Giants glad to have another shot at Vikings in playoff opener
Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton catches a pass ahead of Vikings cornerback Chandon Sullivan during the second half of an NFL game Dec. 24 in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
They get their rematch.
The Giants left Minneapolis on Christmas Eve after the narrowest of losses, 27-24, the final points coming on a 61-yard field goal by Vikings kicker Greg Joseph as time expired.
It was an entertaining, back-and-forth game that day. A play here or there, and that game could have ended differently.
They’ll go back to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday amid higher stakes.
The Giants are seeking their first playoff win since the 2012 Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
“I think we're a confident team regardless of who we are playing,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “We’ll study the film, see what we can do better, but we're looking forward to the opportunity.”
The Giants were kicking themselves in the locker room after the loss to the Vikings.
This week, as Jones said, film study will reveal plenty of ways they could have changed the outcome of that game.
The first big opportunity came on the first play of the second quarter. With Minnesota leading 7-0, Jones found tight end Daniel Bellinger, who had gone in motion and lined up as a fullback, on first-and-10 from the Vikings' 39.
Bellinger caught the ball cleanly at the 26. But a few steps later, linebacker Brian Asamoah dislodged the ball with what the Fox broadcast described as “a tomahawk chop.”
The ball bounced toward the sideline, but Asamoah recovered it before it could trickle out of bounds.
With the ensuing field goal, the Giants had spotted the Vikings 10 points.
In a dome that will be louder this time around, they likely can’t afford to do that on Sunday.
Later in the game, in a tight fourth quarter, Jones threw his only interception of the game when Patrick Peterson undercut the route and picked off a pass intended for receiver Isaiah Hodgins.
That’s the last pick Jones has thrown.
He played a clean game against the Colts at MetLife Stadium before sitting out the season finale, along with many of his fellow starters, on Sunday in Philadelphia.
And Hodgins, a waiver claim from the Bills in early November, likely will be at least as confident this time around against Peterson. Hodgins had eight receptions on 11 targets and one touchdown in the first game. (Fellow wideout Richie James had eight catches on 12 targets.)
For the Giants' defense, they could be better in the secondary in a few crucial areas.
For one, safety Xavier McKinney, a playmaker, has returned from a hand injury. For another, the defense would get a considerable boost if top cornerback Adoree’ Jackson returns. Jackson is a game-changer but has not played since spraining his MCL in Week 11 against the Lions.
Coach Brian Daboll indicated Monday that Jackson, Leonard Williams, who is dealing with a neck injury, and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, who injured his ankle in the first game against the Vikings, all will “do something” at practice Wednesday.
That would provide defensive coordinator Wink Martindale with more options to dispense in an elimination game. The Giants have the highest blitz percentage in the league. It’s hard to imagine that changing.
And Martindale made clear in December that he already knows all about Minnesota’s most dangerous weapon, receiver Justin Jefferson.
“I told the defense that he’s one of the top two receivers in this league, and he’s not number two,” Martindale said. “I know it’s fun for the fan to watch. It’s not very fun for defensive coordinators.”
Martindale and the Giants lived that in Week 16. Kirk Cousins found Jefferson for catches of 16 and 17 yards on the final drive, which set up Joseph’s field goal as time expired.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
