Up next for the Vikings: the Giants, again

Minnesota narrowly escaped with a 27-24 victory on Dec. 24. The team has reasons to be encouraged and discouraged about the upcoming playoff rematch.

By Mark Craig Star Tribune

January 8, 2023 — 9:43pm

The No. 3 seeded Vikings (13-4) will open the playoffs at home against a 9-7-1 Giants team that's 3-6-1 in its past 10 games, hasn't played a postseason contest since 2016 and hasn't won one since beating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI 11 years and five head coaches ago.

That's the glass-half-full view of Purple fans for the NFC wild-card matchup next weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium. There are more troublesome facts about the Giants for the skeptics who question the Vikings' 11 one-score wins and their 31^st-ranked scoring defense.

What happened Sunday

The Giants, locked into the No. 6 seed, got to rest their starters in Sunday's loss to the Eagles while the Vikings were only able to rest most of their starters in the second half of a 29-13 win over the Bears.

What happened Dec. 24

A feisty Giants team came into Minneapolis on Dec. 24 and rolled up 445 yards of offense before being sent home the narrowest of losers, 27-24 on a franchise-record 61-yard walk-off field goal by Greg Joseph.

The Giants averaged 6 yards on 21 carries, with Saquon Barkley gaining 84 yards on 14 carries, including a 27-yard touchdown while also being one of three Giants with eight catches. Quarterback Daniel Jones completed a season-high 30 passes and threw for 334 yards, his second-highest total this season.

Kirk Cousins completed 34 of 48 passes for 299 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. Tight end T.J. Hockenson caught 13 of 16 targets for 109 yards and two touchdowns, while Justin Jefferson caught 12 of 16 targets for 133 yards and a touchdown.

Watch the turnover battle

The Giants finished the regular season plus-3 and the Vikings plus-2 in turnover differential. In the first meeting, the Vikings had two takeaways and no giveaways. They're 8-0 when they get at least two takeaways.

The Giants have thrown a league-low six interceptions, but their defense also has a league-low six interceptions.

Meeting at the quarterback

Both quarterbacks have dealt with a lot of pressure this year. Jones has been sacked 44 times with an offense that's 27^th in sacks allowed per pass play. He was sacked three times against the Vikings, twice by Danielle Hunter, who also had four of the 11 hits on Jones.

Cousins has been sacked a career-high 46 times with an offense that's 17^th in sacks allowed per pass play. He was sacked four times against the Giants, and next week he will not have right tackle Brian O'Neill.