The New York Giants are set to travel to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a wildcard matchup. The Giants come into the game as the 6th seed in the NFC with a regular season record of 9-7-1. On the flip side, the Vikings finished the regular season with a record of 13-4 and enter the playoffs as the third seed in the NFC. These teams already faced off once this season. It was a very close game in which the Vikings came out on top by a final score of 27-24. With the Giants already proving that they are capable of keeping up with the Vikings, this could end up being a very close and competitive game. However, if the Vikings come into this matchup locked in and clicking on both sides of the ball, there will be little the Giants can do to put up a fight.
New York Giants Hope to Avenge Christmas Day Loss
The New York Giants are coming off of a 22-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Although they were not able to bring home a win, this was still a very impressive performance from the Giants. Philadelphia finished the regular season as the first seed in the NFC. With the Giants keeping things close in their games against both the Vikings and Eagles, they have proven that they belong in the playoffs. Despite this, they need to find a way to finish strong and turn these close finishes into wins. New York will have to have one of their best performances of the year to pull off this opening round matchup. Minnesota has one of the most lethal passing attacks in the league and while the Giants did a solid job of slowing them down in their regular season matchup, it is not guaranteed they will be able to replicate the outcome this week. Along with this, the duo of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley will have to show up and have big games to keep the Giants in it.
Minnesota Vikings Look to Prove They Are One of the Top Teams In the NFC
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings took down the Chicago Bears by a final score of 29-13. The Vikings were fortunate enough to rest their starters for a good chunk of the contest, however, they were still able to play long enough to not be rusty coming into this matchup. Kirk Cousins had a great day through the air, finishing the game completing 17 of his 20 passing attempts for 225 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions.
Although the New York Giants may be able to keep this game close, they have not yet proven that they are able to close out games against elite teams. If the Vikings are able to get things going through the air, they should not be worried about this matchup. Along with this, if they are able to force Daniel Jones into a couple of turnovers, the Vikings could make this game ugly.
