Vikings @ Giants

[MaroonBells]

Vikings get yet another less-than-stellar defense this week. Giants have as much talent on their front as anyone, with Dexter Lawrence in the middle and Burns and Carter outside, but their achilles is stopping the run. They rank bottom five in that category. I look for the Vikings to get back to the ground in this one. 

My fantasy QB Jaxon Dart has had a surprisingly good year and he's going to frustrate the hell out of us when he runs the ball, but this is exactly the kind of QB Flores typically confuses. Giants are a sneaky team. They beat the Chargers, played the Broncos to a 1-point finish and had one-score losses to the Lions, Packers and Bears, so this is no gimme. Weather doesn't look like it will be a factor at 50 degrees and sunny.

[StickierBuns]

I think it'll be a close game honestly. Can't ask for better weather this time of year. Let's see who's clutch in the 4th quarter, Minnesota is going to miss Greenard and Metellus for the final stretch.

[supafreak84]

I think this will be more of what we've seen the last couple weeks. Defense will hold a depleted Giants offense in check and McCarthy makes enough plays in a balanced offensive attack to get us the win. 27-17 Vikings

[purplefaithful]

Giants defensive standouts provide pass rush test for J.J. McCarthy, Vikings O-line

Now, in Week 16, Minnesota faces the No. 2 player on this year’s individual sack list: Giants edge rusher Brian Burns.

“If Myles Garrett wasn’t sacking everybody, the whole league would probably be talking about Brian Burns a little bit more,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday. “Such an elite athlete. Explosive. Has really developed his total repertoire.”

The Giants’ pass rush will attempt to shake the consistency established by Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the offensive line the past two weeks.
Burns has 13 sacks on the season, 8.5 behind Garrett and a half sack ahead of the Broncos’ Nik Bonitto and Packers’ Micah Parsons, who will miss the rest of the season because of an ACL tear.

Burns hasn’t had a sack in three weeks, with his last coming in a double-sack performance against the Packers on Nov. 16. Eleven of his sacks came in the first nine games of the season.

Burns, though, is not the Giants’ only threat. Rookie outside linebacker Abdul Carter has a sack in each of the team’s past two games.
Carter, who the Giants drafted No. 3 overall out of Penn State in April, also leads the team in overall QB pressures with 50, two more than Burns, according to Next Gen Stats.

Carter, 22, has 14 quarterback hits and 38 total tackles. He had a season-high seven tackles against the Commanders in Week 15, along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

“He’s trying to make a statement,” said McCarthy of Carter. “Making splash plays.”

McCarthy, who is coming off a win Sunday night against the Cowboys in which he was not sacked, said the Giants’ defensive front is “extremely athletic” and “very versatile.”

Combined, the Giants have a modest 31 sacks — not among the NFL’s best, topped by the Broncos with 58, but not close to the worst, either. The 49ers have only 16 sacks this season.

In total quarterback pressures, the Giants have 173, which ranks above five other Vikings opponents this season, including the Chargers, Ravens and Bears, who all beat the Vikings.

Also in the mix for the Giants is defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (three sacks) and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (2.5), though neither practiced Wednesday. Thibodeaux has been out with a shoulder injury since the Giants’ game against the Bears on Nov. 9.

McCarthy also mentioned veteran defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II alongside Burns and Carter.

“Dexter, he’s always gonna be there, right in the face of the center,” McCarthy said. “Right in the face of Ryan Kelly, and we just gotta do our best to make sure they’re not a problem.”

The Vikings have had their ups and downs in allowing pressure to get to McCarthy. The offensive line has been in flux because of injuries, which will again be a potential concern against the Giants.

Kelly exited Sunday night’s win over the Cowboys because of knee soreness. He was labeled a non-participant at practice Wednesday, but he said in the locker room he feels “great.”

Right tackle Brian O’Neill (heel) and left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) also did not practice Wednesday. O’Neill was supposed to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday following an early exit against the Cowboys; Darrisaw is continuing to work through the 2024 knee injury he returned from earlier this season.

Through all the different line combinations — and quarterbacks — the Vikings have allowed 47 sacks, the fifth-most in the league.

But McCarthy wasn’t sacked at all by the Cowboys and faced pressure on only six snaps, the fewest he has all season. Darrisaw did not appear in that game, with Justin Skule playing in his place.

Pulling that feat off again, or even keeping the Giants to a hit or two on McCarthy, could go a long way in helping the Vikings stack another win and close out their road slate on a positive note.

Though Kelly complimented the collective play of the Giants’ front, he didn’t make it out to be anything special.

“If you look at the strength of most defenses, it’s gonna be their front guys,” Kelly said. “Every week is a challenge. It’s not like you’re going to go play Western Carolina, roll the ball out there and hang 40 on ‘em. 

It’s a grind, day-in and day-out. I think we showed [against the Cowboys] that we play five as one. It’s not always perfect, but I think the challenge is always how physical we can be, how well can you finish and strain.”

Strib

[StickierBuns]

I think JJM takes a mini-step back in this game Sunday, just my gut feel. But my gameday predictions are worse than a broken clock for being correct.

[medaille]

I think this will be more of what we've seen the last couple weeks. Defense will hold a depleted Giants offense in check and McCarthy makes enough plays in a balanced offensive attack to get us the win. 27-17 Vikings

This is pretty much what I'm thinking.  I think the Giants are going to struggle to do anything against a Flores defense.  I think we'll run the same game plan of run the ball heavy and pass moderately focusing on Jets, which opens the field for more aggressive passing.  I think the Giants are going to pretty much give up by the second quarter as they have nothing to play for, their coaches are going to get fired, and Dart gets taken to the concussion protocol tent for another evaluation and they consider whether it's smart to bring him back out for more of a beating.  31-13 Vikings.

[purplefaithful]

Bet the under for sure...

I hope the team keeps their heads/heart in it the last 3 games. They're playing for pride and the All 22 now.

Too bad those last 2 home games are pretty meaningless for most fans, the schedule set-up so well for drama at USB if we were competitive.