Week Four Game Recap: Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants
Post-game review
The Minnesota Vikings did it to Eli Manning and the New York Giants again. Even with an upgraded receiving corps and defense, the Giants still left US Bank Stadium with a 24-10 loss as the Vikings were rewarded with a 4-0 record and their third straight win over a former MVP and/or Super Bowl MVP. Manning is now 2-6 in eight career games versus Minnesota as he has continued to struggle against them.
The Vikings got their most complete offensive performance of the season as they were able to run the football with some effectiveness for the first time all year, picking up 104 yards on 33 total carries. Running back, Jerick McKinnon, led all rushers with 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries with fellow running mate, Matt Asiata, chipping in another touchdown run.
AROUND COVER32
Vikings Weekly: Week Four Preview: Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants
Fantasy News: Minnesota Vikings Week Four Injury Report
Vike’s Bite: Time for Vikings to convert Patterson to running back
Purple Update: Minnesota Vikings Week Four Fantasy Forecast
Vikings32 Exclusive: Week three reaction: Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
What’s Trending: Five Questions Week Four: Vikings vs Giants
Quarterback, Sam Bradford, had another efficient game throwing the ball, going 26-36 for 262 yards and a touchdown. Tight end, Kyle Rudolph, led all Vikings’ receivers with five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown while wideout, Charles Johnson, finally made a contribution on offense and had two big catches for 70 yards.
The Vikings defense continued their dominant play. Despite not putting Eli Manning on the ground much in this encounter, they still managed to force the ball out of his hands early on several throws, leading to numerous incompletions, stalled drives, and an interception.
The secondary held the Giants’ highly touted receiving trio in check all game with cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, effectively shutting down Giants’ star Odell Beckham Jr. Though the team did give up its biggest gain of the season on a 67-yard screen pass, the Vikings’ defense largely contained the Giants’ offense all night long.
MVP
Xavier Rhodes had the toughest job of any Viking on either side of the ball — keeping Beckham in check and limiting the damage he can do. What Rhodes did was deliver a stellar performance in primetime as he impressively held Beckham to just three catches for a career-low 23 yards and an unsportsmanlike penalty. By taking Beckham out of the game, Rhodes and the Vikings forced the Giants to beat them through other contributors, which proved to be too tall a task.
LVP
Blair Walsh missed another makeable field goal attempt, this one from 46 yards, on the Vikings’ opening possession of the second half. Counting his missed extra point last week, that’s four total missed scoring attempts in four games. So far, he has been fortunate as none of them have come back to haunt the Vikings. He was also fortunate in this game as well as the Vikings would intercept the Giants on the following drive and gave him an immediate chance at redemption, which he did by hitting his only other field goal try of the night from 44 yards out.
Play of the game
Sam Bradford’s throw to Charles Johnson for a 40-yard gain set up what would be the final score of the game. After the Giants scored on the previous possession, the Vikings’ offense responded and answered back with a score of his own. The Giants had a 67-yard gain on a screen pass involving a number of missed tackle opportunities before eventually scoring three plays later. This connection between Bradford and Johnson was the perfect response to the Giants score as they would cap the drive off on the very next play, with McKinnon taking it in from four yards out.
Next up
The Vikings will play host to the AFC South-leading Houston Texans on Sunday in an early afternoon affair. The Texans will enter with a 3-1 record and are coming off a 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. They will be without star defensive end, J.J. Watt, who is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, due to a back injury. The two teams’ last meeting came in week 16 of the 2012 season in Houston, in a game won by the Vikings, 23-6.
Clayton R. Brooks II writes for cover32 and covers the Minnesota Vikings. He can be followed on Twitter @ClaytonRBrooks2. Like and follow vikings32 on Facebook, and Twitter.
The post Week Four Game Recap: Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants appeared first on Cover32.
