Sun Nov 13, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Vikings at Giants
Trap Game.
Last week trap game was all you heard about the matchup between the 49er's and the Giants, and indeed they made it look hard. The score was a close 10-6 at the end of the 3rd quarter. This week
the Giants face the 3-5 Vikings, and sure, the Giants have put up over a hundred more points on the scoreboard, and it's hard not to think about the Eagles coming next week.
Vikings star receiver Randy Moss is gone, and so is Pro Bowl center Matt Birk for the season, and scrambling quarterback Daunte Culpepper is gone too, and the Eagles are coming next week. The
Giants are playing in the comfort of home, in what looks to be an easy game against a down-and-out team that they're used to owning lately, and did I mention that the Eagles are coming next
week? Just Watch Out!
The Vikings.
It's hard to gauge this team. They generate so much press, that it takes the combination of a Terrell Owens drama and Panthers cheerleaders escapade
to push them off the page. The Vikings, at 3-5 are in a weak division led by a currently successful but still suspect 5-3 Bears, and they actually have a shot at going somewhere even with
all the baggage they carry. Head coach Mike Tice, likable but always caught in the headlights, might be fired at the end of this season. Even with all their injuries, distractions and scandals,
and now the loss of their starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper (season-ending knee injury), they still came up with a strong win last week.
Brad Johnson - What comes around goes around.
Brad Johnson played for the Vikings from 1992-98. He was traded from the Vikings to the Washington Redskins in 1999. The Vikings used a draft pick obtained
from that trade to select Daunte Culpepper in the first round. Johnson started all 16 games with the Redskins and made the Pro Bowl for this first time in his career.
He had a 90.0 passer rating with 4,005 yards, 24 TDs and 13 INTs. Brad Johnson got his first start of the season last week and made the most of it.
Brad Johnson - 2nd start.
Brad Johnson controlled the offense and came away with a 115 passer rating against the Lions. He had 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, and completed 68 percent of his passes. Johnson was complemented
by the running game with Michael Bennett's 100-yard performance, and the Vikings won against division rival Detroit 27-14.
Johnson, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in January 2003, is 59-41 as a starter.
Brad Johnson doesn't make mistakes, knows how to guide an offense, and still has what it takes. Key here in this game for the Vikings is the offensive line providing at least standard quarterback
protection so Brad Johnson can do his thing. In two starts at Giants Stadium, He's completed 70.8 percent of his passes (34 of 48) for 520 yards with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. In
his full career as a starter, Johnson has thrown for 1,073 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Giants, and holds a 4-1 record.
The Giants - Offense.
The big game with the Eagles is just around the corner, and the Giants can self destruct if they don't concentrate on Minnesota.
The offensive line has permitted just 12 sacks this year, which is sixth-best in the NFL, but have been coming up with a number of penalties. Eli Manning,
who recorded his first career road win last Sunday against San Francisco, has been erratic lately with his throws. He was 12-of-31 for 146 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT against Washington, and
18-of-33 for 251 yards and 1 TD against San Francisco, with a league-worst pass defense.
Last week Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress both made good plays on poorly thrown balls for 82 of Manning's 251 yards. His completion percentage is about the worst in the league. Mixing things
up with the running game, controlling the ball and making big plays is what the offense is relying on now.
The Giants - Defense.
The Giants defense has just suddenly decided to be great. They haven't given up a touchdown in two games, have recorded a shut out against a strong division team, and have allowed only 6 points
on 2 field goals in those two games. The Redskins and 49ers were able to convert only 3 times on 22 third down chances. It's hard to believe this is the same defense that in the first six
games let opponents average 22.8 points, 23.3 first downs, 116 rushing yards and 411.8 total yards and have a 49.4 percent conversion rate on third down.
They were a big help to the offense last week,forcing the 49ers to punt with 3 three-and-outs to open the game. If they
suddenly revert back to old form, play off the receivers, don't pressure the line and get sloppy, they will play right into Brad Johnson's experienced hands.
The rumor.
The rumor that the two ousted Panther cheerleaders will be picked up by the Vikings cheerleading squad is (probably) not true.
Notes.
Vikings have won just 9 times in their last 41 road games.
Vikings play the Giants in the Meadowlands for the first time since a 41-0 loss in the NFC championship game after the 2000 season.
Vikings last played the Giants on Oct. 31, 2004 - Giants 31, Vikings 13 at the Metrodome.
That was Kurt Warner's last victory before Eli Manning took over.
Vikings running back Michael Bennett had his career-high rushing day against the Giants on Nov. 10, 2002, with 167 yards in a Giants victory in the Metrodome.
Giants have not lost a game played at the Meadowlands this season.
Giants are leading the NFL with an average of 29.1 points per game.
Giants are the NFC leader in turnover ratio at plus-13, seven ahead of the Falcons.
Former Giant Mike Rosenthal lines up against left end Strahan.
Michael Strahan has played in 183 games as a Giant, and is directly behind Lawrence Taylor and Joe Morrison, both tied for 4th on the games-played list with 184.
Next Game.
Nov 20, Eagles at Giants 1:00 PM - FOX.
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