Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants
The Giants rookie quarterback faced his toughest challenge yet against the Vikings loaded defense. The game was competitive through the first half, but the Vikings slowly and methodically pulled away as the clock wound down. Dalvin Cook had another highly impressive game and was incredibly close to a multi-score outing but ended his day collecting yards without a score.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
- Kirk Cousins: 22/27, 306 Yards, 2 TDs | 3 Carries, 3 Yards
Kirk Cousins was sacked three times against the Giants but during the majority of the afternoon, he had time to sit back and survey the field. The Vikings opened up the game with several play-action passes and relied heavily on play fakes throughout the game. They employed a variety of formations and looks against the Giants defense and we’re largely successful in running their gameplay. When Cousins was under pressure, he responded with solid reads and good throws. There were several plays as the game progressed when Cousins had time to sit back and pick apart the Giants secondary without any pressure near him. His throws were on target and he was highly effective with the screen game.
Running Backs
- Dalvin Cook: 21 Carries, 132 Yards | 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 86 Yards
- Alexander Mattison: 7 Carries, 52 Yards
- Ameer Abdullah: 3 Carries, 24 Yards
Dalvin Cook was an absolute stud in this game. He did have one fumble inside the Giants’ five-yard line but was a hair away from scoring on multiple different plays. Cook consistently made the first and second defender near him miss and lived on the Giants side of the line of scrimmage. He was just as dangerous in the passing game as he was running the ball and was one of the Vikings standout offensive players in the game. Cook showed off speed racing through the defense and solid hands catching screen passes. Every time the ball was in his hands he seemed like a threat to score. Cook was kept just shy of the endzone on multiple plays throughout the afternoon but still managed to accumulate over 200 total yards.
Alexander Mattison had several nice carries in the game. He made good reads and hit gaps hard, adding on extra yards through contact.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Adam Thielen: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 130 Yards, 2 TDs
- Stefon Diggs: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 44 Yards
- Olabisi Johnson: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 43 Yards
- Kyle Rudolph: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
- C.J. Ham: 1 Target, 1 Reception, -1 Yard
Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook were the two most impressive Vikings receivers on the afternoon. Thielen was open for several big catches and showed off his route running during his two touchdown grabs. On his first scoring grab, Thielen ran a beauty of a route that saw him several steps ahead of his defender to make the scoring grab in the left corner of the endzone. He had several other impressive catches throughout the game and added hard yards after the catch on a variety of different plays. Thielen’s second scoring grab came against the Giants’ DeAndre Baker in the back of the endzone. Thielen ran a slick route and went up to grab the pass as Baker was left watching the receiver.
Cook was an absolute threat in the passing game all afternoon. He made a living out of making defenders miss after the catch and was a notable threat through the air.
Stefon Diggs and Olabisi Johnson had several good plays were they uncovered, made the catch, and added hard yards running with the ball.
New York Giants
Quarterback
- Daniel Jones: 21/38, 182 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 3 Carries, 12 Yards
Daniel Jones had his roughest performance yet against the Vikings tough defensive unit. He did have several beautiful throws dropped and consistently gave his players a chance for a big play. Jones had several near touchdown throws dropped or sail just out of the reach of his receiver. In the first quarter, Jones just overthrew Sterling Shepard on what would have been a walk-in score. If the pass was a few inches shorter, he would have connected with a streaming Shepard for a long touchdown. Jones was under considerable pressure throughout the game but consistently made good reads and pretty throws. He showed off his ability to run when he converted on a third and long using his legs. During his one scoring throw, Jones connected with speedy rookie Darius Slayton on a gorgeous throw. He hit his receiver in stride as Slayton streaked into the endzone and made a fingertip grab for the score. Jones had several near picks to go along with his one interception. The Vikings safety dropped a near turnover when he came over and jumped the Giants’ receivers route. Jobes had another impressive outing for a rookie but had several throws that were near disasters.
Running Backs
- Jon Hilliman: 9 Carries, 20 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
- Elijhaa Penny: 3 Carries, 15 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
- Wayne Gallman: 2 Carries, 14 Yards
The Giants lost backup running back Wayne Gallman early on to a concussion against the Vikings. With Saquon Barkley already down due to an ankle injury, the running duties fell to Jon Hilliman. The Giants’ ground game was largely an afterthought against the Vikings as they were only able to gain 49 combined yards in the game. Thankfully, Barkley has been far ahead of his schedule to return and could be brought back for Week 6. The Giants may face some tough times on the ground if both Barkley and Gallman miss any extended time.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Darius Slayton: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 62 Yards, 1 TD
- Sterling Shepard: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 49 Yards
- Evan Engram: 11 Targets, 6 Receptions, 42 Yards
- Golden Tate: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 13 Yards
- Rhett Ellison: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
- Cody Latimer: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Darius Slayton made the catch of the game against the Vikings. He ran a strong route to separate from his defender and used his speed and fingertips to separate as he crossed into the endzone for the score. He made a few other difficult grabs on the day and looks to be forging a connection with Jones.
Sterling Shepard had several nice grabs but missed out by inches on a few scores. One pass sailed just over his hands when he was completely uncovered for an easy score. He had a second pass just miss him for a touchdown in the endzone against a good defense.
Evan Engram was targeted heavily yet again but was unable to come away with a game-breaking play. He had several nice runs but was targeted more often than not near the line of scrimmage and in the screen game.
Golden Tate’s return to the Giants was met with minimal reward as he was often covered tightly by defenders. As he gets on the same page with Jones, his impact on the game should greatly improve.
- Ben Davidowitz