New York Giants Week 16: Five to Watch vs. Minnesota Vikings
The New York Giants finally ended their winless, four-game skid with a big 20-12 win over the Washington Commanders last week.
Though it wasn’t a pretty win, the Giants are now a step closer to clinching a playoff berth and will be looking to ride the momentum from their key victory as they take on their last three opponents of the regular season.
Up next on Christmas Eve, the Giants face the Minnesota Vikings, an 11-3 NFC juggernaut that has proven to be explosive all season. After being down 33-0 to the Indianapolis Colts at halftime last Saturday, the Vikings wound up completing the largest comeback in NFL history, scoring an unanswered 29 points to force overtime before knocking in the game-winning field goal to seal their 39-36 victory.
With the Vikings hot from their big win, the Giants will have to deliver quite the flawless performance if they stand a chance to take down Minnesota on Saturday. Several factors will need to fall in place for that to come to fruition, including key role players stepping up with influential performances to give this team a shot to come away with a win.
Here are the five players/position groups to watch for in the Giants' Christmas Eve clash against the Vikings.
CB Fabian Moreau
One of the most daunting realities this Giants defense has to confront on Saturday is the Vikings wide receivers, particularly two-time Pro Bowl sensation Justin Jefferson. And an early guess is that Fabian Moreau will likely be asked to keep Jefferson in check.
In the Giants' previous three matchups, Moreau has allowed 12 receptions on 16 targets for 158 yards and a touchdown. Though he’s managed to keep the touchdown receptions at bay, the 75-reception percentage he’s produced is much higher than his 59 percent average on the season.
Entering Week 16, Jefferson leads the league in receptions (111), receiving yards (1,623), receiving yards per game (115.9), and yards after the catch amongst all wide receivers (551). Jefferson is as real as advertised, and Moreau, if he draws the primary assignment of guarding Jefferson, will need to deliver his best game of the season.
If Moreau isn’t tasked with Jefferson, he’ll have to deal with either Adam Thielen or K.J. Osborn, two capable and talented wide receivers that could also give him fits on the outside. Last week, Osborn had a career day, reeling in 10 of his 16 targets for 157 yards and a touchdown, which included a 63-yard catch.
OTs Andrew Thomas & Evan Neal
Vikings pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter are two of the best at pressuring quarterbacks in the NFL and bring a high-efficiency rate with their production. Smith, who leads the league in pressures (72), has ten sacks on the season, while Hunter, tied in 9th in the league in pressures (55), has 8.5 sacks.
The good news for the Giants is that Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal are coming off better games than how they performed against the Philadelphia Eagles. Thomas, who allowed three pressures and a sack against the Eagles, only conceded one pressure in 35 pass-blocking snaps against the Commanders.
While Neal, who had his worst game of the season against the Eagles, where he conceded eight pressures and a sack, improved a bit against the Commanders last week with five pressures allowed and no sacks.
Though it was nothing flawless, these two Giants tackles have some momentum to work with. They'll need to deliver a strong showing against Smith and Hunter to help advance the Giants' quest for a playoff berth.
Pass Rush
The Giants pass rush over the last three weeks has been relentless. Since failing to record a single sack against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Giants have posted three or more sacks in each game since, often getting home with four rushers, which has helped the depleted defensive secondary.
At the forefront of the rush has been defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, and defensive lineman Leonard Williams. In their previous matchup against the Commanders, each of these Giants found a way to influence the game and come away with sacks and pressures.
Lawrence, the most consistent pass rush threat, had five pressures and a 0.5 sack, which he split with Ojulari, who also had five pressures. But the rookie Thibodeaux stood out the most, completing a strip sack he recovered for a touchdown.
In Minnesota, the Giants pass rush could find the same success, mainly due to how poor the Vikings' offensive line has been this season. In 604 pass-blocking snaps, the Vikings offensive line is second in the league in pressures allowed (177), second in sacks allowed (31), and first in hits conceded (46). This weekend the Vikings will be without their starting center, which sets the stage for a favorable matchup for Lawrence to exploit.
If they plan on slowing down this elite Vikings offense, the Giants pass rush will need to make quarterback Kirk Cousins uncomfortable in the pocket.
On 173 pass attempts under pressure, Cousins’ completion percentage plummeted from his 65.3 percent average to 50.3 percent. Though Cousins has completed seven of his 24 touchdowns under pressure, he’s also committed four of his 11 interceptions when pressured, highlighting how volatile his production can be with defenders in his face.
WRs Darius Slayton & Richie James Jr.
The Giants passing game has been inconsistent throughout the season, sitting 28th in the league in yards per game (179.0) and 26th in passing yards per play (6.05). Though this overall concern starts with Jones, it ends with the receivers, which includes his two best wideouts in Darius Slayton and Richie James.
Slayton, who was trending in the right direction from Week 7 through Week 13, has fallen a bit since, catching seven of his ten targets for only 65 yards with no touchdowns and posting a drop in his last two games.
On the other hand, James has been playing better over the Giants' last five games. Since Week 11, James has reeled in 80 percent or more of his targets in every game, including three touchdowns. James’ sharp play came to life against the Eagles, where he caught seven of his eight targets for 62 yards and a touchdown.
On Saturday, this tandem could be in store for a competitive output against a Vikings pass defense that sits 31st in the league in passing yards allowed per game (278.8), 30th in passing yards per play (7.49), and has allowed an average of 24.9 points.
Though several factors are at play for the Vikings struggles, corners Cameron Dantzler and Chandon Sullivan have reception percentages above 78 percent. They allowed 1,090 yards and four touchdowns between the two on the season.
The Vikings do have three-time All-Pro Patrick Peterson. Even at age 32, Peterson has been tough to go up against and doesn’t concede much. Peterson currently holds a reception percentage allowed of 58.3 and hasn’t conceded a receiving touchdown since Week 9. Peterson also has not allowed a receiver to come away with more than 50 yards receiving since Week 1.
ILBs Jaylon Smith and Landon Collins
The Giants' defense will need to keep tabs on another very talented receiving weapon, particularly in and around the red zone: tight end T.J. Hockenson, who, since arriving in Minnesota, has made quite the impact.
In the Vikings' last two games, Hockenson has been targeted 16 times, eight in each game.
For the Giants' pass coverage unit, Hockenson will likely have to outduel inside linebackers Jaylon Smith and Landon Collins. In 232 pass coverage snaps, Smith has allowed an 84.6 reception percentage (the highest of his career) on 26 targets to go with 181 yards.
Collins, who was signed to the active roster this week, has fared a little better in coverage in limited coverage snaps (41). Collins has allowed one of four pass targets to be completed for five yards.
Hockenson has one receiving touchdown for the Vikings in the seven games he’s played with them, but he's a threat to break it open, and given how the Giants have struggled with tight ends, this is a matchup to watch.
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