The Vikings' streak of victories in one-point games was broken by the Giants' fourth-quarter stop, and the N.F.L. playoffs saw their first upset by a lower-seeded team.
The roar of the crowd inside U.S. Bank Stadium ebbed and flowed like the waves lashing against the replica Nordic ship outside.
More than 700 yards of total offense were racked up by both the Giants and the Vikings in a back-and-forth game that ended with the Giants celebrating a 31-24 victory to near silence. The Giants' victory over the Vikings, who had won an NFL record 11 games by a single score, was the first upset of the postseason by a lower-seeded team.
When the Vikings threatened the kind of late comeback that had become their trademark, the Giants made a huge defensive stop to preserve their touchdown lead.
In spite of what appeared to be a clean hit on Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was called for roughing the passer, giving the ball to the Vikings at the defensive team's 33-yard line. Minnesota capitalized by crossing the halfway line on a series of short throws. With 1:44 remaining, Cousins threw a short pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson, but Giants safety Xavier McKinney brought him down for a loss of 3 yards.
McKinney removed his helmet in celebration at the turnover on downs, and the defense huddled up with the offensive players to kneel out the clock after Coach Brian Daboll gave the order.
The sixth-seeded Giants defeated the third-seeded Vikings to advance to next week's divisional round matchup against the first-seeded Philadelphia Eagles, whom they will face for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2011.
"We've got a lot of work to do, but it's enjoyable work to be able to be working this time of year," Daboll said in a postgame press conference.
Without a playoff appearance since 2016, the Giants were reasonably pegged by most to be near the bottom of the August power rankings. Joe Schoen, the team's new general manager, hired Daboll in January, so this would be his first season in charge of the team's coaching staff. Saquon Barkley, the team's best player at running back, had been plagued by injuries and had not played a full season since his rookie year of 2018. After a career marked by inconsistency, turnovers, and coaching changes, questions about quarterback Daniel Jones' long-term viability grew.
Jones is on his third head coaching job, but he has thrived under Daboll. Jones completed 24 of 35 throws for 301 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. He felt relaxed and confident in his first ever postseason game.
Jones explained his strategy as "trying to focus on what I've got to do and focus on just executing." To avoid "making it bigger than that" or "getting outside that moment," I focus on doing my work in the here and now.
Even in his first postseason appearance, Barkley held his own. With only nine carries, he still managed to rush for 53 yards and two touchdowns. On one of those runs, he even showed off some of the elusiveness that made him so dangerous as a rookie.
The scene was a breath of fresh air for a team that has been through a lot of turmoil since their Super Bowl victory in 2011. Co-owner Steve Tisch released a statement crediting Daboll and Schoen for laying the groundwork for future success. Since both Jones and Barkley want new deals, the future of the team next season is far from certain.
Even though the Giants' receivers and secondary took a beating from injuries, the team's front office remained competitive all season long despite having a limited budget due to questionable contracts handed out by the previous leadership.
Although McKinney had been sidelined for eight games due to a hand injury and cornerback Adoree' Jackson had missed seven games due to a knee injury, both players returned to action to help contain the Pro Bowl receivers for the Vikings. Neither Adam Thielen nor Justin Jefferson caught a touchdown pass, and Thielen only caught three passes for 50 yards while Jefferson only caught seven for 47.
Both teams scored on their first drives, with Cousins scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak and Barkley racing 28 yards for a score. Approximately one minute into the first quarter, Jones completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to receiver Isaiah Hodgins on the Giants' next drive.
During the Giants' first drive of the second quarter, Jones took off on the ground after the Vikings had a hard time stopping his scrambles and designed runs. Jones carried the ball seven times for 85 yards on a drive that appeared to end with a touchdown on a 4-yard rush before an illegal shift nullified the score. Kicker Graham Gano of the Giants kicked a field goal from 25 yards out, increasing the Giants' lead to 17-7. Jones gained a total of 78 yards on the ground throughout the game, 71 of which came before halftime. With under a minute remaining in the first half, Minnesota responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Cousins to K.J. Osborn from 9 yards out, cutting the deficit to 17-14.
Both teams continued their scoring streaks to open the third quarter, setting up a tense final 10 minutes. There was more attention paid to the Vikings' close games, but the Giants actually had a better record (8-4-1) in games decided by 8 points or fewer this season. "That's why we're such a confident group," Barkley said at his locker, referring to the fact that his team had been competitive throughout the entire season. If you don't come out on top in this game, you're out of here, whether you win or lose.
After the Giants had gone on a 12-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter, Barkley finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown run to give his team a 31-24 lead with under eight minutes to play. In the final minutes of a season built on dramatic comebacks, both teams stepped up their game. With about three minutes left, the Giants failed to convert on third down near midfield when Darius Slayton dropped a perfect pass from Jones. The pass was broken up, and the Vikings got the ball back. Before Hockenson was stopped by McKinney for a big gain, Cousins completed four short passes. As a sports journalist, Emmanuel Morgan primarily focuses on the National Football League. When he was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, he wrote features about players, personnel, and on-field trends for both of the area's National Football League teams. @ EmmanuelMorgan
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