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The New York Giants (6-8) travel to TCF Bank Stadium in Week 16 to take on the Minnesota Vikings (9-5), but their lone Pro Bowl player -- wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. -- won't participate in the matchup due to a suspension. The Vikings, who are getting healthier on defense, will look to take advantage of OBJ's absence when the two teams clash on Sunday night.
Will the Giants pull off an upset without their most dangerous weapon, or will the Vikings keep rolling toward the playoffs with another win?
Here are three keys to the game for both the Giants and the Vikings.
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1. Watch out for the play action
More than likely, the Giants will put as many guys in the box as they can when Adrian Peterson is on the field. Peterson has been held in check for the last three weeks against strong running defenses, but he will quite easily expose New York's weak run defense. But the Giants can't let the Vikings lull the defense into a play-action pass, because Teddy Bridgewater has the ability to extend a play, and he can find his deep threat, Stefon Diggs.
2. Push it up the middle
Even though Beckham Jr.'s suspension was overturned, the Giants may have an easier time running the ball against the Vikings. Minnesota's weak spot on defense? It could be right up the middle. Nose tackle Linval Johnson is listed as questionable with a foot injury. Linebacker Anthony Barr, the team's second-leading tackler, has missed the last two games with a groin injury, and while he is listed as probable for this Sunday, it may be wise to target his side of the field with the run.
3. Don't let Diggs go deep
Diggs has proven that he can catch virtually any ball thrown his way against defenses that give him room. He was targeted 15 times against the weak Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders' pass defenses. He caught 12 of those targets. The Giants allow 423 passing yards per game, the worst in the NFL. Minnesota is going to throw the ball, it's going to go Diggs' way, and the Giants will allow him to catch the ball. So the best they can most likely do is keep him from gaining gigantic chunks of yardage.
1. Milk more out of Adrian Peterson
The Vikings haven't gotten more than 70 yards from star running back Adrian Peterson since Week 12. He's still the NFL's leading rusher with 1,314 yards, so they're not going to give up on him any time soon. They need to open up some holes for him against New York's defensive front and spring him for at least one long scoring run. If the Vikings get 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns out of Peterson on Sunday, they should be golden against a Giants team that ranks dead last in total defense.
2. Feature Kyle Rudolph in the passing game
The Giants have two solid cornerbacks on the outsides in Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, so this might not be the game to feature wideouts Stefon Diggs and Mike Wallace. Instead, Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater should target tight end Kyle Rudolph over the middle. New York's linebackers and safeties aren't as strong in coverage and should struggle to stick with Rudolph, who has quietly put together a solid season with 47 catches for 442 yards and four touchdowns.
3. Send the blitz after Eli Manning
With star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suspended for Week 16, the Giants will be without their only dangerous weapon on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Eli Manning will have to find a new go-to playmaker, and the Vikings can make that awfully tough by bringing the blitz on Sunday night. Manning is notorious for trying to do too much when his team lacks talent, so constant pressure from Minnesota's defensive front could very well lead to a few takeaways on rushed decisions and forced throws.
