The New York Giants travel to TCF Bank Stadium to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. The Giants will be without star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., as his one-game suspension was upheld after an appeal this week. The Vikings can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Giants, and they can win their first NFC North title since 2009 if they beat the Green Bay Packers the following week.
The Giants have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but head coach Tom Coughlin will look for his team to still compete in the final two games of the season. Quarterback Eli Manning is having a career best year in his second season under offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Manning has thrown a career-high 32 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and has 3,900 passing yards on the year.
With Beckham ruled out, Manning will look to target wide receiver Rueben Randle, as he is second on the team in both receptions and yards. Randle has caught 78 passes for 638 yards and has scored six touchdowns for the Giants offense this year. Randle and running back Shane Vereen will look to be quick outlets for Manning on Sunday night, as the Vikings can create pressure with their defensive front.
Rookie linebacker Eric Kendricks has been a huge addition to the Vikings defense this year, and he leads the team with 76 combined tackles and four sacks in his first season in the league. The second round draft pick covers the entire field and will look to put pressure on the Giants offense all Sunday night.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has struggled at times in his second season as Minnesota's quarterback, but he has picked up his play down the stretch of this year. Last week in a win over the Chicago Bears, Bridgewater threw for 231 yards with four touchdowns and also rushed for a score. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has likely spoken to his quarterback about ball security, as he has eight interceptions and five fumbles on the year.
The Vikings are also expected to have running back Adrian Peterson on the field Sunday after spraining his left ankle last week. Peterson currently leads the NFL for most rushing yards with 1,314 yards on the year and has scored nine rushing touchdowns for Minnesota. Peterson is still one of the best running backs in the NFL and is a dual-threat out of the backfield, as he has caught 28 passes for 206 yards this season.
The Vikings are playing for postseason positioning Sunday night, but Coughlin will look for his Giants to bounce back after another tough loss last week. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Giants' radio broadcast, go here, and for the Vikings' radio broadcast, click here.
