There is still something for the NFC North Minnesota Vikings to play for as they host the New York Giants on Christmas Eve. They still have an outside chance at the number one seed if they win out and the Philadelphia Eagles lose their next three games.
Even if the number one seed ends up being out of reach, the Vikings can still guarantee themselves two home playoff games by winning out. The worst that they can do is be the number three seed since they are five games ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
To get a sense of what the Vikings are getting with the Giants, we spoke with Giants Wire managing editor Dan Benton.
How can the Vikings minimize the success of the Giants' pass rush?
That’s a great question because now that the Giants have all four healthy starters, they’re tearing it up. If you double one player on the inside or outside, it leaves their counterpart with a one-on-one. So it’s a pick-your-poison scenario: Azeez Ojulari or Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence or Leonard Williams.
On the outside, it’s going to be important for the Vikings to chip. Often. It would also be a mistake to leave a tight end (or running back) to block Ojulari or Thibodeaux, so Minnesota had better toss that from their playbook.
Inside, the key is stopping Big Dex from collapsing the pocket. The second he gets a push up the middle, the outside backers are going to feast. Kirk Cousins will have to be very careful about how he moves in the pocket, especially with Wink Martindale likely sending timely blitzes from the secondary.
What has Brian Daboll done to maximize the success of Daniel Jones?
Brian Daboll does an excellent job knowing the limitations of his roster. They’re thin along the offensive line, thin at wide receiver and thin at tight end, so he and Mike Kafka have devised an offense that works with what they have. That’s prevented Daniel Jones from trying to do it all himself and taking big risks.
The staff has also worked with Jones on improving his ball security, both through the air and on the ground. They’ve essentially eliminated the turnover issues which was the major detriment in previous years.
To Jones’ credit, he’s also gotten much better with his footwork, pocket presence and his reads. He goes through his progressions faster and has done a great job making the right decisions.
Does the lack of depth at wide receiver give the Vikings' poor defense an advantage?
It certainly should. The Giants don’t have a true WR1 and have been cycling through depth guys all season. That being said, Darius Slayton is very much capable of stretching the field. Richie James Jr. has also come on over the past month and established himself as a trustworthy slot option for Daniel Jones.
Isaiah Hodgins has improved his game and become a very impressive route runner. He has a knack for making big plays in big moments, and he, too, has gained the trust of Jones.
At tight end, Daniel Bellinger and Jones also have a solid rapport.
None of these guys are going to be considered top-end options, but they get the job done to the best of their ability. Still, it will be one of the easier matchups for Minnesota’s secondary.
Has Saquon Barkley shown improvement this season or is he just healthy?
It’s really just about health. Barkley has never been anything short of a superstar talent. He’s a tremendous athlete and is very studious. But the ACL and ankle injuries in recent years have really derailed him and it took some time to regain his confidence. Now that he has, we’re all seeing the results.
He did go through a recent lull and dealt with a bit of a neck issue, but he reemerged in Week 15 against the Commanders and looked every bit the MVP-level candidate that he is.
