Entering wild card rematch, Giants believe they could have won vs. Vikings in Week 16
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook runs from Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux in the second half on Dec. 24, 2022, in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Bruce Kluckhohn
Giants players knew instantly.
As they walked off the field at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 24 after losing to the Vikings, 27-24, on a 61-yard field goal as time expired, they knew that was a game they could have won.
Some thought they should have won.
“If we had played a clean game, it would have been a different story there,” Giants guard Nick Gates said after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. “We just have to go out there and score points and not hurt ourselves and shoot ourselves in the foot. This team’s a good team when we don’t do that. If we play consistent, play no penalties, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Linebacker Jihad Ward said of the narrow loss to the Vikings in Week 16: “It’s a game of inches, man. We’ve been there before.”
They have, indeed. Asked if the first meeting gives the Giants confidence, Ward said, “I’m confident every time we play anybody. That’s not for me as an individual but the team. The team believes we can beat anybody. We just have to do what we’ve got to do. We’re ready for Minnesota. I just can’t wait, man. I just can’t wait.”
Linebacker Jarrad Davis opened some eyes with his 10-tackle, half-sack performance against the Eagles.
“I thought he played well for only being here a short time,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Understood what we asked him to do. I thought he made a lot of good plays out there. We’ll continue to put him in there and see how he develops for us. But I thought he did a good job for us.”
Saquon Barkley, revisiting the loss to the Vikings, said he talked to some of the Minnesota players after the game and said, “See you guys again.”
He was right.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
