The New York Giants (8-5-1) will play the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) for a Week 16 conference matchup this Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Here are three reasons for optimism entering Saturday afternoon.
Nothing special
Despite their 11-3 record, the Vikings have looked very beatable this season. Even as recently as last Saturday, the Vikings were down 33-0 to the Indianapolis Colts at halftime. This ended up being a wild comeback win for the Vikings but demonstrated how human their team really is going down by so much to one of only six teams that have already been eliminated from the playoffs.
This is something that has been apparent all season (as they have only won one game by more than one score) but especially in recent weeks.
Two of their three losses have come in the last five weeks, one of which was a 37-point loss to the Cowboys at home. The Giants have played a handful of close games all season and they should definitely be able to keep this one competitive on Christmas Eve.
Bad defense
The Vikings’ defense has been by far the worst in the NFL this season. They allow a league-high 399.2 yards per game and the fifth-most points per game (24.9).
This defense has allowed some of the worst offenses in the league to score points on them, as shown last week by the Colts scoring 36 points in three quarters. While the Giants’ offense is definitely not their bread and butter, this would be a great game before playoffs for New York to open up their playbook and take shots downfield as Minnesota allows 278.8 passing yards per game.
Poor pass protection
The Vikings’ offensive line is the one aspect of their offense that looks exploitable. Kirk Cousins has been sacked 40 times this season (fourth-most in the NFL). This bodes well for Wink Martindale’s defense which has the league’s-highest blitz rate.
This defensive playstyle has become more and more effective in recent weeks with the return of Azeez Ojulari and the improved play of Kayvon Thibodeaux. This was on full display last week as the two combined for 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss on Sunday Night Football.
If the two can muster up another performance like this on Saturday afternoon New York can definitely stay in this game.
