The New York Giants will put recent controversy aside to take on the Minnesota Vikings on ‘Monday Night Football.’ Here’s what you need to know.
- New York Giants (2-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (3-0)
- NFL, Week 4, Monday, Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
- U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Series History: NYG is 12-15 overall, 5-7 away
- Last: MIN (H) 49, NYG 17, 12/27/2015
Head coach Ben McAdoo must navigate through the roughest patch of his short tenure.
The Giants didn’t run the ball once in the fourth quarter.
You read that correctly. Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa found running room all day but didn’t get one opportunity late in a close game. Eli Manning threw two interceptions, one in the redzone and one on the final drive of the game.
Then, Odell Beckham happened.
His sideline outburst didn’t cost the Giants the game, but it has been the story of the week.
It went like this: coach calls out player, some agree & some don’t; player jabs back at coach, some are fine with it, some aren’t. Lost in this melodrama is the fact the Giants have to play a real Minnesota Vikings team Monday, in Minnesota. They haven’t fared so well there in recent years (0-3 since 2008).
Oh, and there banged up on both sides of the ball.
Join us as we navigate through the full in-depth preview:
Injury Report
- Darian Thompson, S – Out (foot)
- Nat Berhe, S – Out (concussion)
- Robert Thomas, DT – Out (illness)
- Eli Apple, CB – Doubtful (hamstring)
- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB – questionable (groin)
- Rashad Jennings, RB – questionable (thumb)
- Olivier Vernon, DE – Not listed (wrist)
Big Blue’s secondary, a deep and versatile unit entering 2016, is decimated. They’ll be without two of their top three safeties and likely without two of their top three corners.
The onus will be on the front four to pressure the Vikings, hiding what they’ll lack in coverage. Rashad Jennings is officially listed as questionable but all signs point to him suiting up Monday night. And the Giants will need him to attack Minnesota’s interior line.
Giants Keys To Victory
Protect The Duke:
The Giants are -6 in turnovers in 2016. That they are 2-1 is a testament to the defense, but even the ’85 Bears wouldn’t be able to bail out an offense that careless every week.
And they aren’t the ’85 Bears.
Turnovers caught up with them last week against the Redskins and they gave away an all-important divisional game. They turned the ball over three times at Minnesota during last season’s 49-17 whoopin’.
Playing from behind is not a position Eli wants to be in against the Vikings defensive line but it’s where the Giant’s will find themselves if he continues to make bad decisions with the football.
Run The Ball, Then Run Some More:
Granted, the Vikings are only giving up 84 yards per game on 3.5 per carry and the Giants are down Vereen, and possibly Rashad Jennings. Committing to the run is important nonetheless.
They’d take five yards a pop, but they can live with three. The goal is to wear down Linval Joseph and soften Minnesota’s D-Line. If there’s no consistency with the run, the Vikings will be pinning their ears back trying to get to Manning like the Redskins did a week ago.
Force Sam Bradford To Throw:
The Giants’ run defense is even better than Minnesota’s (77 ypg, 3.2 ypc).
The Vikings rushing attack is dead last in the league (55 ypg). Look for the G-Men to take the run away early and make Sam Bradford try to beat them.
He’s been a good fit with the Vikes thus far, but he’s still Sam Bradford. In the nine games Bradford attempted at least 37 passes in 2015, he threw all 14 of his interceptions. He’s 4-5 in those games. Bradford has yet to attempt more than 31 passes this season. He’s also been sacked six times in two games.
The Giants only have four sacks on the season, but Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul have been disruptive. Forcing Bradford to drop back and bringing pressure could create opportunities, even for a secondary besieged by injuries.
Prediction: New York Giants 13, Minnesota Vikings 24
The Giants, and Eli Manning, in particular, have always struggled in Minnesota. They’re catching them at the wrong time, too. Minnesota might be the best team in the NFC after three weeks. Big Blue’s offense has yet to hit its stride and injuries are suddenly piling up on defense.
The right side of the offensive line is plain bad and the Vikings D-Line is as good as advertised, even without Sharrif Floyd. They’ll be able to keep the G-Men in 3rd-and-long and get pressure in Manning’s face.
The Giants can win this game, but so much would have to go their way.
They’d need John Jerry/Bobby Hart to play the games of their lives’ and Orleans Darkwa and untested Paul Perkins to step up. With Nat Berhe going through the league concussion protocol and Darian Thompson out, they still aren’t certain who will pair with Landon Collins at safety. Undrafted rookie free-agent Andrew Adams appears to be the frontrunner.
It will be interesting to see how the Giants respond to adversity, but the Vikings are legit right now and timing is everything.