0-4 mark against Vikings rankles Eli Manning

Tom Coughlin knows Eli Manning well enough to understand two things about the quarterback: The fact that he never has beaten the Vikings is gnawing at him this week, and there's absolutely no way that Manning would ever discuss that.

"I haven't really thought about the history of all of this," Coughlin said Wednesday, "but the competitor that he is, even if he hasn't thought about it, if you mention it to him, he'll have some inner thoughts."

Manning, predictably, chose to keep those thoughts to himself. He shrugged off his 0-4 record against the Vikings and two straight losses in Minneapolis. He didn't seem flustered by his two touchdown passes and nine interceptions against them, or that he's thrown a career-high four interceptions in a game twice - both times against the Vikings, in 2005 and 2007.

It was the 2007 game, which the Giants lost, 41-17, at home, that led general manager Jerry Reese to describe Manning as "skittish."

The Vikings are the only team Manning has faced more than twice without a win.

"I guess at some points you think about it," he said of his problems against the Vikings, "but really our focus is this year, have our game plan and know how we have to play to have a chance to beat this team."

Not exactly seething rhetoric, but those close to Manning know it must be bugging him not only to be 0-4 against the Vikings, but to have to answer questions about it.

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"I think he'll use the motivation to play his best football and silence all of the critics," tackle David Diehl said. "That's all he's ever done. It's not about what he says, not about any of that stuff. It's only about his actions."

"I think that'd probably bother anybody," tight end Kevin Boss added. "I'm sure he's looking to come out and have a good game."

Manning does get an asterisk on his 0-4 record. In 2008, with the Giants already having clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs, he started in Week 17 against the Vikings. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 119 yards, then gave way to David Carr with the lead. After the Giants' John Carney missed a field-goal try in the fourth quarter, the Vikings won, 20-19, on a last-second, 50-yard field goal.

But all that means is that the two touchdowns and nine interceptions really came in three games, not four. Even if you give him the .5-and-3 record that some on the Giants have suggested to be more accurate, the numbers point to a consistent problem of turning the ball over to the Vikings. He's thrown more interceptions against them than against the Redskins (eight), a team he faces twice a season.

Considering Manning already has thrown 17 picks - three shy of his career high with four games to play - ball security becomes a big issue Sunday. The Giants have only one turnover in the last two games but still lead the league in the category.

"It was definitely our Achilles heel early on in the season," Boss said of the turnovers. "But the last couple of games we've done a good job of taking care of the ball and it's going to be important during this final stretch."

While the focus is on Manning's record against the Vikings, by extension every Giants player of any standing has been without a win over the team for the last several years. They lumbered to Minnesota last year to finish a miserable season and left with a 44-7 shiner that has stuck with them.

"The only thing I know is that we've used last season and that game as motivation to give ourselves the best opportunity this season," Diehl said. "I don't think anybody has forgotten what happened there."

Manning surely hasn't. Even if he won't say so.