Giants know what to expect from Vikings in playoff opener
Head coach Brian Daboll of the New York Giants coaches during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 08, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Credit: Getty Images
The first question to Brian Daboll on Monday’s Zoom call was this: Do you plan to play the starters this week?
“That’s a good question,” the Giants coach deadpanned. “I’ll say this: We’ll do what’s best for the team.”
That, folks, qualifies as lighthearted banter in a playoff week.
On Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, against the Minnesota Vikings, the Giants will play their first playoff game since Jan. 8, 2017. They lost to the Packers that day, 38-13, in Green Bay.
At least these Giants know what they’re up against, having played the Vikings on Dec. 24, absorbing the noise of the dome and, ultimately, a 27-24 loss when Greg Joseph booted a 61-yard field goal — the beauty of playing under a roof — as time expired.
As you would expect, Daboll indicated the Giants will practice this week with noise.
“We pump it up every time we play on the road,” he said. “And that’s certainly one of the best venues we’ve played in. Loud, their fans are great. So certainly [we] have to practice that.”
Playoffs or regular season, Daboll will stay in character. Playing the Vikings — with higher stakes this time around — does not necessarily become a rallying cry.
Said Daboll: “Next team on the list.”
He likened seeing the Vikings again so quickly to the three-week regular-season stretch in which the Giants played the Commanders twice.
“But it’s a great environment up there,” Daboll said. “Really good team, good coaching staff, competitive, won a lot of football games. So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The Giants will not have an edge in playoff experience over any team they face. They may have something even better.
“We believe in what we do,” Daboll said. “We believe in how we do it, and then we have to go out there and execute and call a good game and make good decisions. Again, what wins in Week 1 wins in the playoffs. And that’s the truth.”
He should know. While his players are not playoff-proven, Daboll is. Most recently, he was offensive coordinator for a Bills team that played in the postseason the last three years. His overall resume, including playoff games, stretches far longer.
“I’ve been part of a lot of them,’’ he said. “But they’re all different. The losses really hurt; they probably hurt more than the happiness of the wins in the playoffs.
“But in terms of my overall experience, I’d say there are a lot of coaches on our staff that have some, too. But I talked to those guys already. It’s what we do this week. I think everybody understands that.”
Daboll indicated that the core group of defenders who have been battling injuries — cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (knee), outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (ankle) and defensive lineman Leonard Williams (neck) — will “do some stuff at practice” beginning Wednesday.
Jackson, in particular, could be helpful in neutralizing Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, who burned the Giants for a 17-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter in the first meeting. Jefferson had 12 receptions for 133 yards that day. Tight end T.J. Hockenson had 109 receiving yards on 13 receptions and scored two touchdowns.
“It’s what we do this week and ultimately how we go out there and play in the game” that matters, Daboll said. “Because what wins in Week 1 wins in the playoffs. And what loses in Week 1 loses in the playoffs.”
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.
