Vikings-Giants preview: Can Minnesota extend its NFC East win streak to three?

Vikings try to make it three in a row against the NFC East: For the first time this season, the Vikings are on a win streak; they beat the Commanders at home on Dec. 7, before winning in Arlington, Texas, against the Cowboys last Sunday. They’ll play their final road game on Sunday afternoon, shooting for their third straight victory in an attempt to get to 7-8 before NFC North games against the Lions and Packers at home to finish the season.

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Vikings could face talented Giants pass rush without Darrisaw: Left tackle Christian Darrisaw did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday for the third time in four weeks, and he could miss another game as he experiences post-surgery swelling from the Oct. 2024 operation he had to repair a torn ACL and MCL. It could mean Justin Skule gets another start at left tackle, against a group that has No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter at right end. Brian Burns, the veteran Pro Bowler who’s faced Darrisaw since college, is playing on the left side, where he could be Brian O’Neill’s assignment if the right tackle is able to play through an ankle injury. And in the middle of the line, the Giants still have Dexter Lawrence, who took over the 2022 NFC wild-card game between the two teams at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Giants have middling sack and pressure numbers, but former Vikings defensive line coach Andre Patterson is leading a group with plenty of talent and depth to stress the offensive line.

Vikings should be able to run on Giants: New York has given up the second-most rushing yards in the league this season, while allowing more expected points added per run than any defense in the NFL. Especially if the Vikings want to keep the Giants’ pass rush from pursuing J.J. McCarthy, they could turn to Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason, while continuing to give fullback C.J. Ham a larger workload as they’ve done the past two weeks.

Vikings will try to make Dart a target: Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown 13 touchdown passes against four interceptions this year, while getting sacked on 8.33% of his dropbacks and playing an aggressive style that’s led to multiple concussion evaluations through the season. The Vikings figure to come after Dart plenty, and could use a number of different approaches against the young quarterback, as they play their first game without Jonathan Greenard after season-ending shoulder surgery. They’ll also be without the versatile Josh Metellus, who’s also getting a shoulder injury repaired, but Harrison Smith and Blake Cashman figure to be involved in the Vikings’ pressure packages as they try to make life difficult for Dart. Former first-round pick Andrew Thomas has been one of the league’s better left tackles, and will be a challenging matchup for Dallas Turner.

Robinson the biggest threat in depleted Giants receiving corps: The Giants are playing without 2024 first-round pick Malik Nabers, who tore his ACL this season after a 109-catch rookie year. It means Wan’Dale Robinson, who’ll line up in the slot against Byron Murphy Jr., is the Giants’ best target in the passing game. Robinson has 78 catches for 882 yards this season. Dart will also look for tight end Theo Johnson, who’s caught 45 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns.

The Vikings’ biggest challenge against the Giants will be handling their defensive front. If they’re successful protecting McCarthy, they should be able to attack the Giants’ secondary with their run game as a complement. It’s a similar challenge to the one they faced, and handled well, against Dallas last week. And while the Vikings will be without Greenard, their task against a depleted Giants offense is easier than the one they had in Texas. The Vikings will keep things rolling and get to 7-8 before their two home games to close the season. Vikings 27, Giants 23