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Giants Open as Slight Underdogs in NFC Wild Card Round

The Vikings are likely getting the benefit of the doubt thanks to their being the home team.

Patricia Traina

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Although the New York Giants have been playing some of their better ball down the stretch--including in their losses to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 and to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18--the Giants open up this week as a 2.5-point underdog in Sunday's Wild Card game against the Vikings, according to SI Betting.

The Giants played the Vikings close in the first meeting, tying things up on a late-game touchdown drive engineered by quarterback Daniel Jones, who also capped off the 2-point conversion. But in the end, the Vikings won the game in regulation on a walk-off 61-yard field goal by kicker Greg Joseph.

To be fair, the Giants didn't exactly help themselves in the first meeting. They had three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) and were one of two in the red zone. They also racked up seven penalties for 63 yards, and the receivers had three dropped passes.

That all being said, if the Giants can clean up some of the sloppiness of that first meeting for this bigger one, there is no reason why they can't stand toe to toe with the NFC's third-seeded playoff team who is likely getting the home-field advantage from the oddsmakers determining the spread.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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