The New York Giants (8–4) will try to avoid the trap game, with the Philadelphia Eagles (8–4) coming to town next weekend, as they go on the road this Sunday to take on the Minnesota Vikings (5–7) at Mall of America Field, Minneapolis.
As the two teams seem headed in opposite direction—the Giants trying to lock up a spot in the NFC playoffs, the Vikings trying to make a disappointing season look respectable—New York can ill-afford to overlook this matchup as Minnesota is still a talented group with a stubborn defense that is ranked No. 4 against the run.
And don’t forget about a game-changing running back in Adrian Peterson, who is ranked No. 4 in the NFL with 1,123 rushing yards.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning said on www.giants.com about Minnesota’s defense, “They’re able to stop the run and get a good pass rush without bringing too many blitzes. Their front four is very talented so we have to be able to block it up and give us a chance to get the ball out.”
Since the hiring of interim coach Leslie Frazier—following the firing of former head coach Brad Childress on Nov. 23—the Vikings are 2–0 and have been playing well.
Despite the wins though, what isn’t certain is if Brett Favre will be the starting quarterback or if backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will be taking the snaps. Favre will most likely be a game-time decision after injuring his shoulder last week against the Buffalo Bills.
On www.vikings.com, head coach Frazier commented on the quarterback situation, “He’s [Favre] still pretty sore. It seems like we’re headed to probably making a decision on Sunday. It seems that way.
“I’m still optimistic, just because of his history. Brett Favre is so, so unique when it comes to recovering from injuries, I’m optimistic that he’ll be out there playing on Sunday.”
In case he cannot, Frazier was optimistic that backup Tarvaris Jackson could takeover, saying, “Tarvaris has been in this situation before. He knows our system extremely well.”
Regardless of who plays, the Vikings have to be aware of the Giants defense, which has knocked out several quarterbacks this season. Frazier spoke about New York’s pass rush, “They’ve done a great job rushing the passer. There’s no question about it. What it means is we’ve got to do a great job of protecting the quarterback when he’s out there.”
One person who will certainly be motivating his defense is Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. After last year’s 44–7 debacle at the hands of Minnesota—also a road game for New York—Coughlin wants to see a huge improvement this Sunday and will be lighting a fire under his team.
In speaking about last year’s loss to Minnesota, he said, “It’s just a reminder of how poorly we played and how focused we have to be. We are trying to make sure our concentration is the best it can be.”
One point that must be noted is this year’s Giants team is a much different group, especially the defense. Under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, they are currently ranked second in pass defense (allowing 192.8 yards per game) and seventh in run defense (allowing 98 yards per game).
Against the Vikings No. 8 rushing offense and 19th ranked pass offense, the G-Men should have the advantage. As has been mentioned though, New York must account for running back Adrian Petersen, a gifted runner who likes to run over defensive backs.
Manning is confident his teammates will step up to the challenge. He said, “They’ve [Vikings] played well when they’ve played the Giants. Hopefully this is a new year. We’ve had to play them a number of times and hopefully we have them figured out a little bit and have a good plan and we can be in a good situation to go out there and play well.”
As the two teams seem headed in opposite direction—the Giants trying to lock up a spot in the NFC playoffs, the Vikings trying to make a disappointing season look respectable—New York can ill-afford to overlook this matchup as Minnesota is still a talented group with a stubborn defense that is ranked No. 4 against the run.
And don’t forget about a game-changing running back in Adrian Peterson, who is ranked No. 4 in the NFL with 1,123 rushing yards.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning said on www.giants.com about Minnesota’s defense, “They’re able to stop the run and get a good pass rush without bringing too many blitzes. Their front four is very talented so we have to be able to block it up and give us a chance to get the ball out.”
Since the hiring of interim coach Leslie Frazier—following the firing of former head coach Brad Childress on Nov. 23—the Vikings are 2–0 and have been playing well.
Despite the wins though, what isn’t certain is if Brett Favre will be the starting quarterback or if backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will be taking the snaps. Favre will most likely be a game-time decision after injuring his shoulder last week against the Buffalo Bills.
On www.vikings.com, head coach Frazier commented on the quarterback situation, “He’s [Favre] still pretty sore. It seems like we’re headed to probably making a decision on Sunday. It seems that way.
“I’m still optimistic, just because of his history. Brett Favre is so, so unique when it comes to recovering from injuries, I’m optimistic that he’ll be out there playing on Sunday.”
In case he cannot, Frazier was optimistic that backup Tarvaris Jackson could takeover, saying, “Tarvaris has been in this situation before. He knows our system extremely well.”
Regardless of who plays, the Vikings have to be aware of the Giants defense, which has knocked out several quarterbacks this season. Frazier spoke about New York’s pass rush, “They’ve done a great job rushing the passer. There’s no question about it. What it means is we’ve got to do a great job of protecting the quarterback when he’s out there.”
One person who will certainly be motivating his defense is Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. After last year’s 44–7 debacle at the hands of Minnesota—also a road game for New York—Coughlin wants to see a huge improvement this Sunday and will be lighting a fire under his team.
In speaking about last year’s loss to Minnesota, he said, “It’s just a reminder of how poorly we played and how focused we have to be. We are trying to make sure our concentration is the best it can be.”
One point that must be noted is this year’s Giants team is a much different group, especially the defense. Under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, they are currently ranked second in pass defense (allowing 192.8 yards per game) and seventh in run defense (allowing 98 yards per game).
Against the Vikings No. 8 rushing offense and 19th ranked pass offense, the G-Men should have the advantage. As has been mentioned though, New York must account for running back Adrian Petersen, a gifted runner who likes to run over defensive backs.
Manning is confident his teammates will step up to the challenge. He said, “They’ve [Vikings] played well when they’ve played the Giants. Hopefully this is a new year. We’ve had to play them a number of times and hopefully we have them figured out a little bit and have a good plan and we can be in a good situation to go out there and play well.”
