Just three weeks after the Vikings needed a last-second, 61-yard field goal to beat the Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium, the second verse was NOT the same as the first – as this time it was Big Blue who held on for a 31-24 Wild Card Round victory, and they’re moving on to face the Eagles for a third time this season in next weekend’s Divisional Round.
“Tough game, and it was much like last game, came down to a few plays. This time we made more than they did, and we won the game,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “All the preparation and practice that we’ve done…I know we rested guys last week, and I thought those guys were fresh and ready to go.”
“It felt pretty similar (to the first game), I thought our plan was similar but we had some good changeups that kept them on their toes,” Daniel Jones added. “I thought we played cleaner, took care of the ball, and were big on third downs. When you play a good team, you have to play a smart, clean game.”
The Giants had turned up the volume during their indoor practices all week, preparing for what was indeed a raucous crowd in Minnesota, and clearly, they were ready – thanks in part to a lot of Big Blue Nation heading west for the game.
“In a hostile environment, our fans showed up,” Saquon Barkley said. “We did a really good job of locking in, and when we believe in each other and play together, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Added Daboll: “We knew from last time the crowd is great and the atmosphere is excellent. It was cranking today, and the important things to do in that environment are communicate personnel, get the calls in quickly, and make sure we’re in right formations. Coaches and players did a good job there.”
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Daniel Jones was a beast in the first game, going 30-of-42 for 342 yards with one TD, one INT, and four rushes for 34 yards. This time, he was even better: 24-of-35 for 302 yards with two TD and no picks, and he added 17 carries for 78 yards.
“I thought we had a great plan coming in and were prepared well,” a humble Jones said. “The coaches dialed up good plays for us and we executed well. The guys up front controlled the line of scrimmage and guys made plays for us.”
Jones almost had 18 for 83 and a touchdown, having had a TD run called back by an illegal shift penalty – but he still became the first QB in playoff history to have 300+ passing yards, 70+ on the ground, and two passing TD in a game.
“Give credit to the offensive line and the coaches, but DJ came out here and played a great game,” Barkley said. “We know what he can do; he’s a special player, and he made plays for us today.”
“He played good, and I’ve said it all year: Daniel has been good for us and continues to be good for us,” added Daboll. “He played a good game, and as the leader of our football team, I’m proud of him.”
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Jones’ scrambling was a big part of that, and some of those “changeups” were a few designed runs that had him up over 80 yards on the ground before the final kneel downs.
“For this game, we thought that was something we didn’t do at all last game but thought would be a good wrinkle,” Daboll said. “We thought this would be the best thing to give us a chance. When you only have 65 or 70 plays left in the season, you have to make sure they’re the ones you want.”
“I think I just felt some space on some of those plays, and the guys did a good job opening up lanes for me, so I tried to do the best I could,” Jones added.
In all, on seven possessions, the Giants scored five times and punted twice, both in the second half and the second after Darius Slayton made a critical drop with less than three minutes left, failing to come up with a ball on a third-and-15 from the Giants’ 41 that was almost definitely good for a first down.
“That could’ve went a ways, but I told him to put his head up because he’s made a lot of good plays,” Daboll said. “He made a mistake at a critical time and no one felt worse than him, but that’s gonna happen, and he’s such a good teammate who had done everything he could for us.”
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Daboll punted there, but there were a few spots where he showed the proverbial onions – including a sneak on fourth-and-1 inside the Vikings’ 10 on the drive that gave the Giants their 31-24 lead, and a fourth-and-1 earlier on that Slayton drive where he had Jones sneak again, taking a chance with the ball on their own 45.
“We were gonna go try to win the game; we had confidence in Daniel moving the pile, and I can live with the consequences,” Daboll said. “He kept his legs driving and made a big play.”
And then, finally, as mentioned above, the defense this time held on, with Xavier McKinney stopping T.J. Hockenson on fourth down, the last of his team-high eight tackles the biggest of the season. Hockenson and Jefferson combined for 25 catches, 242 yards, and three TD last game, but despite having 17 for 176 had 10 catches for 129 yards but didn’t find the end zone, and Justin Jefferson had seven grabs for 47 yards but just three catches after the Vikings’ first TD drive -so in essence, job well done.
“We played good team defense, and that’s what’s required when you play a really good player. One of the keys was to not let 18 beat us, and the plan and most importantly the execution was good,” Daboll said. “I have a lot of confidence in Wink (Martindale), and we put X on (Hockenson) and he did it.”
“I made the play to win it, but we had a full team effort out there,” McKinney added. “We never quit. We’re resilient, we play hard, and that’s something we preach. Our main focus is trying to attack every time, and we had some hiccups here and there, but when it counted, we got stops. As I said earlier in the week, it’s not impossible, you just have to do your job and you can get it done.”
Minnesota was 11-0 in games decided by one score or less in the regular season, but in the postseason, they went 0-1, and the Giants picked up their first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI. Now, it’s a third date with the Eagles, who beat Big Blue 48-22 in Week 14 at MetLife, and then had to hang on for a 22-16 win on Jan. 8 at Lincoln Financial Field in a game the Giants played mostly backups.
And after the first playoff win in a decade, and making Daboll the first Giants head coach since Dan Reeves in 1993 to win a playoff game in his first year…yup, still business as usual.
“It’s gonna be crazy when we get home, but we did what we had to do,” Barkley said. “We’ll celebrate on the way home, but once we’re home, it’s on to get ready for Philly.”
Added Daboll: “We have to get home and start grinding away. There’s not much time to reflect this time of year. We have a lot of work to do – but it’s enjoyable work to be able to work this time of year.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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