The Worksheet, a fantasy football overview by Rich Hribar, breaking down everything you need to know for the Wild Card Round New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings Sunday afternoon game.
| NY Giants | Rank | @ | Minnesota | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Spread | -3 | ||
| 22.25 | Implied Total | 25.25 | ||
| 21.5 | 15 | Points/Gm | 24.9 | 8 |
| 21.8 | 17 | Points All./Gm | 25.1 | 28 |
| 64.1 | 15 | Plays/Gm | 66.1 | 6 |
| 63.4 | 18 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 65.8 | 31 |
| 5.2 | 22 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.5 | 13 |
| 5.6 | 24 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.9 | 30 |
| 47.75% | 8 | Rush% | 35.98% | 30 |
| 52.25% | 25 | Pass% | 64.02% | 3 |
| 43.51% | 18 | Opp. Rush % | 41.41% | 10 |
| 56.49% | 15 | Opp. Pass % | 58.59% | 23 |
Against the Spread
Vikings: 7-9-1
Giants: 13-4
Vikings ATS at Home: 4-5
Giants ATS Away: 6-1
Vikings ATS as Favorite: 6-5-1
Giants ATS as Underdog: 10-2
Game Overview
These two teams are running back a fun Week 16 matchup that seen the Vikings pull out a 27-24 win on the strength of a 61-yard Greg Joseph field goal as time expired. That game featured 28 combined points in the fourth quarter after things entered the final frame with the Giants having a 13-10 lead.
This game features two of the three playoff teams with negative point differentials on the season. The Vikings have been one of the most intriguing ongoing stories this season as they won a league-high 10 games in which they trailed, including eight games they pulled out ahead after trailing in the fourth quarter. No other team had more than five wins trailing in the final quarter. Minnesota posted a league-high +78 point differential in the fourth quarter this season while ranking 30th in point differential quarters 1-3 (-87 points).
The Giants are also used to being behind. They trailed in 16 games this season, the most of any playoff team. They won eight games trailing in the second half this season, tied for the most in the league. They did not have as many fourth quarter comebacks as Minnesota, but the Giants were also a slow starting team, ranking 29th in scoring rate per drive in the first half (29.9%) and then leading the league with a 46.1% scoring rate per drive in the second half of games.
Minnesota is entering the postseason with the worst defense among any playoff team. They ranked 30th in yards allowed per play (5.9) and 28th in allowing opponents to score on 41.1% of their drives. The Vikings allowed 73 plays of 20 or more yards (ahead of only the Lions).
The Giants were dead last in the NFL in plays of 20 or more yards on offense this season (43) but had a season-high five of them in the Week 16 matchup between these teams, which was fourth in the league that week. The Giants had a season-high 445 yards in that game.
New York got here on the strength of protecting the football. They turned the ball over on a league-low 7.3% of their possessions, but they did have a pair of turnovers in that Week 16 game. On the flip side, the Giants are also the worst team in the NFC postseason at creating turnovers, getting a takeaway on 8.7% of opponent possessions. Only the Dolphins were worse (7.6%) among playoff teams.