Minnesota Vikings (5-7) at New York Giants (8-4), 1 pm Eastern at New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
By Ben Kelly - InReeseWeTrust.com 12/11/10
What happened last week?
Minnesota cruised to a 38-14 home victory against 2-10 Buffalo, the Vikings’ second straight win. They are now 2-0 under interim head coach Leslie Frazier, who has re-centered the offensive focus on a power run game. In his two games as head coach, Minnesota has passed 46 times and rushed 78 times, the highest run to pass ratio in the league (1.7:1). The tough yards have come by All-Pro back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 107 and 3 touchdowns on 16 carries against Buffalo, and rookie back Toby Gerhart, who has emerged in the past two weeks producing 130 of his 216 total yards on the season. A return to the power run game was necessary against Buffalo, as Brett Favre left the game with a shoulder injury on his first pass attempt. Tarvaris Jackson stepped in with a 15 for 22, 187 yard performance with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. On defense, the Vikes limited the struggling Bills to 239 offensive yards and 10 first downs.
What to expect from the Vikings:
Brett Favre will be a game time decision against the Giants, and it seems very likely that he will only play if he can last the entire game. Favre has been unable to practice this week, and Frazier has said “it's going to be very, very difficult to get him up to speed.” Even if Favre doesn’t play, expect the game plan to remain the same: a tough downhill running attack by Minnesota’s heavy backfield tandem. Gerhart and Peterson, weighing in at 230 and 220 pounds respectively, averaged 5.75 yards per carry against Buffalo. Despite three interceptions, Jackson performed well in relief and has a 10-10 career record as the Vikings starter. The Vikings will rely on the run game no matter who starts at quarterback, as their options are the injured Favre or the rusty Jackson. The defense is still formidable, allowing 13.5 points in the past two games, but the Vikings allowed at least 21 points in seven consecutive contests, leading the dismissal of former head coach Brad Childress. The 2010 Vikings have not beaten a team with a winning record.
What to expect from the Giants:
The Giants have outscored their opponents 53-10 in the last six quarters of play, including an 18-3 second half against Jacksonville and 35-7 mauling of Washington. After battling injuries and inconsistency and falling from 6-2 to 6-4, the Giants are gelling on the offensive line and finding rhythm on offense behind a rejuvenated running game. Eli Manning has been sacked just twice in the past six games, and zero times in the past weeks, both victories. After an erratic two weeks against Dallas and Philadelphia and a slow first half against Jacksonville, the offense has been powered by the run game. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw seem to have finally settled into their roles, exploding for 200 yards on 33 carries in Washington and 136 yards on 23 carries against Jacksonville. On defense, the Giants recorded 8 sacks and caused 8 turnovers in the past two weeks.
Prediction:
Leslie Frazier has rejuvenated the slumping Vikings after a 3-7 start, just like Jason Garrett has done in his interim debut in Dallas. Remember, Dallas stuffed the 6-2 Giants in his debut, and appear to be an entirely different after their head coaching change. The same goes for Minnesota: they were 3-7 before the switch, but are now 2-0 under Frazier and playing focused, back to basics football. The 2-0 Vikings are a physical front on both offense and defense, averaging 173.5 yards per game on the ground and stuffing opposing offenses to 269 yards per game, both of which would be best in the league if stretched over the twelve games played. These Vikings are rolling, but so are the Giants. And the Giants, in the neck of division and wild card races, just can’t afford to lose to an eliminated team. The Vikings two wins have come against Washington and Buffalo, who have a combined seven wins. Before we give Frazier too much credit for a turnaround, they need to beat a playoff contending team. The Giants defensive front will continue to pester opposing quarterbacks, looking to repeat the four sacks and turnovers production from each of the past two games. Either with a damaged Brett Favre, or rusty and unreliable Tarvaris Jackson, expect the Giants defense to make the key plays in order for a victory. Giants win, 27-20.
Last week’s prediction: 23-13 Giants (17-13 actual)
Season prediction record: 9-3
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