The New York Giants (8-5-1) head out to Minnesota to face the Vikings (11-3) at US Bank Stadium this Saturday afternoon in a possible preview between two NFC playoff opponents.
Here are five things to know before Saturday’s Week 16 game.
The series
The Giants and Vikings meet for the 29th time since Minnesota entered the league in 1961. The Vikings lead the regular season series, 16-10, while the Giants hold a 2-1 postseason advantage.
The two teams have not met since October 6, 2019 — a 28-10 Vikings victory at MetLife Stadium.
This will be the Giants’ second visit to US Bank Stadium which opened in 2016. They lost, 24-10, to the Vikes on Monday Night Football that season.
What's at stake
The Giants currently hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC. A win on Saturday will get them to 9-5-1 with the prospect of not losing more than seven games and prevent the Green Bay Packers (6-8) from catching them this season.
The road to the playoff this week is clear:
- NYG win + WAS loss + DET loss OR
- NYG win + WAS loss + SEA loss OR
- NYG win + DET loss + SEA loss
A loss by the Giants would drop them to 8-6-1 but not drop them out of the playoff picture.
The Vikings already clinched the NFC North and hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They are attempting to hold off 10-4 San Francisco for that slot.
An incredible comeback
The Giants are coming off a satisfying (and much-needed) 20-12 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, but that pales in comparison to what the Vikings accomplished Saturday at home against the Indianapolis Colts.
Against Indianapolis, the Vikings recorded the largest comeback victory in NFL history, overcoming a 33-0 deficit to win, 39-36, in overtime. They scored five second-half touchdowns, four PATs, and a two-point conversion to tie the game at 36 at the end of regulation. Greg Joseph’s 40-yard field goal won it in overtime.
The victory allowed them to clinch the NFC North for the first time since 2017.
Vikings offense is hot
The Vikings are averaging 29.7 points per game over the past three weeks, the fifth-highest in the NFL during that span.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins leads the NFL in game-winning drives with seven this season. Last week, Cousins completed 34 passes, throwing for a career-high 460 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson, 23, has the second-most receiving yards (4,639) before turning the age of 25 in NFL history, behind only Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss (5,396).
Running back Dalvin Cook has1,045 rushing yards, his fourth straight season over 1,000, tying him with Cleveland’s Nick Chubb for the longest active streak in the NFL.
Last week, wideout K.J. Osborn racked up 157 receiving yards against the Colts, surpassing 1,000 (1,112) receiving yards for his career.
Giants cleaning things up
The Giants won last week for the first time since Week 10, ending a four-game winless streak. Several other positive trends could be taking hold.
The Giants did not commit an offensive turnover for the seventh time this season. They are 4-1 when they do not commit a turnover.
The offensive line did not allow a sack for the first time this season, while the defense totaled 3.0 sacks and scored a touchdown. Over the previous four games, the Giants had allowed 16 sacks.
