Giants' big test: Slowing Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches an 8-yard touchdown pass ahead of Indianapolis Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore (5) during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Andy Clayton-King
Temperatures in Minneapolis are expected to be truly frightful Saturday, hovering around 4 degrees, give or take an icicle. Mercifully, U.S. Bank Stadium is a dome, one that hosts “Winter Warm-up,” which provides opportunities for inline skating and indoor running. An idea born of good intentions, as long as you can get there without freezing.
As Elvis Costello sang, “I felt the chill before the winter came.”
But by Saturday evening, Minneapolis could feel plenty warm for the Giants. They could own a playoff berth — their first since 2016 and only their second since 2011 — with a win over the Vikings and two losses among the Commanders (who are at San Francisco), the Lions (at Carolina) and the Seahawks (at Kansas City).
The Giants, in their first year under coach Brian Daboll, have shown to be improved in almost every way. They are 8-2-1 in one-score games this season. They won three a season ago.
“Well, credit the players first,” Daboll said. “They’re making the plays in crunch time, those four or five plays, whatever they are. And they’re executing well under pressure.”
One of the Giants’ one-score wins came Sunday night, an important 20-12 decision at Washington.
The Vikings are 11-0 in one-score games, and in last week’s 39-36 overtime win over the Colts, Minnesota pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history.
After trailing 33-0 at halftime — and 36-7 with five minutes to play in the third quarter — the Vikings scored 29 unanswered points in regulation, then won it in overtime on Greg Joseph’s 40-yard field goal.
All of that certainly got the attention of Daboll, his staff and the entire locker room. Not only are the Giants and Vikings playing each other this week, but there is a scenario in which they would meet again in the postseason.
That will not influence how the Giants approach this game. They’re more focused on covering wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who leads the league with 111 receptions and 1,623 receiving yards. He’s scored seven touchdowns.
Daboll said Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson showed him “a bunch of plays” on which Jefferson is double-teamed with a safety over the top, “and [Kirk] Cousins is still throwing it to him.”
This could be one of those matchups when the Giants miss Adoree’ Jackson, who is injured.
“I’d say you got to play good team defense when you have a good receiver like that,” Daboll said. “Those really top, top receivers, usually they’re going to get theirs.”
Daboll anecdotally mentioned the Bills trading for Stefon Diggs before the 2020 draft. The Bills gave up the 22nd pick in that year’s draft, which the Vikings used to select Jefferson with the 22nd pick. Talk about a win-win.
To put up numbers the way Jefferson has, he almost has to play everywhere. And he does.
“They move him everywhere,” Daboll said. “So obviously, he’s smart. And he did a lot of that at LSU, too. He played in the slot, he played outside. Again, he’s a fun guy to watch when you’re not getting ready to play him. I’ve got a lot of respect for his game and what he’s done in the early part of his career.”
It seems pretty clear that Jefferson also has been good for the career of his quarterback, and it’s clear that Daboll respects Cousins’ game.
“I think he’s super-productive,” Daboll said. “He does a good job of getting his playmakers the ball. I don’t know him. But again, much like Jefferson, I have a lot of respect for what he’s done in his career. He’s got a lot of good pieces around him. He touches the ball on every play and usually makes the right decision. He’s 11-3 as the starting quarterback this year for them. Highly productive player.”
It seems reasonable to assume that coming off last week’s miraculous win, the Vikings will be a confident group. Their three losses this season are to Dallas, Philadelphia and Detroit.
“They’re 11-3,” Daboll said. “And they’ve played a lot of good football this year. They’ve played games close. [They] make a lot of plays, a productive team, well-coached. So they play confident when you watch them on tape.”
And that playoff berth that could be clinched Saturday?
About that, Daboll had less to say.
“I think we’re getting ready to try to win this game,” he said. “That’s about it.”
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.
