Sun Jan
14, 12:30 pm (FOX) - Vikings at Giants
Yikes
it's the Vikes!
The
last time the Giants were in a playoff game it was
against Minnesota, and it didn't turn out all that
well. Back in 1997, the Vikings managed to pull
out a stunning 23-22 come-from-behind win. The Vikings
are in the playoffs again, even after losing three
straight games to close out their 2000 season. The
bye week did them well, and the Vikings are back
on the winning track. They won their playoff game
34-16 over the Saints, who exhausted themselves
playing the Rams two straight games.
It
all goes through the Meadowlands.
The Minnesota Vikings were more than likely
rooting for the Eagles last Sunday. If Philly had
beaten the Giants, the Eagles would have had to
take flight to the domed stadium in Minnesota. Now
instead, it's the Vikings who will have to make
the journey to the (undomed) Meadowlands. Still,
they seem unconcerned, and why not? The Giants hosted
that losing playoff game in 1997, and then lost
to the Vikings again in 1999, also in New Jersey.
It
all goes through the Vikings.
The Vikings always seem to be in the playoffs. In
fact, they had their 38th playoff game last Saturday,
tying the 49ers for 2nd in NFL history, and trailing
the Cowboys who lead with 53 playoff games. Last
year the Vikings got as far as the Division Championship,
where they lost in a shoot-out with the Rams. After
all the footballs landed, the final score was St.
Louis 49 - Minnesota 37, and what else would you
expect from two teams that sport big scoring offensive
units, and lackluster defenses.
That
1997 wildcard game. Vikings 23- Giants 22.
The Giants were controlling the game against the
Vikings. They held leads of 13-0, 19-3, and 22-13,
but since Minnesota wasn't giving them enough of
a fight, they decided to fight amongst themselves.
The Giants had their starting left cornerback Phillippi
Sparks back in action, after coming off a sprained
left knee, and he showed he was at least healthy
enough to take on everyone.
- Sparks fly.
Sparks was all over rookie Tiki Barber after he
was stripped of the ball early in the third quarter.
The fumble was recovered at the Giants' 4, and then
a touchdown run by Leroy Hoard cut the lead to 19-10.
Later Sparks and defensive back Conrad Hamilton
got into a shouting match over coverage. Also during
the game, Sparks and Jessie Armstead were shoving
each other, and Michael Strahan and Keith Hamilton
were arguing on the sidelines.
- Danny Kanell.
Despite distractions, quarterback Danny Kanell engineered
a long drive (6-for-6 for 74 yards) and Brad Daluiso
kicked his fifth field goal, with 7:03 to go and
that gave the Giants a 22-13 lead. The Giants were
still up by 9 points with less than two minutes
remaining, when Tito Wooten was beaten for a touchdown
by Jake Reed.
Now with the score 22-20, the Vikings recovered
an onside kick that bounced out of Chris Calloway's
hands, and Randall Cunningham hit Cris Carter for
21 yards. Then Phillipi Sparks was called for interference,
and soon, Eddie Murray ended up kicking the winning
field goal with 10 seconds left.
- It's over.
The improved 10-5-1 regular-season record, and NFC
East title, the sweep of the divisional teams, Fassel
being named Coach of the Year by the Associated
Press, all that glory came to a sudden end. The
somber game notes were as follows:
This was the first wildcard loss for the Giants.
Daluiso kicked for a career high of 5 field goals,
tying the NFL playoff record.
Eddie Murray, the oldest player in the NFL, kicked
the winning field goal.
Coach Fassel confirmed that Danny Kanell is the
Giant's quarterback for the future.
Read
more about it.
The
1999 regular season game. Vikings 34- Giants 17
In this next to last regular season game, the Giants
had enough to stop Randy Moss, but they couldn't
handle both him and Cris Carter. The Giants beat
themselves in that 1997 wildcard game, but aside
from the finality of losing in the playoffs, this
loss was much worse. It seemed like every time the
Minnesota offense took the field, the Giants were
in trouble, and the Vikings kept adding to the score
throughout the game. Chris Carter even caught a
27 yard touchdown pass from Randy Moss.
Kerry Collins was 31-51 for 297 yards, 1 INT, 1
TD, outplaying Jeff George, 10-21 for 185 yards,
2 INT, 0 TD, but it doesn't matter when you don't
put up the points. By winning, the Vikings put themselves
into the playoffs. The game notes read like this:
The Vikings showed they are playoff ready.
The Giants looked good on the opening drive, but
that was it.
The Vikings used star player Cris Carter to full
advantage.
The Giants defense couldn't get to quarterback Jeff
George.
The Giants can still make the playoffs.
Read
more about it.
Last
week vs this week.
