This time, there was no last second 61 yard field goal to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This time, the better team won the game.
The New York Giants flew into Minnesota and played a near perfect playoff game against the Vikings Sunday. And for their efforts, they move on to the Divisional round. The final score was 31-24, Big Blue.
Let's be honest. This was the best playoff matchup the Giants could've hoped for. The Vikings, despite an impressive 13-4 regular-season record, were quite possibly the weakest division winner in the NFL, and that includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their defense was tied for third worst in the league along with the Colts and Lions, surrendering 427 points. A look under hood revealed a team that had been playing with fire all season long, and this time they got burned. The fact is had the Giants not committed two turnovers and had a punt blocked in week 16, they would've won that game, too. For the Jints, it came down to not shooting themselves in the foot.
But just because the Vikes were a paper tiger, that shouldn't diminish what the Giants accomplished here. Put succinctly, this was the best postseason game this franchise has played in since the 2011 season: the last time they won the Super Bowl. Just look at these stats: The Giants led in first downs: 28-21; rushing yards: 142-61; total yards: 431-332; and time of possession: 33:36-26:24. They literally made two mistakes the entire game: a procedural penalty in the red zone that wiped out a touchdown and a dropped pass by Darius Slayton late in the 4th quarter that would've allowed them to run out the clock. In the end, neither proved costly.
It goes without saying that the job Brain Daboll and his staff have done with this team is nothing short of miraculous. They literally took a 4-13 team and in less than a year transformed it into a 9-7-1 playoff team. But more than that, they have changed the culture in a locker room that for the better part of a decade had gotten used to losing. These players now believe in themselves and it shows on the field. As I wrote last October, we haven't seen such discipline from a Giants team since "the glory days of Bill Parcels."
Mike Kafka called a perfect game, dialing up just the right plays to exploit a porous Vikings defense. Daniel Jones had his best game as a Giant, completing 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 78 yards. Saquon Barkly had over 100 all-purpose yards; 53 on the ground and 56 through the air.
And on the other side of the ball, Wink Martindale's defense held the league's number one receiver, Justin Jefferson, to a paltry 47 yards. In the week 16 game, Jefferson lit up the Giants secondary for 133 yards. And while the Giants didn't record a single sack against Kirk Cousins, they pressured him on virtually every passing down. It will be very difficult for Joe Schoen to keep both coordinators from jumping ship next season.
But while the Giants deserve to bask in the glory of their well-deserved win, their next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, will be far more formidable. The only game this season in which the Giants were thoroughly dominated from start to finish was against the Eagles at Met Life in week 14. Philly cruised to a 48-22 rout. Believe me when I say the score didn't remotely reflect just how bad a whooping the Eagles put on the G-Men. If the Giants have any chance at pulling off the upset Saturday, they will have to be more than just perfect; they are going to have to hope that Jalen Hurts's injured right shoulder is still bothering him. Because the Eagles, unlike the Vikings, can play defense and they know how to rush the quarterback. They led the NFL with 70 sacks this season.
No doubt about it, this will be Daboll's toughest challenge since becoming Giants' head coach.
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