The New York Giants welcome the Minnesota Vikings for their Week 1 matchup, and everything points to it being a good game. The NFL did a good job with scheduling pairing up evenly matched teams, and it’ll be a good test to see how each has fared from the offseason changes. Both teams have plenty to showcase in their first game of 2024, and a lot of questions will be answered this week.
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings Matchup History
The Giants have played the Vikings 31 times, with Minnesota leading the series against New York 18-13. However, the two teams played in January of 2023, where New York was able to secure a 31-24 victory.
Key Players for the Giants
Finally, we get to see Malik Nabers show us what he’s capable of. Nabers will be a key player for the Giants, being that the offense will feature him significantly. And, we’ll finally get to see what Brian Daboll’s offense looks like with a true WR1. Yet how will the rest of the wide receiver room shape out with Nabers in the offense now?
Malik Nabers plays football on Sunday.pic.twitter.com/W9KUXP323f
— Gridiron Media (@Gridiron_Media_) September 6, 2024
Wan’Dale Robinson looks to be the WR2 on the team, with Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton splitting WR3 duties. At least, that’s according to the unofficial depth chart the team released for this week.
Robinson has shown his prowess running routes and getting open. How he fares in the offense will be key for the team overall. Meanwhile, Slayton has already shown that he’s a high-end WR3. With Hyatt as a field stretcher, this offense can have juice. The Vikings did add Stephon Gilmore, a cornerback with a track record of success, so we’ll see how well they are able to stifle the receivers.
A big question for the offense comes down to the offensive line, which performed historically badly last year. However, there’s room for hope.
The Giants hired Carmen Bricillo from the Raiders, and if the preseason is any indication, they have significantly improved. How successful will he be in improving the OL play? We shall see.
Outside of Andrew Thomas at left tackle and John Michael Schmitz at center, the OL has a very different look. The Giants have Jon Runyan at left guard, Greg Van Roten at right guard, and Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. How this unit meshes together will be key for the offense as a whole.
With the loss of Saquon Barkley and the addition of Devin Singletary, the run game will look vastly different from the past few years. How much of the offense will go through Singletary?
One of my favorite individual plays by a #Giants offensive player was from Devin Singletary.
This run does not go for the 10 yards it went for in 2023.
That's not a knock on Barkley either. This run doesn't go for 10 yards with most RBs.
Singletary is a very nuanced runner. pic.twitter.com/85SJLVrlVx— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) August 18, 2024
Singletary has primarily been used as a committee back throughout his career. Expect him to be mixed in as the lead back with Tyrone Tracy Jr, a 2024 fifth-round draft pick, and Eric Gray, a 2023 fifth-round draft pick.
The biggest key player is of course the quarterback, Daniel Jones. All eyes will be on him to see if he can rebound from last year. Jones didn’t play well in 2023, grading with the lowest QBR among starting QBs in the NFL. He threw for two touchdowns and six interceptions over the course of six games. He was also injured twice, including a season-ending ACL tear.
The OL didn’t do him any favors, however, and it’s possible he can bounce back to his 2022 play with an improved unit up and a true WR1 in the offense now. All eyes will be on how Jones plays in this game, given that this matchup is a good one on paper. The Vikings defense is middle of the pack and they are starting a career backup at QB, so the NFL gave the Giants a nice game to get started.
The defense also saw some big changes this offseason, from new players to a new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
Brian Burns was acquired from the Panthers to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux, and this is a great game to see how they will do. The Vikings have good tackles on the line but a below-average starting in Sam Darnold. This game will be a good test for the new pair. They will be helped greatly by Dexter Lawrence, who is one of the best defensive players in the game and has proven to be a true game changer.
Brian Burns pic.twitter.com/kxwdNKW578
— Giants.future (@future_giants) August 18, 2024
The Giants re-signed Adoree Jackson to help out the New York secondary projected to be a clear weakness of the team; and he’ll fit right in given that he’s spent the last three seasons with Big Blue.
How well Deonte Banks has grown as a player, given that he has one of the league’s best receivers to worry about? Let’s see how much Dane Belton, Jason Pinnock, and Cor’Dale Flott can help him in that regard, too, as they all will be busy worrying about Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. It’ll be interesting to see how much the rookies Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin will impact the defense, considering it’s the first game of their NFL career.
Key Vikings Players
The departure of Kirk Cousins gives the Vikings a completely new look. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see how their rookie pick JJ McCarthy will elevate the team, who’s out for the season with a torn meniscus. Instead, Sam Darnold will get the start, and will be tested early and often by the Giants defensive line that boasts Burns, Thibodeaux, and Lawrence.
How well Darnold fares is anyone’s guess. However, at least he has the help of one of the best NFL receivers in the game. Jefferson will be able to carve up a below-average secondary with Addison serving as a complement in the passing game. This should boost the offense’s chances of succeeding against the Giants even with a below-average QB.
The Vikings offensive line is above-average, mainly since they have elite level tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Their line will be tested against Burns and Thibodeaux off the edges and Lawrence up the middle. Yet if they hold steady, the Vikings will likely win the game. They will help out Darnold in the pocket and clear up running lanes for their run game.
Running back Aaron Jones just joined the Vikings as their lead back, and has shown elite level play in his career. However, he turns 30 this year and has been plagued by injuries as of late; so what the team will get from him remains to be seen.
Ty Chandler sits behind Jones and may have some juice himself since beating out the starter last season. However, Chandler wasn’t a world-beater, and it remains to be seen how much play time he’ll have with Jones starting.
Brian Flores is the DC for the team, who has proven himself a capable defensive mind and has a good front seven on the defensive line. With Gilmore in the secondary and his track record of success, he should buoy the team as long as the 33-year old can stay healthy.
Meanwhile, the Vikings defense can certainly give problems for a below average OL and QB who have a lot to prove.
New York Giants – Keys to Win the Game
A lot of the game will rest on the shoulders of both offensive lines. Each is faced with a formidable defense and will be key in allowing both quarterbacks time to operate. Whichever team has the better OL will most likely win the game.
The Giants defense has seen some significant changes in the offseason. If the new DC can utilize the talents of the team, they have a good shot at winning the game.
If Burns and Thibodeaux can get pressure off the edges with Lawrence barreling through the middle, they can stifle Darnold and Jones and neutralize the Vikings offense. Conversely, if the Vikings defense is able to break through the OL of New York and affect Jones and Singletary, they will stifle the Giants offense and likely win the game.
Now that the Giants have a true WR1, the connection between Jones and Nabers will be big in determining the outcome of the game. On top of that, will Jones have a good enough connection with Wan’Dale Robinson, Slayton, and Hyatt? If so, they will be able to move the offense well and have a good shot at winning the game.
Who will come out on top? We can’t wait to find out.
Evan Solomon
Evan is originally from Queens, NY and grew up on Long Island, and grew to love The New York Giants being surrounded by Giants fans. He's a social media marketer and content creator by day, which is what led him to joining The League Winners creating content about something he loves - football. Keep an eye out for his fantasy content and NFL team breakdowns.