put them up 10-0, but the Giants got things going right after that, and Daniel Jones closed out his drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins. That was the last score of the half, and it was good to see the Giants trailing by just three points. They nudged past Minnesota with two field goals in the third quarter, but Cousins got back on track, and his second touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson got the Vikings on top with a 17-13 score early in the fourth.
Daniel Jones started hitting his three main receivers pretty well until he threw one to Hodgins that was intercepted on the Vikings 18-yard line. The defense held, and the Giants came up with three points with a Graham Gano 55-yard field goal right after that. Both teams were three-and-out on their next drives, but when the Giants punted, it was blocked. That was a big advantage for the Vikings who took over at the Giants 29-yard line. After a few plays it looked like the Giants were going to hold them to a field goal, but Cousins hit wide receiver Justin Jefferson with a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The Giants were under the gun, having to score a touchdown and two point conversion just to tie the game with only three minutes left to play. Jones did his part during this drive, hitting Darius Slayton with a 32 yard pass, and Saquon Barkley did his, closing out the drive with a 27 yard touchdown run. The next play was big, as the Giants needed a conversion, and Bellinger redeemed himself with his catch for the two points needed to tie the game at 24-24.
The Giants were so efficient on their seven play drive, they only took a minute off the clock. It turned out to be a mistake, because even though Landon Collins sacked Cousins once during the Vikings next drive, he still connected with Jefferson for two big pass plays, and spiked the ball on the last one, with 4 seconds left. The Vikings would need a 61-yard field goal to break this tie, and that's just what they did.
I couldn't believe it, and I know I wasn't the only one. The Giants had their chances along the way, and I thought for sure after they tied things up we'd be heading into overtime. Next week the Indianapolis Colts will be coming to MetLife Stadium, and hopefully the Giants will be able to move into the playoffs then."

"The Giants kept things close in their road game against the Minnesota Vikings. They even held a 13-10 lead at one point late in the third quarter. The Giants lost that lead early in the fourth, and then made mistakes, an interception and blocked punt just to name two, that gave the Vikings opportunities to stay ahead. The Giants did manage to catch up at the two minute mark with a a 27-yard touchdown run by Saquon Barkley on a 4th-and-2 play.
Minnesota had two minutes left to break a 24-24 tie. Though the Giants defense sacked Kirk Cousins once on this drive, he was able to complete two big third down passes to top receiver Justin Jefferson, and get his team down to the Giants 42-yard line. With four seconds left Minnesota's kicker Greg Joseph kicked a 61-yard field goal that kept the game out of overtime, and gave the Vikings a 27-24 win.
The Giants once again played a close game, as they have over most of the season, and had won 8 of them. This was another one score game, but not in the Giants favor. Daniel Jones threw 42 passes, and his 30 completions were the most he's had in any one game this season. Jones averaged 8 yards a completion for a total 334 yards, including 1 touchdown. Jones also threw one interception, his first in five games. That was costly, coming when the Giants were on a first down in field goal range, and he had just completed five straight passes to get them there.
Barkley ran for 84 yards on 14 carries, and had 1 touchdown, and he was targeted by Jones more than in any other game. Barkley caught 8 of his 10 targets for 49 yards, a 6.1 average per catch. Isaiah Hodgins had the touchdown catch that put the Giants on the board for the first time in the second quarter. Richie James had the highest total yards, catching 8 out of 11 for 90 yards, but his drop just past midway in the fourth quarter, killed another Giants drive.
I'm sure the Giants players will hear a lot about the mistakes they made today from head coach Brian Daboll. The Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, both lost their games, and a win would have secured a wildcard spot for the Giants. Next week the Giants face easier competition when they go up against the Indianapolis Colts. It would be nice for all their fans to see the Giants move on to the playoffs in their last home game of the season."

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