Giants Fighting To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive Against Minnesota | OSB
Giants Fighting To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive Against Minnesota
By Sam Batz
The Minnesota Vikings (www.vikings.com) have already clinched the top spot in the NFC North and on Christmas Eve, will take on the New York Giants (www.giants.com). ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) is giving the New York Giants a 91% chance to make the playoffs, which goes up to 99% with a win on Saturday. New York will need help regardless of the outcome against Minnesota, as they will need two losses from either Washington, Detroit, or Seattle, in order to officially punch their ticket for the postseason.
The Vikings have clinched a playoff spot no matter what happens but can still play for seeding. They are unlikely to clinch the top spot in the NFC, with ESPN’s FPI giving them a 0.3% chance at the No. 1 seed. Nevertheless, Minnesota will be in the playoffs and have flirted with the idea of putting key players on a snap count for their remaining regular season games.
The Viking are a -4 point favorite against the Giants, after scraping by to an 11-3 record. The Vikings have won an astonishing 10 games by one-score this season, tying the NFL record for the most one-score wins in a single campaign. They could break that record on Saturday against the Giants, who are 8-2-1 this season in one-score games. The Giants will have a lot to play for in this contest but, as Minnesota proved last week against the Colts, we can never count them out and the Vikings will look to further solidify their playoff position. In a moneyline wager, I recommend taking the Vikings in this matchup.
Regardless of what Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell says about monitoring snap counts, there are still player prop bets that I like in this game. Dalvin Cook might be one to shy away from, as he has played over 700 snaps for the Vikings, the highest single-season total in his career, and could see limited field time as they prepare for the postseason. However, there are plenty of other players on both teams that could have a boom or bust day in Saturday’s matchup between the Giants and Vikings.
Daniel Jones, Giants QB, Under 225.5 Passing Yards
Daniel Jones has shown promise this year. He is big, surprisingly fast, and has a cannon for an arm. But when it comes to the New York offense, 5th year running back Saquon Barkely is the main man. Jones has taken a back-seat to the running-game this season, attempting 414 passes to the Giants 441 rush attempts. Jones has thrown for over 230 yards just once this season. His wide receivers have been dealing with injuries and Jones hasn’t been able to find a consistent target all year. On the one hand, the Vikings defense has been atrocious, giving up 278.8 passing yards per game. Jones does have a chance to exploit Minnesota’s swiss-cheese secondary, but I don’t think he has the right weapons on the outside to go for over 225.5 yards through the air. I predict Daniel Jones will go under his 225.5 passing yards prop.
Justin Jefferson, Vikings WR, Over 90.5 Receiving Yards
What can we say about Justin Jefferson that hasn’t already been said? In just his third year, Jefferson is on track to break all kinds of receiving records, including Randy Moss’ single-season receiving record for the Vikings. But most notably, Jefferson is only 377 yards away from becoming the first wide-out in NFL history to go for 2,000 receiving yards in a single-season. It would be a remarkable feat, and on Saturday, Jefferson has a strong chance to close the gap on that historic record. Giants top cornerback, Adoree’ Jackson, is out with a knee injury, leaving it up to fellow New York cornerback, Fabian Moreau, to cover Jefferson. I’ll take my chances with Jefferson in that matchup. He is too fast and elusive for the Giants secondary, who is giving up 231.4 receiving yards per game. Justin Jefferson is leading the league with 115.9 yards per game, and in a contest against a generous Giants defense, I predict the star wide receiver will go over his 90.5 receiving yards prop.
Darius Slayton, Giants WR, Over 55.5 Receiving Yards
After all the injuries to Giants receivers this season, Slayton has proved he can be the number one pass-catcher for New York. He leads the team in receiving yards with 631 and is averaging 48.5 yards per game. He has been held under 50 yards in two straight games but this matchup with the Vikings is too good for us to ignore Slayton. The Vikings can’t seem to stop anyone, and Slayton is primed to have a big day. I predict Darius Slayton goes over his 55.5 receiving yards prop.
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