3 Vikings Winners and Losers from the W16 Giants Game
Every week, the Vikings winners and losers — the individual players who shine and struggle — come to the fore. The Giants contest for Week 16 is no different.
Full disclosure: the real losers were the ones who had to watch the game; the winners are those who opted for an afternoon nap. Bringing things around to football means acknowledging that Minnesota’s effort was far from flawless. One thinks of Jalen Nailor, a receiver who turned one drop into an interception before another drop almost turned into a pick-six. He had a day to forget. Glancing at the game would lead to several others who either did well or not as well.
The Vikings Winners & Losers from W16
Winner #1 — Brian Flores (and Friends)
Dance time means the defense is having a good time.
On Sunday, the skies were shutdown. Rookie passer Jaxson Dart played an awful football game. He went 7/13 for 33 passing yards and an INT. Clearly, the Giants coaching staff didn’t trust the rookie passer to toss the ball. Also curious was the decision to avoid running with the highly-picked passer.
Coach Flores did exceptionally well on Sunday. New York turned 30 carries into 128 yards. Dart got sacked 5 times, a stunning number given the lack of passing attempts. The Giants went just 2/10 on 3rd down and 1/3 on 4th down.
Oh, and that lonely touchdown? Give that one to the Giants’ defense, scooping and scoring. Flores’s Fiends only allowed field goals.
Loser #1 — J.J. McCarthy
Truth be told, the kid wasn’t playing a bad game. The issue is that he’s hurt yet again, putting the remainder of his season under threat.
McCarthy went 9/14 for 108 passing yards and an interception. Note that the INT went through Nailor’s hands, making it hard to pin the blame on McCarthy. Note, as well, that he delivered the football directly into Jordan Addison’s hands in the end zone at one point, a transaction that would have resulted in a passing touchdown alongside beefier yards.
The problem is the injury. Across less than two seasons, McCarthy has missed a full season due to a knee injury, missed five games due to an ankle injury, and missed a game due to a concussion. Tough to see him succumb to another injury.
Winner #2 — Jay Ward
In fairness, Jay Ward is a long way off from being the queen, but he’s still a nice piece on the chess board.
The defensive back is capable of playing deep, getting shuffled into the slot, or pushed to the boundary as a wide corner. So, too, can he offer physicality near the line of scrimmage, reinforcing the box when the defense is looking to load up against the run.
One can feel his length and speed out there. He has long arms, allowing him to be disruptive and involved in plenty of plays. He had 6 tackles in the Giants game.
Loser #2 — Elite Draft Position
For a time, the Vikings were flirting with getting into the top-ten of the 2026 NFL Draft. Dreams proliferated of landing sensational safety Caleb Downs or rugged runner Jeremiyah Love.
Maybe those guys will be available — teams can be hesitant to draft a safety or running back early — but the more the wins pile up, the more unlikely it becomes.
The 7-8 Vikings — a team getting close to the definition of average: .500 — are coming in at 15th in the current draft order.
Winner #3 — Justin Jefferson
Odd, isn’t it, to applaud what would normally be a humdrum game for Minnesota’s WR1?
The Vikings found a way to feature Justin Jefferson, allowing him to have a reasonably strong day. The 8 targets turned into 6 receptions for 85 yards. The 14.2 yards-per-catch average is much closer to where he should be.
Reasonably, Mr. Jefferson got targeted with some short passes before being allowed to demonstrate ample compete and toughness to gain yards after the catch. Even better is that some of the yardage came with Max Brosmer under center.
The season statistics show 72 catches, 917 yards, and 2 touchdowns. It’s anyone’s guess whether Mr. McCarthy will be out there in Week 17. Whoever is throwing the ball needs to ensure that Jefferson gets fed.
Loser #3 — Ivan Pace
A past version of the Vikings would have leaned on Mr. Pace. Not so on Sunday.
The young ‘backer had just a single snap on defense. More promising were the 15 snaps on specials, but that’s a modest workload for Coach Flores.
Pace isn’t in town since he can hang with shifty pass catchers in coverage. He’s a blitzer and someone who can wallop running backs. But while those skills were needed on Sunday, the Vikings opted to turn elsewhere.
Don’t be shocked if Mr. Pace ends up getting traded during the offseason.
