Vikings vs. Giants Live Score Updates: NFL Playoffs, Wild Card Round
For just the second time ever, it's time for playoff football at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The last — and only — home postseason game since this stadium opened in 2016 came five years ago, almost to the day. Everyone remembers what happened. Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs. 61-yard walk-off touchdown. The Minneapolis Miracle.
The following offseason, the Vikings moved on from Keenum and signed Kirk Cousins to a big free agent deal, believing he could put them over the top. It didn't go as planned, with Minnesota missing the playoffs in three of the first four years with Cousins. A 2019 wild card berth and another walk-off win over the Saints led to a divisional round beatdown at the hands of the 49ers.
After a second consecutive sub-.500 season in 2021, the Vikings parted ways with longtime GM Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer. They ushered in a new era and culture with a pair of young, collaborative leaders in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell.
What a ride it has been since then.
The Vikings went 13-4 this season, winning the NFC North for the first time since 2017. They were 8-1 at home. They went 11-0 in one-score games, an NFL record. The finishes were incredibly dramatic, from a double doink in London to the game of the year in Buffalo and the biggest comeback in NFL history against the Colts. The Vikings were, weirdly enough, blown out in three of their four losses, somehow ending up with a negative point differential despite their lofty record. They enter these playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the NFC, yet with very few people outside their building believing they have any kind of chance of making a deep run.
This is their chance to prove those people wrong. First up is a game against the Giants, another overachieving team with a first-year head coach. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that these teams just played three weeks ago, a game the Vikings won on a 61-yard game-winning field goal by Greg Joseph.
For the first time, Cousins will be playing in a postseason game at home. Young stars like Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw will be getting their first taste of NFL playoff football. Mainstays from the Mike Zimmer era, including Harrison Smith and Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen, will try to get the Vikings back to the NFC title game and beyond. Newcomers like Za'Darius Smith and Harrison Phillips, who have plenty of playoff experience on other teams, will hope to make an impact.
This should be fun.
Follow along below for live updates, and follow me on Twitter for additional updates, analysis, and commentary from inside the stadium.
Final Score: Giants 31, Vikings 24
Fourth quarter
1:44 — Kirk Cousins just threw short of the sticks with the season on the line on 4th and 8. That'll do it. The Giants are going to win.
2:56 — Darius Slayton just bailed out the Vikings' defense with a brutal drop on third down. He probably picks up the first down and all but ends it with a catch. Minnesota's offense is back on the field with no timeouts but plenty of clock left.
6:12 — That's a bad time for a three and out from the Vikings' offense. They punt it back to the Giants and now need a stop in the worst way.
Giants 31, Vikings 24
7:47 — The Giants continue to put up points on this Vikings defense. They just drove 75 yards on 12 plays to retake the lead with Saquon Barkley's second rushing touchdown of the day. New York is 7 of 10 on third down today and has 416 yards of offense. The pressure is back on Minnesota's offense.
Giants 24, Vikings 24
12:34 — The Vikings went for it on 4th and short in the red zone and converted, but the play was blown dead for a false start on Christian Darrisaw. That forces them to settle for a field goal to tie the game.
Third quarter
0:00 — The Vikings just went for it on 4th and 2 from the Giants' 43 and converted, with Kirk Cousins hitting T.J. Hockenson for 18 yards. Hockenson is the Vikings' leading receiver with 96 yards on five receptions. Fourth quarter time...
4:12 — Finally, a stop by the Vikings' defense. Danielle Hunter takes down Daniel Jones with a sack on third down. Harrison Phillips had a big batted pass on the previous play.
Giants 24, Vikings 21
7:46 — The Vikings' offense is keeping them in this game. Kirk Cousins just led another touchdown drive, hitting T.J. Hockenson and Adam Thielen for big gains before finding Irv Smith Jr. in the back of the end zone.
Giants 24, Vikings 14
11:37 — No halftime adjustments from the Vikings' defense, it appears. The Giants just drove 75 yards on six plays to expand their lead back to ten. There's been zero resistance from this defense all game. Jones hit Daniel Bellinger for the score off play action.
14:00 — Early in the third quarter, Giants OLB Azeez Ojulari and Vikings LB Brian Asamoah have been ruled out with injuries. It's a quad for Ojulari and a concussion for Asamoah.
Second quarter
Giants 17, Vikings 14
0:45 — That's a huge response by the Vikings' offense. They drove 75 yards on eight plays to get right back in the mix. Kirk Cousins hit T.J. Hockenson for two big gains on the drive and found K.J. Osborn over the middle for a touchdown.
Giants 17, Vikings 7
3:25 — The Giants just orchestrated a 20-play, 85-yard drive that took almost 11 minutes off the clock. But the Vikings' defense forced back to back incompletions to hold New York to a field goal. The offense really needs to get going here.
14:23 — Another punt from the Vikings after Kirk Cousins threw it away on third down. With Minnesota's struggling defense coming back on the field and the Giants getting the ball after halftime, this is already danger time for the home team.
First quarter
Giants 14, Vikings 7
1:03 — The Vikings' defense has not shown up to start the game. The Giants just went 81 yards on four plays to take the lead with a Daniel Jones touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins. They're averaging 18.4 yards per play so far. Ouch.
3:06 — The Vikings' second drive was much less successful than their first. On third and short, Kevin O'Connell dialed up a reverse to Justin Jefferson and a throw back across the field to Kirk Cousins. It lost yards.
Vikings 7, Giants 7
5:11 — The Giants come back with quite the opening drive of their own. Daniel Jones went 2 for 2 as a passer and scrambled twice for 22 yards, and Saquon Barkley ran for a 28-yard touchdown on a toss play to tie the score. Game on.
Vikings 7, Giants 0
8:23 — What a perfect start for the Vikings. They go 75 yards on 12 plays and score on a Kirk Cousins QB sneak to draw first blood. Cousins went 7 of 7 for 54 yards on the drive, hitting Justin Jefferson four times. The Vikings only faced one third down. That was smooth.
