Giants vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings crushed the New York Giants by a score of 49-17 on Sunday Night Football, finally proving they are capable of winning games slated during prime time.

Minnesota opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a field goal, as Blair Walsh converted his first of five attempts from 32 yards out.

Following a strong defensive stand, which led to good field position for the offense, Teddy Bridgewater guided the Vikings to their first touchdown of the game. The Minnesota quarterback hooked up with tight end Kyle Rudolph for a 28-yard score on a perfectly placed pass up the seam, giving his team a 10-0 advantage early in the second quarter.

Kicker Josh Brown and the Giants responded with a field goal to cut the Vikings' lead to one score, but this brief shift in momentum was short-lived. Attempting to work the ball down the field during New York's next offensive possession, quarterback Eli Manning was intercepted by safety Harrison Smith. Smith, who was making his first start for Minnesota in roughly a month due to injury, returned the intercepted pass 35 yards to the end zone to open up a 16-3 Minnesota lead.

After Walsh converted his second and third field goals of the night, the Vikings defense again set up the offense with great field position with another interception. Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn was on the receiving end of this specific Manning pass, returning the ball 32 yards to the Giants' four-yard line.

Adrian Peterson turned the Munnerlyn pick into points almost immediately, fighting into the end zone on the second play of Minnesota's ensuing offensive possession to bolster his team's lead to 29-3.

Jerick McKinnon would later add a pair of late rushing touchdowns, vaulting the Vikings to a blowout victory and win No. 10 of the season. New York pass-catchers Rueben Randle and Myles White caught scoring passes late in the game to lessen a monumental deficit, but a Giants win was well out of reach at the time of both receptions.

Bridgewater finished the game 15-of-25 (60 percent) with 168 passing yards and one touchdown pass, while Peterson rushed 22 times for 108 yards and one touchdown. Jarius Wright led the Vikings with 57 receiving yards on three catches, and Rudolph caught two balls for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Linebacker Chad Greenway led the Vikings defense with nine combined tackles, and defensive tackle Tom Johnson was responsible for two of four team sacks, with defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Brian Robison also recording one quarterback takedown apiece.

Position Grades for Vikings

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Quarterback: B

Teddy Bridgewater continued a string of strong performances against the Giants on Sunday, leading his team to its second blowout win in as many weeks. His 60 percent completion rate and 168 passing yards may not show it, but the Vikings quarterback played very well for the third time in December.

If not for an outstanding play by Trevin Wade, Bridgewater likely would have added another passing touchdown and 20-plus passing yards to his totals, as he floated a nearly perfect pass into the vicinity of Mike Wallace, but the Giants defensive back blocked the potential touchdown catch with a sprawling pass deflection at the last possible moment.

Running Backs: A

The Vikings offense was not always functioning at a high level throughout the evening, but both Adrian Peterson and Jerick McKinnon recorded strong performances against the Giants. Peterson, who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown, and McKinnon, who recorded 89 yards and two touchdowns, accounted for 53.5 percent of Minnesota's total offensive output (368 yards) as well as 60 percent of its five touchdowns.

McKinnon was particularly impressive, showing excellent patience in the backfield and next-level explosiveness, which should lead to optimism regarding the future at the running back position in Minnesota.

Wide Receivers: C

Minnesota's wide receivers did not play poorly by any means, but they were largely a non-factor for the majority of the night. The Vikings offense did not feature its wide receivers much in the offensive game plan, but Jarius Wright did make multiple timely catches to lead the team with 57 receiving yards.

Tight Ends: B

Bridgewater only targeted the tight end position three times on Sunday night, but both recorded receptions went for large gains. Kyle Rudolph caught passes of 28 and 25 yards—one of which ended in a touchdown—giving the Vikings offense a significant boost in the team's decisive victory.

Offensive Line: B

As it has so frequently when playing at home, Minnesota's offensive line did a solid job in both pass protection and run-blocking against New York. However, Bridgewater was sacked three times on Sunday night, leading to a combined loss of 18 yards.

