New York Giants Conservative Plan Fails in Loss to Minnesota Vikings

The New York Giants couldn’t crack the Minnesota Vikings defense and take a tough 24-10 road loss on Monday Night Football.

The New York Giants came into their Week 4 Monday Night Football showdown against the Minnesota Vikings with two clear objectives: don’t take sacks and exploit underneath routes.

The Giants pushed forward with the game plan but never controlled the contest due to fundamental breakdowns and poor coverage on critical downs.

The Vikings converted 8-of-16 third downs and kept drives alive with safe throws to Kyle Rudolph. Cornerback Trevin Wade couldn’t cover the 6’6”, 265-pound tight end in the end zone and blew assignments on wide receiver Charles Johnson, which led to huge gains.

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The Giants secondary sorely missed cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and rookie Eli Apple in the slot.

Once the Vikings ventured into the red zone, their running backs almost waltzed into the end zone on two occasions. Minnesota’s offensive line did a stellar job at putting bodies on defensive tackle Damon Harrison, which diminished his impact on short-yardage runs up the middle.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham’s frustrating season continued with an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction for taunting after jawing with cornerback Xavier Rhodes. At that point, Beckham logged two catches, and he’d only secure one more reception for the rest of the game. The Vikings secondary held him to a career-low:

ESPN analyst Randy Moss pinpointed a pattern that limits Beckham’s impact on the game:

With a conservative game plan and Beckham’s inability to pull down the tough catches, the Giants’ passing offense looked stagnant for most of the night.

Rookie running back Paul Perkins provided one of the few bright spots in the Giants’ loss. His 67-yard reception pushed the Giants downfield in a desperation moment to stay alive in the contest. Eventually, running back Orleans Darkwa finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Nonetheless, the Giants never made it back into the end zone. The Vikings kept the clamps on the passing offense, not allowing anything deep. On a rare pass downfield, Rhodes caught an easy interception on what seemed like a miscommunication between Manning and Beckham.

Overall, the Vikings made few fundamental errors. The Giants started off with a muffed punt and shot themselves in the foot throughout the night. When New York saw a narrow pathway for a comeback, the Vikings quickly shut the door with a suffocating defense.

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Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford’s jersey remained clean behind an improved offensive line thanks to Tony Sparano. Defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul couldn’t wrap their arms around Bradford. As a result, he stood in the pocket and methodically picked his spots to deliver accurate throws.

Due to the Giants’ early miscue on special teams on a bobbled punt, the Vikings took advantage early and took care of the lead for the rest of the game. The Giants’ conservative attack didn’t allow for a speedy comeback and failed to rattle the defense at any point.

After a 2-0 start, the Giants drop consecutive games and prepare for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.