New York Giants Wild Card Weekend Story Lines

The Giants kick off their week of practice ahead of their Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings. Here are some storylines to watch.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 11, 2023 8:00 AM EST

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New York Giants

Playoffs?!

Yep, that's right. The New York Giants are in the playoffs for the first time in six years, even though, according to some prognosticators, they have no business being in the postseason.

But here they are, about to face the Minnesota Vikings, the third-seeded team in the NFC tournament and a team they came so close to beating a few weeks ago. Since then, the Giants have played much better ball, finishing the season strong, despite a loss to the Eagles last week (a loss by one score, by the way).

The confidence levels should be high and the focus intense. Everyone left standing is now 0-0, and each week, the winner takes it all while the loser goes home. So what are some of the storylines ahead of this big Wild Card meeting for the Giants?

Who's In, Who's Out?

The Giants rested a good number of their starters in last week's regular-season finale, among them defensive lineman Leonard Williams, outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, and cornerback Adoree' Jackson.

We mention those three names because they just so happened to be nursing nagging injuries that the team is hoping have progressed toward healing to where they can play on Sunday.

Williams has been dealing with a neck issue that cost him half the game against the Colts. Ojulari suffered a sprained ankle in the regular-season game against the Vikings, and Jackson is still trying to work his way back to full strength after spraining his knee on a punt return in Week 11.

The good news is that head coach Brian Daboll said he anticipates them all being able to do something in the week of practice ahead. How much remains to be seen, as does their availability, but if the Giants can get those three key players back, it would be a big boost for their postseason hopes.

The Team Confidence Level

No one likes to lose a game, but if you're the Giants, you probably feel pretty confident in your ability to stand toe-to-toe with the Vikings this weekend, especially after playing them to a tie late in the regular-season meeting only to lose on a walk-off field goal. Add in the confidence boost the team likely got from its game against the Eagles last week (with the backups, no less), and it wouldn't be shocking if the Giants were brimming with confidence this week.

But there's another thing the Giants need to guard against: not being too overconfident or too wired for this game.

However, head coach Brian Daboll doesn't think that will be an issue. "I just think that we believe in our process and being consistent – whether that’s a preseason game, a game you have to win to get into the playoffs, a division game. I think that you go through a lot of different things throughout the season," he said.

"You’ve gone through these experiences, and each week you learn. You might not learn for that necessary next game, but I think those collective experiences, you lean on those. But in terms of our preparation for our players and coaches, it’ll be – a boring word – but it’ll be consistent. We believe in what we do. We believe in how we do it, and then we have to go out there and execute, call a good game, and make good decisions. Again, what wins in Week 1 wins in the playoffs."

What's Changing in the Game Plan?

A good part of what the Giants will likely do against the Vikings is already on tape. But then again, there are also likely to be a few new wrinkles that address some of the issues that popped up last time or are designed to catch the Vikings off guard.

But how much is going to change? We put the question to Daboll, who said, "I think. I know Minnesota’s certainly looking at our game. We’re looking at our game. There’s only so much tape to watch. There are only a couple of games after our game.

"So, you start with what you think, just like any other game, what you think will be successful for you, and try to eliminate some of the things they do well, which there’s a lot of them. So, we’ll have our work cut out for us.

"But our preparation of how we go about game planning, practicing, all those things, will be very consistent for our players. That’s what I think you need to do this time of year. I think everybody understands the stakes of these games. The process is more important to me."