Skip to main content

Vikings vs. Giants Predictions: Who Wins This Rematch in the Wild Card Round?

The Vikings and Giants are meeting for the second time in three weeks, and this time, the loser goes home.
  • Author:
  • Publish date:

For the second time in three weeks, the Vikings are hosting the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. This time, the stakes are a bit higher. Sunday's game is a winner-go-home playoff matchup.

When these teams met in Week 16, the Vikings squeezed out a 27-24 win on a last-second 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph. It was an entertaining, well-played game between two teams that looked quite evenly matched.

The chess match going into this weekend's rematch is fascinating. With their preparation for the last meeting still fresh in their minds, these teams have spent the week coming up with adjustments and curveballs and trying to anticipate what the other team will change this time around.

Getting Dalvin Cook, Running Game Going Will Be Key For Vikings Against Giants

"He's going to have something for us, but we have something for him too," Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said of Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

"I think you'll like the way we play," said Vikings DC Ed Donatell.

"Having just recently played them, that’s where you’re trying to work through things you can really hone in on versus ‘What’s the next step? What’s the next phase of not only their plan but our plan?’ and how we can maybe do things better," Kevin O'Connell said.

Ahead of Sunday's game, let's run through some predictions, starting with my pick and then seeing who various national analysts are taking in this game.

Will's pick: Vikings 23, Giants 17

2022 record: 13-4

I think these are two well-coached, fairly evenly-matched teams. Both have played in all kinds of one-score games this season, so expecting anything else seems foolish. I just think there are a few things working in the Vikings' favor. Home-field advantage is a big deal, and the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium will be on another level for playoff football. Plus, I just trust Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and the Vikings' offense more than I trust Daniel Jones and his ragtag group of pass-catchers. Keeping Cousins clean will be key for the Vikings, especially against Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams in the interior. I expect Minnesota's defense to show up and play well, and I'm taking the Vikings to win a relatively low-scoring affair.

National predictions

Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Giants 27, Vikings 26

Kirk Cousins gets hit more than any quarterback in football. That was the case during the Vikings' tight win over the Giants just three weeks ago and will be the case again with the Vikings on Sunday without right tackle Brian O'Neill. All season, the Giants made due with scheme over talent. But with Dexter Lawrence dominating alongside Leonard Williams, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale can get truly wild with his blitzes and stunts. They are healthy and peaking at the right time. When the Vikings have the ball, the coaching matchup should be a fascinating back-and-forth. When the Giants have the ball, give Brian Daboll the edge.

I've been picking against the Giants all year as they searched for the right mix of players and cohesion. They finally found it in December. This receiver group is good enough. The Vikings played more man coverage and blitzed more late in the season, but they are ultimately a passive defense that struggles against RPOs. I hate picking the trendy upset of the week, but the Giants wanted this matchup for a reason. It will be cruel when Minnesota's first one-score loss of the season comes when it matters most. 

Bleacher Report Staff: Giants 28, Vikings 24

"I expect Daniel Jones to make some throws, but the Giants should also unleash his running ability to keep the Vikes offense off the field. The Giants know what they can and cannot do offensively. Their defense is 'bend don't break' with a knack for buckling down, and I think that'll be enough to not just cover, but win outright."

Mike Florio, PFT: Vikings 24, Giants 22

For as long as they are alive in the playoffs, the Vikings will either win by 2-4 points or lose by 20-40.

Michael David Smith, PFT: Vikings 21, Giants 20

Brian Daboll getting that roster to the playoffs was a great coaching achievement, but the Giants’ run ends on Sunday. The Vikings have been winning close games all year, and they’ll do it again.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Giants 30, Vikings 28

These two played on Christmas Eve, and the Vikings needed a 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph to win it. The Giants gained 448 yards of offense that day and probably should have won the game. But they didn't. Now it's a road playoff game, which will be a challenge. Even so, I think Brian Daboll will take advantage of a bad Minnesota defense. This one should be high scoring, as Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson will make some plays, but it will be the Giants that win it with a late field goal this time to advance. 

Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Giants 31, Vikings 28

The third-seeded Vikings have only seven takeaways in eight games since posting a season-high four in their signature win over Buffalo. They had zero takeaways in four of them, going 1-3 while allowing 140 points. The Giants have only five giveaways in their last seven games, including two in losing on a 61-yard walk-off field goal against the Vikings. The blueprint is simple: Protect the football and you will outscore a Vikings team that still has a schematically-challenged defense. The sixth-seeded Giants pull the upset by doing just that.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Vikings 28, Giants 22

This is the best chance for a road upset. The Giants took the Vikings to the limit in Week 16, and Saquon Barkley had 133 total yards and a TD. The Giants are 5-1 when Barkley gets 20 carries or more, and he needs to have a monster performance in his first playoff game for New York to have a chance. The spotlight will be on Kirk Cousins, too. He's 1-3 in the playoffs, and this is his first home start for the Vikings. The difference in that first matchup was Minnesota did not have a turnover. If the Giants can force a few miscues, then they will have a chance. We are still sticking with the home team. Justin Jefferson – who had 12 catches for 133 yards in the first meeting – busts loose again. 

Seth Walder, ESPN: Vikings 26, Giants 20

Eric Moody, ESPN: Giants 20, Vikings 17

What to watch for: This game will feature the fourth matchup of rookie coaches in the Super Bowl era. Giants coach Brian Daboll and Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell are both Coach of the Year award candidates after leading their teams to much better records than consensus preseason prognostications. O'Connell bested Daboll during a Week 16 matchup, but this game will be decided on how they handle the most important on-field matchup Sunday. With a patchwork offensive line, can O'Connell adjust to the pressure that Daboll's team puts on quarterback Kirk Cousins? The Giants blitzed on 43% of Cousins' dropbacks in the last matchup, sacking him four times and hitting him on nine other occasions. — Kevin Seifert

Bold prediction: Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson will go for 200-plus yards receiving. Adoree' Jackson or not, the Giants won't be able to stop the wideout who defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said was a top-two receiver in the NFL before following up, "and he's not No. 2." Jefferson went for 12 catches and 133 yards in the first matchup between the teams, and there were plenty of opportunities for more. The Vikings won't miss in this one. — Jordan Raanan

Stat to know: The Giants' offense has used play-action at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL, and Daniel Jones has the third-highest completion rate (75.3%) on those plays. The Vikings' defense has allowed the second-highest yards per attempt on play-action in the league this season (10.3), along with the fifth-highest completion rate (70.5%).

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.