Three Things the Vikings Must Change Against Giants on Sunday
Ted Schwerzler
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Less than a month ago, the Minnesota Vikings welcomed the New York Giants to U.S. Bank Stadium for a Week 16 regular season matchup. They trailed that contest for roughly five minutes and ended it with a walk-off kick. If they would like to create some separation this time around, there are a few things the Vikings must change.
When Minnesota beat the Giants back on Christmas Eve, they celebrated in style as Greg Joseph banged hom a career-long and franchise-record 61-yard field goal. Despite never racing out to a significant lead in the contest, it was a situation they should have never found themselves in.
Early in the second quarter, the Vikings led 10-0 before giving up a touchdown roughly five minutes later. That 10-point spread was the greatest deficit faced by either team throughout the game, and it was one that never provided any momentum. Distancing themselves from New York this time around will take a few tweaks that Minnesota must make.
Tighten Up the Defense
All year, Ed Donatell’s defense has been a problem for the Minnesota Vikings. The secondary has allowed opposing quarterbacks to pick them apart, and that was some of the narrative against the Giants. Daniel Jones threw for 334 yards and New York compiled a total of 445 against the Vikings. Patrick Peterson had a very mediocre day through the majority of the game, and saved his performance late by grabbing a pass intended for Isaiah Hodgins.
Minnesota has been one of the worst defenses in the NFL this year in terms of yards allowed per game. With the Giants offense not being anything extremely special, it’s imperative that the Vikings build off their momentum from the Bears game and shut down the opposition.
Stop the Run
As much as the NFL has become a passing league, the Giants still operate largely in the running game. Saquon Barkley has had a great bounce back year, and the first time he saw Minnesota he put up six yards per carry. Allowing a first down every two times Barkley touches the ball is not something the Vikings can afford to do. Matt Breida was limited to just two carries, so Donatell’s defense knows who will have the ball. All they have to do is just shut the Penn State product down, which is easier said than done.
Although not to the extent of Justin Fields, Jones is an adept runner as well. He put up 34 yards on four carries in Week 16 against the Vikings. Making sure that Minnesota has some sort of spy or an ability to close the pocket remains a must.
Generate Momentum
Sitting in the stands for the Christmas Eve matchup was unlike most Vikings games I have previously experienced. For whatever reason, it felt as though both sides were fine going through the motions and not truly taking control of the game. There was a noticeable lacking vibe and amount of noise in U.S. Bank Stadium. That is not something that has become customary for the Vikings, and it’s something that shouldn’t be present for a home playoff game.
The crowd needs to find a reason to get behind Minnesota early, and the Vikings taking momentum and running with it is huge. An early score or turnover could be all that’s needed but using the home field to their advantage needs to be part of the plan.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.