Compared to the Eagles last week, the Giants are
moving up a class. It's like facing an Eagles team
with a bigger chest and more offensive muscles to
flex. Luckily, things swing the other way on defense.
Minnesota had the league's 28th-ranked defense.
Still, the Vikes held firm in last Saturday's 34-16
victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Here I would expect to see the Giants flip what
they did with the Eagles. The way the front line
is playing for Collins, they should air it out against
the weak Minnesota secondary, and then mix it up
with Barber and Dayne.
On defense, the Giants have done well against scrambling
quarterbacks, and just about all running backs this
season. The notable exception was Eddie George,
the only one able to run for over 100 yards on them
this season, but he and the Titans are gone, safely
out of contention. That leaves the throwing arm
of Daunte Culpepper.
Daunte
Culpepper.
Like Donovan McNabb of the Eagles, Daunte
Culpepper also played in his first postseason game
last week. The Giants were able to shut down McNabb,
but Culpepper has some better targets to throw to.
He used them In Minnesota's win over the Saints,
passing for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Culpepper also is dangerous out of the pocket. He
rushed for 51 yards on four carries, and eluded
any sacks from the Saints. He had the highest passer
rating in team playoff history, 120.7. His 30-yard
run was the longest by a Vikings QB and he became
the first Viking to throw two passes of more than
50 yards in a playoff game.
Last Sunday, against the Eagles, the Giants sacked
Donovan McNabb six times, but the Viking offense
is better balanced and has the NFL's fifth-best
offensive unit, and they will utilize pro bowl wideouts
Randy Moss and Cris Carter.
Cris
Carter and Randy Moss.
Cris Carter had eight receptions for 102 yards,
including a 17-yard touchdown, and Randy Moss caught
scoring passes of 53 and 68 yards against New Orleans.
Even with smallish corners like Kevin Mathis 5'9",
Fred Thomas 5'9" and Alex Molden 5'10",
the Saints were somehow able to hold 6'4' Randy
Moss to two catches.
Jason Sehorn keeps winning the Superstars competitions
against world-class athletes from all sports, and
people got to see some of his athletic abilities
first hand last week in the Eagles playoff game.
He is a natural to cover Chris Carter in man to
man coverage.
Dave Thomas started in games for Jacksonville from
1995-98, but was used less in 1999. Facing an uncertain
future, he came to the Giants this year. Thomas
gives up only one inch to Randy Moss and plays a
real physical game. Shaun Williams is also a heavy
hitter and the two of them working double coverage
on Randy Moss could be very effective. Remember
that neither Sehorn nor Thomas was playing in that
last game against Minnesota. At that time it was
Jeremy Lincoln and a recovering Conrad Hamilton
playing corner.
Related
item.
Jim Fassel was named Coach of the Year in
his first year as head coach, as he took the Giants
from a 6-10 season to 10-5-1, and a wild card playoff,
only to lose it to the Vikings.
This year, Jim Haslett the head coach of
the Saints, who also lost to the Vikings in a playoff
game, was honored as Coach of the Year. Coming in
second was Philadelphia's Andy Reid, who lost his
playoff game to the Giants.
Injuries:
Giants: QUESTIONABLE: LB Jack Golden (hip);
WR Joe Jurevicius (knee); G Glenn Parker (ribs);
CB Reggie Stephens (ankle); WR Amani Toomer (ankle/knee).
PROBABLE: T Lomas Brown (back).
VIKINGS: OUT: S Orlando Thomas (hamstring/shoulder).
QUESTIONABLE: CB Kenny Wright (knee). PROBABLE:
LB Lemanski Hall (back).
Notes
Vikings
are 5th in total offense, 6th in rushing, 7th in
passing.
Vikings are tied for 28th in total defense, 15th
against the rush, 28th against the pass.
Giants
are 13th in total offense, 11th in rushing, 13th
in passing.
Giants are 5th in total defense, 2nd against the
rush, 16th against the pass.
Including
playoffs, Giants have limited the opposition to
fewer than 100 yards rushing in 7 straight games.
Teams
that play in domes are 9-33 lifetime in postseason
games on the road outdoors.
The
Vikings will send 7 players to the Pro Bowl:
WRs Randy Moss and Cris Carter, QB Daunte Culpepper,
RB Robert Smith, C Matt Birk, SS Robert Griffith,
and T Korey Stringer.
The
Giants will send 2 players to the Pro Bowl:
OL Jessie Armstead, and OG Ron Stone
PLAYOFF
RESULTS between the two teams:
01/09/94: NYG, 17-10.
12/27/97: MIN, 23-22.
For
those very organized fans.
If you use a Palm Pilot and
want to keep the Giants schedule, and actually,
the whole NFL schedule on it, there is a free download
available here at PFL.
Last
Week's review, Giants
20, Eagles 10
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