New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full New York Game Preview
The New York Giants will head to Minnesota to face the Vikings with their season on the line.
Currently one game behind the Washington Redskins for the division lead thanks to yet another game lost within the final minute, Big Blue will also likely be without star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as he serves his one-game suspension for his antics against Panthers cornerback Josh Norman.
The Giants, on the road and without Beckham, should be serious underdogs in this game against the Vikings.
They'll face two dynamic offensive threats Sunday. The first will be on the ground in running back Adrian Peterson, one of the game's elite rushers. Next is second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has made solid strides as a sophomore and threw four touchdown passes last week against the Chicago Bears.
Here is everything you need to know and look out for ahead of Sunday's do-or-die contest for head coach Tom Coughlin and his G-Men.
Location: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Time: 8:25 p.m.
TV: NBC
Week 15 Results and Recap
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A great comeback led to more heartache for the Giants and their fans. New York scored 28 straight unanswered points to tie the game at 35 before Graham Gano kicked a game-winning field goal for the Panthers as time expired.
The Giants allowed Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, a favorite for this year's MVP award, total 440 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns on the afternoon. He made it look easy as he marched his offense up the field during the two-minute drill to set up Gano for the field goal.
It was the same old story for the Giants; their season is now becoming an ugly movie that you know the ending to and there's just no changing it, no matter how badly you crave a different outcome. This loss was especially difficult because the Giants rallied from a 35-7 deficit to knot the game up before losing as time expired.
News and Notes
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League's Final Ruling Coming
Odell Beckham Jr. will appeal his suspension at noon Wednesday, and it is expected that a decision will come shortly thereafter, according to ESPN.com's Dan Graziano.
A quick decision is necessary, since the Giants need to know if Beckham will suit up for Sunday night's contest. If not, they will need to adjust their game plan and get in some practices with Rueben Randle and others at the forefront.
The league suspended Beckham for one game for his antics against Carolina, including a helmet-to-helmet hit against Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. Beckham was visibly heated and frustrated all game, several times causing incidents after the whistle and racking up three personal foul penalties.
See You in Hawaii
Beckham was announced as the Giants' lone representative at the Pro Bowl in January.
The second-year star ranks second in the NFC in receiving yards (1,396), trailing only Atlanta's Julio Jones. He's tied for first in the conference with 13 TDs, as a recent outburst by Seattle's Doug Baldwin allowed him to catch up to Beckham.
There's no denying Beckham's greatness as a wide receiver, as he has blinding speed, excellent route-running abilities and the best hands in football.
One of his teammates will be Norman, who was one of 10 Carolina Panthers selected. Hopefully, they don't brawl on the sidelines of a meaningless exhibition.
Latest Injury News
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Nikita Whitlock Out for the Season
The Giants have placed fullback Nikita Whitock on injured reserve due to a knee injury, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
Whitlock has appeared in all 14 games for the Giants, including five starts.
He also had one sack and one tackle, as Whitlock occasionally pitched in on the battered defensive line and on special teams.
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Key Matchups
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Defensive Line vs. Adrian Peterson
Believe it or not, the Giants rushing defense hasn't been awful this year.
Last week in Carolina, the Giants shut down all of the Panthers running backs, holding them to 71 yards on 21 carries. While they let Cam Newton rush for 100 yards, Teddy Bridgewater won't pose that sort of dynamic threat Sunday night, though he is mobile.
Adrian Peterson is the best running back that the Giants will face all season, and he's arguably the best in the NFL. Additionally, the Vikings are undefeated this season (6-0) when he surpasses 100 yards on the ground.
The Giants will need to game-plan toward stopping him first and foremost. If the Giants leave Minnesota with a loss because Bridgewater beat them with his arm, then kudos to the Vikings. Bridgewater has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game just twice this season and hasn't yet proved he can beat teams on his own.
Interestingly enough, the Vikings are a whopping 6-1 when Bridgewater throws for less than 200 yards. There's no denying they live and die with Peterson, who leads the NFL with 1,314 rushing yards on the season.
Cornerbacks vs. Stefon Diggs
The Giants prove every week that their cornerbacks are terrible, as constantly get beaten down the field on long passing plays.
This week could be no different.
Though the Vikings have no legitimate No. 1 receiver, rookie Stefon Diggs has become a threat this season.
The 22-year-old has big-play ability and is averaging 14.7 yards per reception this season. He caught two touchdowns last week against the Bears and has developed chemistry with Bridgewater.
If the Giants allow Peterson to get going, the option and play action could be lethal for the Vikings. If the Giants secondary bites on a fake, Diggs can easily blow by the defensive backs and into the end zone.
Matchup X-Factors
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Giants’ X-Factor of the Week: Rueben Randle
This is now the third week in a row where wide receiver Rueben Randle has been labeled as the Giants' X-factor.
The last two times it was because the Giants needed him to get going and become a reliable No. 2 option to Odell Beckham Jr.
This week, however, it is because he's going to need to be a No. 1 threat, as he'll have to put up big numbers in Beckham's (likely) absence.
Randle now has a touchdown in each of his last two games, and if he reaches 100 yards Sunday night, his overall stats for the season actually won't look too bad. Though he has been inconsistent and frustrating this year, Randle could have 850 yards and eight scores on the year, numbers which aren't to be laughed at.
Prediction: Giants 19, Vikings 16
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Sunday night's matchup, which was flexed so that it could be a nationally televised game, is probably going to be an ugly, low-scoring affair.
Both teams have a lot on the line, however. The Giants trail the Redskins by one game in the NFC East, and the Vikings (9-5) are a game behind the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.
The Giants, who can now finish no better than .500 for the season, will need to show up defensively with the probability that Odell Beckham Jr. will be suspended. Though Eli Manning usually makes the most of what he has, it's unlikely the Giants will muster more than 20 points in Minnesota, as the Vikings have given up the third-fewest points in the NFC.
Luckily for New York, the Vikings offense isn't exactly a world-beater, as it has scored the fifth-fewest points in the NFC.
If the Giants can contain Adrian Peterson (he has six games with less than 70 rushing yards), then they will have a shot at picking up the win. The Vikings are 6-0 in games where Peterson rushes for more than 100 yards.
Prediction: Giants 19, Vikings 16
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