Funviralpark It wasn’t troublemaker Kelly Leake catching a pass, Amanda Wurlitzer throwing a touchdown, or enthusiastic Tanner Boyle drilling a long long field goal. And it definitely wasn’t the sullen Morris Buttermaker commanding the home team from the sidelines.
The Giants Didn’t Lose Many, Well, Many on Saturday
“We weren’t playing the Bad News Bears,” said receiver Darius Slayton. I definitely don’t think it will change our view of our team.We know we have a good team, we need to play a few more games to win the game.”
Yes indeed, the Giants failed to win their Week 16 matchup against the Vikings, coming home with the wrong end of a 27-24 loss at U.S. Bank Stadium, delaying their playoff clinching celebration by at least eight days . The Giants had more offense in this loss than in some wins this season. They scored two touchdowns and Graham Gano kicked three field goals. This is more productive than usual for teams who are too often challenged to put together one good drive, then another, then another.
The 445 yards the Giants gained on a fast indoor surface against a dubious Vikings defensive backfield yielding was their best total in over a year. The 319 net passing yards was the second-highest total for the season. Unlike his 324 net yards that Daniel Jones passed on the Lions in Week 11, the Giants weren’t in full comeback his mode throughout the second half this time around.
Jones completed a career-high 30 passes. The fact that the three Giants – Sacquon Barkley, Isaiah Hodgins and Richie James – have eight receptions, and two of them, Hodgins and James, are wide receivers, makes this season, for whatever reason, a no-brainer. A rarity for a team that crossed without passing. I predicted the top four targets of Sterling Shepard (injured), Kadarius Tony (trade), Kenny Goladay (no effect) and rookie Wandale Robinson (injured). That the Giants had his three longest receptions in the game – James for 33 yards, Slayton for 32, Hodgins for 29 – top talent Justin Jefferson and experienced Adam Thielen on the Vikings’ field. Playing at is not a statistical achievement. expected.
“I think we had a good plan and had some things to attack what they were doing. And I think they stepped up and made some plays for us. “The offensive line was great. Saquon played great. The receivers made some big plays too.”
If the Giants (8-6-1) beat the Colts (4-9-1 before Monday night’s game against the Chargers) on Sunday, they’ll enjoy a playoff moment at MetLife Stadium. The Giants need no help to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2016. However, to be a one-off team in the NFC tournament, he will need to move the ball around like he did in Minneapolis and limit mistakes that lower his point totals. In the end, it took them away from the Viking upset, which improved to 12-3.
An interception was thrown when Jones threw Hodgins slightly behind and was picked up by Patrick Peterson. Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger fumbled and the Giants came close to the red zone. There was a costly third down drop by James who played an otherwise strong game. He compromised the drive by penalizing left guard Nick Gates and center John Feliciano.
“I think we were moving the ball up and down the field all day,” Feliciano said. “We really shot ourselves with penalties and turnovers. They generated turnover, so I’m not trying to take anything away from them. will be penalized with
The offensive Giants gave it their best all the way to the end. With three minutes remaining he took a 24-16 lead, Jones kept Slayton and his 32 yards out and brought a desperate drive to life. Barkley found the middle lane and capped it by exploiting a gap in the Vikings’ defense with a 27-yard touchdown burst to bring the Giants within 24-22 with 2:01 remaining. A 2-point conversion play that got rolled forced Jones to roll to the right and find one of his targets. He showed patience and lofted the ball deep into his zone at the end, where Bellinger scored a grab to tie the game.
“We’re trying to get a little better movement on the receiver and create a box to the right of it, so the DJ has options,” Bellinger said. “I just tried to get lost behind the safety. I think the DJ did a really good throw. It felt like I was there for an hour.”
An offensive Giants player can look back and wonder what would have happened had the game gone into overtime. Found Jefferson 17 yards on the third down throw that led to the winning field goal. Jones and the rest of the offense will have to wait a week to see if the positive signs they showed in Minnesota have carryover effects.
