Week Four Preview: Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants

Admiral Ackbar may have described this next game perfectly for the Vikings when he said, “It’s a trap!” The term “trap game” may be used way too often when talking about games but few times does it describe games more perfectly than this next challenge for the Vikings.

The Vikings host their second home game in the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium and for the second straight time it is under the national spotlight in primetime. The Vikings play host to the two win and one loss New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The game can be watched on ESPN at 7:30 p.m., Central Time, with a local simulcast on CBS.

Sam Bradford and the Vikings actually combined to have a 3-0 record against the Giants last season. Bradford threw for 600 yards in two contests as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles but was picked off four times while adding only three touchdowns.

On paper and due to last year’s meeting between the two teams, many feel this should be an easy win for the Vikings. However, the Giants’ defense is a much improved unit when compared to the group they fielded in last season’s 49-17 week 16 loss to the Vikings. The Giants offense will also get to utilize their receiving corps to its full potential as their three top targets did not play in last year’s contest.

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Essentials to win the game

Much like the Vikings’ defense has been doing, they need to contain the run and get after the quarterback. Giants’ quarterback, Eli Manning, is as prone to making mistakes as any other quarterback in the NFL. If Manning gets rattled, the interceptions, fumbles and sacks should begin to pile up once again this week.

New York’s defense is much better this season than the 2015 rendition the Vikings encountered last year, however, Giants’ cornerbacks Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are both dealing with injuries. If the Vikings are able to attack the Giants’ secondary as teams have this season, Jerick McKinnon could find the room to run wild against them once again.

Possible downfalls to avoid

Although Vikings’ head coach, Mike Zimmer, usually has his team fired up no matter who they play, the biggest downfall to avoid will be falling into the trap and having a let-down game. The Vikings are coming off a big win and many times after such big games, teams have a tendency to let their guard down and ultimately lose to a team they should beat. Even Bleacherreport.com asks, “ might the Vikes be ripe for a letdown?”

The Vikings must avoid thinking that Manning will give the game to them and instead will have to take it to him, much like they did to Cam Newton in week three. Manning can rack up yards and throw plenty of touchdowns in a hurry, if he is allowed to get into a rhythm. Zimmer and the Vikings will want to be sure to keep Manning in check all night.

Player spotlight

With Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen likely out this week, Orleans Darkwa will handle the bulk of the running back duties, with some help from Bobby Rainey. Darkwa came in after Vereen was injured last week and carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards and added one touchdown.

Another reason this game may pose as a potential problem game for the Vikings are that the Giants’ three best receivers in Odell Beckham, Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard, will all be active and starting this time around. Zimmer even touched on the trio in his press conference earlier today by saying, “They do a good job of spreading the field out and making it difficult on you.”

Success against the Giants’ play-makers starts with Terence Newman, Xavier Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn and Trae Waynes. Expect Waynes to get targeted and picked on early and often when he is in the game yet again this week.

One matchup to watch will be Giants’ center, Weston Richburg against the trio of Sebastian Thunderbucket (Tom Johnson), Linval Joseph and Shamar Stephen. This writer currently has Joseph as one of the Viking MVP’s so far this season and Stephen could easily be a Vikings’ rookie of the year candidate.

Game projection

The Giants are another team that runs the no-huddle and likes to get out to a fast start, which is all the more reason to watch Richburg; he will be handling the silent snap count. The Vikings’ home crowd will make it difficult for Manning to change plays but their offensive line is one of the best in the business in getting and staying set.

Manning may not be the most mobile quarterback in the NFL yet he has the ability to maneuver quite well in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield. Manning also has a tendency to throw into tight coverage and that is why his team is tied for 30th in the league with a plus/minus turnover ratio of minus six.

The Giants will try to offset the Vikings’ big defensive front seven by using draw plays and quick screens to their running backs. The Vikings will get bitten on a few of these plays but hopefully will make enough adjustments to have another dominating defensive performance.

The largest emphasis for the Vikings this week has been getting their run game going early. If they can activate their ground game, no amount of offensive firepower will help the Giants. McKinnon had 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns last season’s meeting. If the Vikings want to score near 50 points again against the Giants, McKinnon better get the ball early and often.

If there was ever a week for Bradford and the offense to explode, this would be a great time for them to do it. Bradford must take advantage of two starters in the Giants’ secondary being hobbled or out. If he does that, the Giants could face a fate much like they did against the purple last season.

The Vikings try something different this week by having the offense score first. The Vikings get out to a 10 point lead but they need to scratch and claw until the very end. McKinnon ends up with 100 yards from scrimmage and Diggs cashes in for another touchdown.

The Vikings’ defense shows they can still dominate without scoring while Manning implodes but not entirely as he keeps his team in the game until the end. This writer would love to incorrectly choose the Giants but Zimmer and the Vikings are just too much for New Yorks’ offense without their starting running back.

Cordarrelle Patterson finally hits paydirt to give the Vikings a solid victory by the score of 23-14. Hopefully for Vikings’ fans I’m not incorrect for the third straight week.

Justin Ekstrom can be followed on Twitter @thesportscrib21 and be sure to follow and comment about vikings32 on Facebook and Twitter.

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