After a whirlwind of a game last week, the Vikings have kept the #2 seed to themselves. They'll need to keep winning to fend the 49ers off, and face an overachieving Giants squad that also has a rookie head coach.



Injury Report

Vikings
C Bradbury - Out
ILB Kendricks - Questionable
CB Dantzler - Questionable

Giants
CB Jackson - Out
G Lemieux - Out

Line: Vikings -4 (51% of bets on Vikings)
SuperSim Calculated Line: Vikings -5

* My Notes *

New coach Brian Daboll has this team playing very well despite having a top 10 roster riddled with a bunch of injuries. While Daniel Jones hasn't taken the next step like some thought he would, he's levelled out as an average starter and has worked on limiting the turnovers. In conjunction with a rebound year from Saquon Barkley, it's allowed the offense to just good enough to support the defense. Give Jones a legit receiver like how Hurts got AJ Brown, and the offense might take a big step forward.

Defensively, the Giants rely on the trenches to control the game to hide their problems at LB/CB/S. They've been shockingly easy to run on with Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence in place, as they've actually been better pass rushers than run stuffers this year. Thibodeaux has been getting hot the past few weeks, we'll have to see if our OL can hold. If it can, Jefferson & Co should roast this secondary to high heaven, as they lack a single healthy above average starter.

Prediction: Giants 27, Vikings 24

I have to pick the Giants to win after seeing how the Vikings come off emotional wins, especially a long overtime win. The Giants still look bad on paper, but they've consistently outperformed thanks to their far improved coaching. With a mobile QB in Jones, I could see the Giants successfully move the ball by mixing in Barkley runs (and passes, he's a great matchup against our LBs in coverage) and rolling Jones out. The Vikings' luck in one-score games has to come to a close at some point... doesn't it?

Any thoughts?