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Giants (2-12) Minnesota (6-8)
The Vikings had two of their three highest
scoring games in their last two matchups. Last week they did it on the road against
the Cowboys, leaving with a 34-26 victory.
Last
Sunday the Giants lost their eight straight game, playing at home against the
Washington Commanders. The Giants trailed from the start and the 29-21 score looked
closer than things were. Minnesota
Vikings
The Vikings have never won a Super
Bowl, though they had four appearances in eight years from 1969-1976. In 2023
quarterback Kirk Cousins was leading the team to their third straight win when
he injured his achilles tendon, and it put him out for the rest of the year. The
Vikings closed out the season losing six of their final seven games. Minnesota
moved on from Cousins, and last year signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million
contract. They also drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick.
Darnold
was expected to be the likely quarterback to start the season, and that became
a certainty when McCarthy suffered an injury during the preseason. McCarthy had
surgery on his torn right meniscus, and missed the 2024 season. The Vikings finished
strong with a 14-3 record. Their wild card playoff game was moved to Arizona because
of the LA wildfires, and they lost to the Rams 27-9. Minnesota
Vikings Offense
Sam
Darnold had a good run, but didn't inspire confidence when he played poorly in
the last game of the season. The 31-9 loss to Detroit cost the Vikings the NFC
North title and the No. 1 seed. Their next one sided loss in the wildcard game,
and the money it would cost to resign Darnold played into their decision to move
on from him. Daniel Jones, who they signed as a possible backup late in the season,
was a possible option, but that didn't happen. Carson Wentz ended up with that
spot.
J.J. McCarthy finally got his chance to start this season, and it's
been an up and down ride. He's missed games and has a 4-4 record, completing just
57 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The good news
is that his last two games since returning from a concussion, have been his best.
They were wins over the Commanders and the
Cowboys, where he completed 66 percent of his passes, threw for 5 touchdowns,
ran for another and had 1 interception.
McCarthy's best performances haven't
included top wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who caught only 4 of McCarthy's 12
passes for 33 yards. Jefferson leads the team in receptions and first downs, as
he did last year when he caught 103 passes for 1533 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jefferson
currently has 66 receptions for 832 yards and 2 touchdowns. First downs are 37
compared to 62 last year with 3 games left. The Vikings ranked 6th with their
passing offense last year, and are 28th now.
Aaron Jones was the top running
back last year, in carries, yards and touchdowns. He has been dealing with some
injuries, causing him to have missed 4 games. Jordan Mason currently leads the
team with 6 of their 11 rushing touchdowns. McCarthy is next with 3. Both running
backs are healthy for this game, and are great outlets for designed or check down
passes. Minnesota Vikings
Defense
The Vikings Passing defense is very
good. They are the 5th ranked team in the NFL giving up an average of 180.4 yards
a game. That's a big improvement over last years 242 yards, and 28th ranking.
In the offseason they picked up tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. The
two interior pass rushers fit in well with the rest of the up front group, and
this defense likes to blitz and disguise looks. That could spell trouble for a
rookie quarterback like Jaxson Dart, who likes to take off with the ball if things
look right. If he's wrong, he'll be taking some tough hits, and we all know where
that can go.
Linebackers Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson lead the team with each
having 5.5 sacks, and tackle Jalen Redmond has 5. Wilson was with the Vikings
for four years, played with three other teams over the next four, and they brought
him back. It was a good move, as he's been a difference maker as the second leading
tackler on the team.
Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel had 11.5 sacks and 2 interceptions
last year, but missed 5 games early on and he has 4.5 sacks on the season and
1 interception. Leading the team in interceptions is safety Joshua Metellus with
2. There's been a big drop off in that area, as the Vikings were the top defense
in interceptions last season with 24. So far with three games left, they have
a total of only 5.
The Vikings have also let down with their rushing defense.
That was ranked 2nd last year giving up 93.4 yards a game. They are ranked 24th
now, allowing 126.4 yards a game. Tyrone Tracy is playing at his best and if the
Giants could start out strong with him and Devin Singletary running the ball,
it would limit what the Vikings can do with their blitzing. The Giants offensive
line has their work cut out for them. If they can afford Dart time to throw, he's
showed he can come up with some big pass plays to Theo Johnson, Darius Slayton
and others. Giants Offense
The
offense couldn't pull it off last week against the Commanders, who actually don't
have a commanding defense at this point in the season. Abdul Carter came up with
a fumble recovery, giving the Giants the ball at midfield, with two and a half
minutes left, for a chance to tie the game. Six plays later the Giants were done.
Tyrone Tracy ran for 3 yards and caught a 2 yard pass, and Jaxson Dart ran for
a first down, and his other three passes were incomplete. Even from the start
of this game Dart didn't help himself, completing only 7 of his 16 passes for
71 yards with one interception in the first half.
Dart did better in the second
half, throwing for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns with no turnovers. Dart's fourth
quarter 42-yard completion to Theo Johnson soon led to them having a first and
goal from the one yard line. His run up the middle lost a yard, and he was pulled
out by the refs for a concussion check. Two plays later Dart was back in with
a fourth down from the 4-yard line, and an incomplete pass to Wan'Dale Robinson
ended the drive.
A sack on Marcus Mariota by Dane Belton, and a fumble recovery
by Brian Burns on the Commanders following drive, gave Dart another chance, and
this time, a 16-yard touchdown completion to Robinson. Tracy's touchdown catch
gave him four on the year, and he leads the team in carries and yards, and is
second in first downs with 29. Dart has 30, and maybe runs the ball too much for
his own good. Robinson caught the only other touchdown pass, and he leads the
team in targets, receptions and receiving yards.
Giants Defense
The
Giants will get to see first hand if J.J. McCarthy is the real deal or not. After
missing games, in his last two, McCarthy's given Minnesota everything they've
been looking for. That could be a product of the defenses he's played, the Commanders
and Cowboys, or it could be things have clicked for the young quarterback, who'll
be playing in only his ninth career game. McCarthy can take off with the ball
if he has to, but that's not the game plan. He's taken 24 sacks, but the Cowboys
couldn't get one on him last game.
Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux won't be there
to help, and the Giants have ended the wait process, and have just put him on
injured reserve. That means that Thibodeaux will be out for the rest of the season,
and Abdul Carter will step in as the starter from here on in. Carter hasn't been
recording sacks, but he's high with his quarterback pressures. He had the best
game of his career last time out against the Commanders, with 7 tackles, 3 for
a loss, 4 quarterback pressures, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.
Brian Burns is second in the NFL with 13 sacks. The Giants haven't play well against
the run, but that might not be as big a factor as it usually is.
The Vikings
seem to be refueled with their passing game, and they favor that over running
the ball. They have talented receivers, and are likely to lean heavily on their
passing game and talented receivers, especially Justin Jefferson, if he can get
on track with McCarthy. The Giants can't afford to play one of their sloppy games,
or they'll really pay for it. Overall
The
Giants have lost eight consecutive games, and would not like to add on to any
kind of historic marks in that area. The Vikings have won their last two games,
and have a chance to finish out the season with a winning record. That won't be
easy as they have the Lions and Packers coming up next. The Giants have the Raiders
and Cowboys after this, and would just like to start winning. NFC
East Games
Saturday at 5:00pm Eagles (9-5)
at Commanders (4-10)
Sunday at 1:00pm Giants (2-12) at Vikings (6-8)
Sunday
at 1:00pm Chargers (10-4) at Cowboys (6-7-1)
The Eagles and Cowboys are the
NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
Check out.
Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts.
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Next Games
Dec
27/28 Giants at Raiders
Jan 3/4 Cowboys at Giants
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