Left tackle Matt Kalil struggled a bit over the course of the evening, and left guard Brandon Fusco allowed a very easy sack of Bridgewater, but the Vikings front five played well as a whole, paving the way for a monstrous rushing performance and efficient passing game.

Defensive Line: B

Linval Joseph returned to the Vikings defensive line for the first time since the end of November, and the unit responded with yet another strong performance. Minnesota's front four struggled a bit to contain running back Rashad Jennings, but the group—particularly Tom Johnson and Everson Griffen—did a great job putting pressure on Eli Manning in passing situations.

Linebackers: B

Similar to the initial level of Minnesota's defense, the second level returned arguably its most important member in Week 16. Anthony Barr, who had not been on the field since early December against the Seattle Seahawks, helped the Vikings linebacking unit to an overall above-average day at the office.

Jennings managed to break a 50-yard reception on a short completion, which falls largely on the shoulders of the Vikings' second defensive level, but the group did a sufficient job overall in both pass coverage and run defense.

Defensive Backs: A

With exception of a long touchdown by Rueben Randle and a few long garbage-time completions, the Vikings defensive secondary played outstanding on Sunday night. Andrew Sendejo—who desperately needs to wrap up when attempting a tackle—Harrison Smith and Captain Munnerlyn all recorded interceptions, and Xavier Rhodes played very well in pass coverage for the vast majority of the game.

Terence Newman, with exception to the touchdown allowed to Randle, played well despite dealing with an illness, and Trae Waynes, who did struggle with tackling to some degree, also did a nice job in limited action.

Special Teams: A

With exception of a missed extra point, this may have been the Vikings' best collective special teams performance of the season. Blair Walsh converted five field goals—two from 50-plus yards away—Jeff Locke actually did a very good job punting New York into long field situations and Robert Blanton made an outstanding play to return an onside kick attempt 27 yards, giving the Vikings offense one of numerous short fields.

Cordarrelle Patterson and Marcus Sherels were essentially non-factors as return men, but the coverage teams—particularly Danielle Hunter—did an excellent job containing the Giants special teams from doing any significant damage.

Coaching: A

One would have to nit-pick to find a blemish in Mike Zimmer and Norv Turner's coaching performances against the Giants. Both play-callers did a great job on their respective side of the ball, and it appears that the Vikings' veteran coaches have found a good rhythm in creating quality game plans for their opponents.

Vikings Clinch Playoff Berth

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Following the Atlanta Falcons' and St. Louis Rams' upsets of the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, the Vikings were forced to earn a playoff berth on their own Sunday night. With its win over New York, Minnesota did just that, ensuring a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2012.

"I would have took it the other way, but you know it's always better if you do something yourself, as opposed to relying on somebody else," Mike Zimmer told the local media after the game. "That's the opportunity we have in front of us [now], and that's the opportunity we had tonight."

The Vikings have fought through plenty of ups-and-downs this season, beginning with their Week 1 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. However, Minnesota will ultimately enter the final week of the regular season in the position it envisioned back in August.

"We are exactly in the position we wanted to be, in a position win the NFC North," Adrian Peterson told the media. They flexed the game so it will be later, you know it is what it is. But, this is what we envisioned for ourselves and [have] an opportunity to do. It's right here in front of us."

For the fans that hung with this team through all the trials and tribulations, they will be rewarded with January football for the first time since Peterson carried the team on his back three years ago. This time, however, the entire team earned this honor, and they have no one else to thank but themselves.

"I think the best situation for our team is to go out there and prove it ourselves rather than, not backing in, but letting somebody else lose or win in Seattle's case to get us in," said veteran linebacker Chad Greenway, who will be playing in his fourth postseason since joining the Vikings in 2007. "I thought this was a great situation for our team knowing that we had to win this game to get in and play accordingly, and I thought we did that."

