The New York Giants have made their way back to the NFL playoffs. Will it be more than just a one-game appearance in the postseason for Daniel Jones and company? The Minnesota Vikings are the favorites to win this matchup and advance to the next round. Will the Vikings take care of business on Sunday? Check out our preview of this Giants vs Vikings game in the Wild-Card Round of the 2022-23 NFL playoffs.
The Giants lost their last game in the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, 22-16. However, there’s not a lot to unpack from that game, with the Giants opting to rest a majority of their starters in that contest. New York is going to be relying on its ground attack to carry the offense versus the Vikings. Fortunately for the Giants, not only do they have one of the best running backs in the nation to test Minnesota’s leaky run defense. Saquon Barkley rushed for 1,312 and 10 touchdowns in 16 games in the regular season. He will deal this coming weekend with the Vikings’ defense that was 20th in the regular season against the run. Minnesota’s suspect pass protection could also be taken advantage of by the Giants who have defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. The rookie has a stellar stretch towards the end of the regular season, recording three sacks in his last five games.
The Giants are 4-0 against the spread in their last 4 games overall.
Minnesota closed out its regular season with a 29-13 win on the road against the Chicago Bears. If anything, at least the Vikings have momentum going into this meeting with New York. Plus, they’re going to play as the home team. Regardless of location, the Vikings always expect nothing but excellence from wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who is nearly automatic downfield. Jefferson finished the regular season with 1,809 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 128 receptions. He will be a major headache for the Giants, who don’t force a lot of turnovers. The Giants were just 31st in the regular season in defensive interception rate and 25th in takeaways per game.
The Vikings are 18-7 against the spread in their last 25 home games versus a team with a winning record on the road.
