The New York Giants will hit the road to play the Minnesota Vikings in their first postseason appearance since 2016. The game is a rematch of a Christmas Eve contest that saw the Vikings hit a franchise-record, 61-yard field goal as time expired.
The Giants are coming in as underdogs but many are picking Big Blue to win this game. There is a sense of confidence around the team that will hopefully translate onto the field.
With Wild Card Weekend right around the corner, here are four causes for concern.
Vikings' receivers
When the two teams squared off on Christmas Eve, Justin Jefferson was listed as one of the causes for concern. Here we will adjust to three Vikings’ weapons in the passing game.
Sure, Adoree’ Jackson might be back and the Giants should be excited to have him back. However, the first time around both Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson had stellar games, combining for 25 receptions, 242 yards, and three touchdowns on 32 targets.
While the Giants will have to be focused on Hockenson and Jefferson, they must not forget about Adam Thielen. Thielen only had one catch in the regular season matchup but the Giants can’t sleep on him as he has the capability to take over a game.
Home field advantage
The Vikings went 8-1 at home during the regular season and they, like the Giants, won a lot of tight games.
Sixth seeds have actually had a ton of success in recent memory on Wild Card Weekend.
Over the last 4 seasons, the #6 seed is 7-1 in the @NFL's Wild Card round.
Giants and Ravens are your #6 seeds this weekend.@NFLResearch
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 11, 2023
However, recent history does not apply to this Giants and Vikings matchup. In this case, with their home record, the Giants should be concerned about the Vikings’ home success from the regular season and should try and control the tempo early.
Minnesota is one of the louder stadiums across the league and Sunday will be no exception.
Playoff experience
This will be the first taste of playoff experience for a good chunk of the Giants’ roster. Kirk Cousins is one of three NFC quarterbacks to have a win on his playoff resume.
Although this will only be the third trip to the postseason for the Vikings since 2017, this is more of a concern for the Giants, who have a rookie head coach leading the way for an extremely youthful team.
Turnover battle
Daniel Jones had just 5 interceptions on the year. The Giants had the second-fewest amount of giveaways (16 total) on the season, one more than the Detroit Lions. Two of those turnovers came in the Week 16 game against the Vikings — both came while the Giants were right around field goal range in Vikings territory.
The Giants have won this year by playing mistake-free football. If they want to come away victorious on Sunday, they can’t turn the ball over, especially not in Vikings territory.
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