Unlike Greenway, this will be the first crack at the postseason for a high number of players on the Vikings' active roster. Linebacker Anthony Barr and cornerback Xavier Rhodes, two players who will be receiving their playoff inauguration in a few short weeks, expressed their excitement via Twitter after the game:

"

playoffs? playoffs! #skolszn

— Anthony Barr (@itheeayb) December 28, 2015"

"

Playoff bound baby

— LivingTheDream (@XavierRhodes29_) December 28, 2015"

Blair Walsh, who was a part of the 2012 Vikings team that was forcefully ousted from the playoffs in the first round by the Green Bay Packers, also took to Twitter to share his emotions with fans:

"

Great "W". Dominating team win! Proud of all these guys. #skol pic.twitter.com/hWgow4dGnO

— Blair Walsh (@BlairWalsh3) December 28, 2015"

This Vikings team may not be the most talented or boast a ton of recognizable faces—as Pro Bowl voting showed—but it certainly seems to have a different feel.

Zimmer has certainly instilled a "sky is the limit" mentality in this special group of players, one that has them believing that qualifying for the playoffs is merely the first step in accomplishing what constitutes a successful 2015 season.

"It's only step one, but it's good to know that you earned it," Teddy Bridgewater said. "You can't rely on anyone to do your dirty work for you, and that's why we appreciate Coach Zimmer.

"That was his message that we have to embrace the challenge that's in front of us, and the guys did a great job of answering that and responding, and it showed tonight."

Step one took 16 weeks to accomplish, but step two has been compartmentalized into just one week, as the Vikings will look to earn their first NFC North division title since Brett Favre led the team to said result back in 2009.

Adrian Peterson Closes in on Rushing Title

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Adrian Peterson has made it well-known that reaching the postseason and winning a Super Bowl are his top priorities, but the generational running back would certainly be thrilled about adding another rushing title to his long list of career achievements.

As Chris Tomasson of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press reported earlier this week, Peterson is excited about the prospect of earning what would be his third career rushing title: "It would be pretty cool," Peterson said of joining a list of top senior backs. "People put a stigma on being a 30-year-old back and I showed them this year that age doesn't matter."

If the 2012 MVP is able to hold off Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin and finish the 2015 season with the league's highest rushing total, he will become the second-oldest player to do so—Hall of Famer Curtis Martin was 32 years old when he accomplished the same feat back in 2004 while playing for the New York Jets.

Entering Sunday night's action, Peterson faced a 44-yard deficit in the race, with Martin recording a 49-yard effort during Tampa Bay's loss to the Chicago Bears earlier in the day. Peterson responded with 108 rushing yards on 22 carries and nearly closed the gap on one 39-yard carry during the second half against New York.

Tampa Bay will close out its season against the Carolina Panthers next Sunday, a team with a run defense that Football Outsiders' efficiency-measuring statistic DVOA ranks No. 8 in the NFL. Martin, however, has had plenty of success against Carolina throughout the duration of his relatively short career, recording 444 rushing yards in five contests (88.8 per game) against the Buccaneers' divisional opponent.

The Panthers have allowed only two players—Martin (Week 4) and Rashad Jennings (Week 15)—to reach the 100-yard rushing plateau this season, with Martin posting the Panthers' highest single-game total allowed (108 yards) back in early October.

Peterson, who has rushed for 1,418 yards on the season and now owns a 64-yard cushion over Martin (1,354), will go up against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, which boasts a run defense that DVOA ranks No. 18 this season.

Similar to Martin, Peterson has also had plenty of success against his final regular-season opponent, as he has rushed for 1,693 yards during 15 matchups (112.9 per game) against the Vikings' bitter rival since his career began back in 2007.

This career rushing split is Peterson's highest against any team he has faced in his career, and his 5.37 per-carry average is his fourth-best among teams he has played at least four games against. He owns averages of 7.88, 5.56 and 5.40 against the San Diego Chargers (three games), Buccaneers (four games) and St. Louis Rams (four games), respectively.

Green Bay has allowed four players to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark this season—Matt Forte (Week 1), Todd Gurley (Week 5), C.J. Anderson (Week 8) and Darren McFadden (Week 14). Gurley's 159-yard breakout performance paces the foursome, but Forte's 141-yard opening-week effort certainly offers optimism to those rooting for Peterson as well.

