Week 16 Opponent Preview: Minnesota Vikings

The Giants are looking for their first road win agains the Minnesota Vikings since December 13, 2010.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 26, 2022 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Not much has gone right for the New York Giants in the last ten years or so, including some existing losing streaks against opponents that, while they don't see every year, they see enough of.

One such opponent is the Minnesota Vikings, whom the Giants have seen four times since 2013. The Giants, who won that 2013 matchup, have dropped their last three straight, and none of the losses have been pretty. All three have been blowout losses, the Vikings outscoring the Giants 101-37.

Week 16: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings

Saturday, December. 24, 2022, 1 p.m., FOX

Vikings' 2021 Record

8-9, (.471), 2nd place, NFC North

Series History

The Giants trail the regular-season series with the Vikings 16-10 but lead the postgame series 2-1. The Vikings currently have a three-game regular-season winning streak against New York, and the Giants are 5-8 in games played on the Vikings' home turf (0-1 at U.S. Bank Stadium).

Last Meeting

October 6, 2019: The Vikings gained 490 yards in a 28-10 crushing of the Giants, the first loss of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones's career. The Vikings took a 3-0 lead to get things started and never looked back. Jones (21 of 38 for 182 yards, one touchdown) was sacked four times in that game. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (22 of 27) threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns in the win for his team.

Before that game, the Vikings won their last two home games in the series, a 49-17 in TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus on December 27, 2015, and a 24-10 triumph in U.S. Bank Stadium on October 3, 2016. The Giants last defeated the Vikings, 23-7, on October 21, 2013, in MetLife Stadium.

Vikings' Key Additions

Za'Darius Smith, OLB (FA); Jordan Hicks, LB (FA); Harrison Phillips, DT (FA); Lewis Cine, S (draft), Andrew Booth, CB (draft); Patrick Peterson, CB (re-signed); Chandon Sullivan, CB (FA); Chris Reed, G (FA); Johnny Mundt, TE (FA)

Vikings' Key Losses

Michael Pierce, DT (released); Tyler Conklin, TE (FA); Anthony Barr, LB (FA); Xavier Woods, S (FA); Mason Cole, G/C (FA); Everson Griffen, DE (unsigned); Sheldon Richardson, DT (FA)

Offseason Grade: B-

The big story of the Vikings' offseason was a full regime change. After two consecutive losing seasons, longtime GM Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer were replaced by younger leaders in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell.

These moves were all about changing the Vikings' culture with an influx of collaboration, analytics and a more modern approach. Interestingly, that didn't lead to a very different offseason from a roster-building perspective.

The Vikings declined to hit the reset button, instead choosing to gear up for what they believe will be a season of playoff contention. They extended Kirk Cousins again, made a free agency splash by signing Smith, and added or retained several other veterans at positions of need.

Clearly, they believe this roster is ready to win at a high level right now. O'Connell brought Wes Phillips with him from the Rams to be his offensive coordinator and hired respected veteran coach Ed Donatell to be his DC. Cine and Booth Jr. should help revamp the secondary as rookies. — Will Ragatz, Inside the Vikings

Biggest Unanswered Question

How many of the top three draft picks will be starters in Week 1? Cine, the first-round safety out of Georgia, has an incredible skill set and seems likely to beat out Camryn Bynum for a starting job in training camp. Booth faces an uphill battle to take Cameron Dantzler's job at outside cornerback, but it's possible.

The same goes for fellow second-rounder Ed Ingram, who will be in a three-person battle for the Vikings' vacant right guard job with veteran free agent pickups Chris Reed and Jesse Davis. — Will Ragatz, Inside the Vikings

Fantasy fact: Jefferson has recorded 604.6 fantasy points in his first two seasons in the NFL. That is the second-most points scored by a wide receiver in his first two years behind only Odell Beckham Jr.’s 614.3 points. However, Jefferson’s 196 catches and 3,016 yards are the most posted by a wideout in Years 1-2. He’s a first-rounder in fantasy drafts. — Michael Fabiano