The Minnesota Vikings begin their 2024 campaign with a trip to the big apple to take on the New York Giants. The 2024 season is surrounded by question marks for the Vikings, but they’ll look to open the season with a victory. This should be one of the most even matchups in the NFL this week, coming in with the lowest spread of only 1.5 points (at the time of this writing).
Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants Matchup History
The Vikings and Giants have faced off 41 times with the Vikings having the lead in the series at 18-13. The Vikings have also won 4 out of the last 5 matchups, with the Giants one win being the most recent face-off.
Key Players for the Minnesota Vikings
This game – and the season – fall in the hands of quarterback Sam Darnold. With JJ McCarthy sidelined this season due to an injury he sustained in the preseason, Darnold is being called upon to lead the Vikings. Once a first-round selection for the New York Jets, Darnold has bounced around the league with stops with the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers. He’s looking to make Minnesota his home for the future.
Another candidate that was added this offseason was running back Aaron Jones. Jones has looked like his usual self throughout camp thus far. The Vikings expect Jones to bring a spark to the running game that has lacked in that area since prime Dalvin Cook.
However, the main focus for the Vikings has to be Justin Jefferson, their star receiver and franchise player. Jefferson got turned into the highest non-paid quarterback during the offseason, and now the Vikings are going to rely on him to lead their team throughout the season.
Meanwhile on defense, the team has a bunch of players primed for young breakouts, but are led by former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore turns 34 years old this season, but he’s shown he still has some gas left in the tank last season with the Dallas Cowboys. Gilmore will look to serve in the defensive back room training up the young core of the team.
Key Players for the New York Giants
Daniel Jones will have to work his magic this season without Saquon Barkley and rely on the other weapons on the Giants offense. Jones will have to prove he’s worth investing in for the Giants this season, as they do have a potential out this year if his poor play continues.
Malik Nabers already looks like an elite pick for the Giants and will surely continue to develop as one of the only offensive weapons the team will bring out this season. Nabers looks to start the 2024 campaign hot out of the gates as a featured piece in this offense.
On the defensive side, the strength for this team lies in its pass rush, touting Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibideoux and newly-acquired Brian Burns. Expect all three of these players to be in the backfield and in there often on Sunday.
Minnesota Vikings Strategy to Winning
On the offensive side it’s simple. The Vikings need to rely on their weapons. Jefferson has shown he can catch anything thrown his way. And if the pass rush is crashing down on Darnold, Minnesota should be able to rely on the run game with Jones. The star power alone on offense should be enough to overwhelm the Giants.
On defense, the team is going to have to neutralize Daniel Jones’ rushing ability and force him into passing situations. Jones will punish you with his legs if given the time to do so. Because of that, the Vikings should establish contain while allowing their young defensive backs to be able to cover. The only issue is going to be containing Nabers. However, if the Vikings are able to put enough pressure on Jones, he might not have the time to get it to him.
Randy Vuxta
Randy Vuxta (@RandallVuxta) is a beat writer covering sports picks and dynasty/redraft content for The League Winners with a little over a decade playing fantasy football. Before joining the staff, he studied Journalism and Sports Business management and created The Randy Report, a YouTube channel dedicated to covering all things sports. When he’s not watching game film or the latest Marvel release, he can be found on Twitch streaming everything from Spider-Man to NBA2K. Randy looks to not only win every league he joins, but help others achieve that goal as well.