In addition to the rushing title itself, Peterson will have a strong opportunity to reach the 1,500-yard rushing plateau for the third time in his career, a total number that could be much higher if not for it eluding him on multiple previous occasions primarily due to usage (2007) and injury (2010, 2013).

He will reach this number with an 82-yard effort against the Packers, a total that would not only put his team in a strong position to win its pivotal division championship showdown, but, in combination with his current 64-yard edge, likely assure him the rushing title as well—barring an unprecedented performance by Martin against a stingy Carolina defense.

Peterson will have the benefit of knowing how many yards it will take to win the rushing title, as the Vikings will play in the NFL's final game of 2015 regular season—assuming someone makes him aware of how Martin performed, as he will likely be in the midst of his pregame preparation routine when Tampa Bay and Carolina finish up. This game is currently scheduled to begin at 3:25 p.m. CT/4:25 p.m. ET.

Mike Zimmer: "We Played with a Purpose"

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Mike Zimmer was filled with joy during his postgame press conference on Sunday night, even if his facial expressions and comments along the basis of "cleaning up a few things" argue an opposing stance.

Per usual, he opened up his media address with a bit of an introduction, summarizing his sentiments regarding the Vikings' performance. In the midst of this monologue were a few thoughts about the manner in which his team played, which reflected a style he has preached since Day 1 with the team:

"We played with a purpose, we practiced with a purpose this week," he said. "We got a lot of good football players on this team that care about one another; they care about playing together as a football team. I thought we did some good things [tonight]."

If nothing else, the scoreboard certainly echoes his statements. The Vikings completely destroyed an Odell Beckham Jr.-less Giants team on Sunday Night Football, earning their first victory on a prime-time stage—something the Minnesota head coach poked fun at as well.

"I don't know, we can't win in prime-time, so we'll just keep going," he said, in closure to a statement regarding his team being flexed to a second consecutive Sunday Night Football matchup next weekend.

Zimmer certainly earned that jab at myself, the local media and essentially every fan or analyst, as almost everyone has taken a shot or, at the very least, condescendingly recognized the Vikings' inability to win when the entire nation is watching.

In fairness, however, if Minnesota had defeated San Francisco, Arizona or basically any team over the course of the last decade or so of prime-time matchups, there would have been no need for skepticism in the first place—but this could honestly be said about any challenge of any sports team at any level, regardless of whether it was mumbled under one's breath or expressed to a large audience.

Regardless, the Vikings have made great strides just 31 games into the Zimmer era. They have defied odds, silenced critics, bounced back in the face of adversity and played with the same mentality and purpose that seemingly all the great teams throughout NFL history do.

Minnesota may ultimately be bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, but betting on this team to win a postseason game this season certainly wouldn't be a waste of money.

This team boasts both a comparable roster construction and playing style to the 2012 (and potentially 2013) Seattle Seahawks and is supported by a fiery head coach that won't accept anything less than winning—even if his most recent tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals and their contemporary history of blowing it during the postseason argues against this notion.

Teddy Bridgewater: "It's Very Important to Peak at This Time of the Year"

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Minnesota returned three superstar defenders to the field on Sunday, as Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith all started for the Vikings against the Giants—and made their presence known.

As noted by Dawn Mitchell of Fox 9 Sports, who asked Teddy Bridgewater and multiple Vikings players about getting healthy and playing very well at the right time of the season during postgame interviews, Minnesota is playing its best football, reaching its optimal level of health and is seemingly "peaking" at the right time.

Bridgewater, who, like his head coach, was all smiles during his weekly address of the media, echoed this apparently popular stance:

"

It's very important to get guys back healthy. ... It's also very important to peak at this time of the year. Coach Zimmer has been saying 'this is the time of the year that teams become great teams,' and Coach Zimmer, he's been on some outstanding teams—Super Bowl teams—so he knows what he's talking about, and we have all bought into what he has been saying.

"

There is something to be said about the Vikings organization all being on the same page and buying into the methodology Mike Zimmer preaches. From ownership to general manager Rick Spielman and Co. in the upper executive office to Zimmer, Norv Turner and the Vikings coaching staff, all the way down to the 53-man roster and practice squad, everyone appears to be following the same formula to reach a common goal.

This may reflect the definition of an opinion, but there are certainly a number of elements that argue in favor of this assessment being more fact than just a frequently expressed judgment.

Beginning with the relationship between Spielman and Zimmer—Zygi Wilf, Mark Wilf and the rest of Minnesota ownership largely delegates team operations to more knowledgeably personnel—these two constructors of Minnesota's roster surely seem to complement one another well.

This may be seen through the large number of Vikings rookies who have contributed this season in varying degrees; Spielman has drafted players—likely with Zimmer and Turner's advice in mind—that play directly into the current direction and playing style of this team.

While this may seem like something every organization does—or at least reflect a quality that should be apparent in any relationship between upper management and coaching staff—there are plenty of teams that do not have this same chemistry or synergy. Both the Indianapolis Colts (GM Ryan Grigson, head coach Chuck Pagano) and Miami Dolphins (general manager Dennis Hickey, former head coach Joe Philbin), for example, have struggled in this regard.

These teams' first-round rookies Phillip Dorsett (Colts) and DeVante Parker (Dolphins) have failed to factor into their respective teams' offensive game plans this season due to positional depth (Dorsett) or any number of hard-to-explain factors (Parker). In fairness, however, Dorsett has spent plenty of time on the shelf due to a fractured ankle, but his 162 snaps in 10 games (16.2 per-game average) does reflect some level of discord between Grigson and Pagano.

Furthermore, seemingly every Vikings player has bought into what Zimmer is selling—with the exception of possibly Cordarrelle Patterson, who has struggled to understand why he isn't being used much on offense. This may be found in what Bridgewater said following the Giants game, as well as the overall on-field unity and resiliency that the Vikings have shown this season through thick and thin.

As Zimmer noted, his players all play with "purpose." This is something that may also be said about the units he has coached in the past, as reflected by the extremely kind sentiments and high opinions of him that have been offered up by players he has previously worked with like Geno Atkins and former colleagues—or, potentially more appropriately, mentors—such as Bill Parcells.

This rare top-to-bottom organizational harmony is potentially the most dominant piece of an extremely complex and differently interpreted viewpoint that may only be encapsulated through the simple statement: This team feels different.

Whether one believes this "feeling" is a product of the team's overall performance since Zimmer began "fixing" the Vikings in 2014; on-field behavior expressed both in discipline as supported by a lack of penalties and passion seen during performance-based celebrations and general in-game excitement; a team-wide unity displayed during player interviews, through playful internal competitions or teasing and expressions of genuine enthusiasm when teammates reach their goals.

Or, it might be some combination of all the aforementioned pieces and a number of various other unrecognized elements of a seemingly winning formula; this is a sentiment that even the most cynical Vikings fans find themselves inadvertently agreeing with or having trouble denying.

Regardless of whether the television networks and popular sports personalities make note of it or not, Minnesota is peaking at the right time, getting healthy during the part of the season when games are most critical and, above all, appears to be completely unified at every level with the postseason on the horizon.

The Vikings will put all of this to the test next weekend against a Packers team against which it owns a 1-10-1 record since the conclusion of a three-game, head-to-head winning streak in early November 2009. This lone victory, however, came in a similar situation back in 2012, when the Vikings needed to beat the Packers during a Week 17 matchup in order to reach the postseason.

Here is to hoping Minnesota can evolve from being a "good team" to a "great team" when it travels to Lambeau Field with goals of renewing a rivalry that has become rather one-sided in recent years and earning a division championship banner that will hang forever.

All statistics are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, and all quotes are courtesy of Vikings.com, unless otherwise noted.

Final Note to Readers: This will be my final article for Bleacher Report.

I hope to continue engaging with everyone in the future and would urge those interested in keeping up with my work to find me on Twitter @RobertReidellBT.