The New York Giants are 2-12 and have lost eight straight games. Will they end that losing streak this weekend against the Minnesota Vikings. Find out what the Big Blue View staff thinks about that and the rest of the NFL Week 16 action in this week’s picks and predictions.
Chris Pflum
Another game which the Giants could, and perhaps should, win. In fact, I probably would have picked them without reservation a couple weeks ago, when J.J. McCarthy was playing some of the worst football in the NFL. In Week 16, however, he seems to have found his comfort zone, albeit against bad defenses.
I think this game will pivot on whether the Giants’ pass rush — namely Brian Burns and Abdul Carter — can knock McCarthy out of his comfort zone and force him to make mistakes. I’m expecting Kevin O’Connell to flip the Vikings’ usual script and go run-heavy this game, but there will be points where McCarthy will have to make plays, and the Giants will need to make him pay.
I want to see the Giants play with more life and fire than they did to start the game against the Patriots. If they do, they have a chance to notch a win here. But I’m not going to pick the Giants to do it.
Pick: Minnesota Vikings
Tony DelGenio
The light seems to have come on for J.J. McCarthy, who after a miserable start to his season, including missing time with an injury, has hung 31 and 34 points on Washington and Dallas the past two weeks. You know, the same Washington defense the Giants had only scored 14 points against with 4 minutes left last Sunday. McCarthy doesn’t yet have chemistry with Justin Jefferson, but unlike the Giants’ Jaxson Dart, he has other top-drawer receivers such as Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson to throw to rather than 3rd round picks who don’t know how to sharply cut on a dig route to create separation. Meanwhile, Brian Flores’ defense shut out that Washington team that put 29 points on the board against the Giants. Flores has 6 different players who have at least 4 sacks, led by Jonathan Greenard, so the Dart Memorial Blue Tent will be up and ready to go as soon as the game starts. The Vikings’ secondary is nothing special, so if Dart gets good protection, there is a path for the Giants to keep things close for a while, especially if the Giants’ pass rush can exploit a suspect Vikings OL and force bad throws by McCarthy. I don’t really expect that, though. If you’re going to the game and get there early, you’ll be able to try out for Giants Kicker of the Week. The dream of the No.1 pick stays alive for now.
Pick: Vikings
James Hickey
Ed recently asked in The Feed why season ticket holders ands fans would trek to MetLife on a day like last Sunday. I am one of them and, yes, I was there last Sunday. Now I do not have a long commute but I did receive a long questioning look from my wife when I told her I was still going to the game that morning.
Let me state that I do not do a big tailgate, I stop by a friends to say hello and have a beer or two. I have two tickets in that have been in the family since 1976— 120 in the old stadium; moved up stairs to the 300s when they moved across the parking lot. And in what has become a lost decade, I have no plans of not going or giving up my seats that I have paid for the last 30 years.
I have always gone to the game for the game, to see my team play. I will say this is not the case for everyone and post-COVID I have seen a real change in the crowd. On a week to week basis, there is not the regulars anymore— the family that would yell out “cheaters” when a penalty was called, the father-son combo who sat at the end of the row, the NYFD brothers—as well as the weekly influx of fans from other teams that make it feel like its a road game.
I still go to see my team win; I understand the argument for tanking but I just get myself to take six hours on a Sunday to root for my team to lose. I go to have a day with my sons, friends and family. I go to recapture that thrill I had when the Giants beat the Eagles at home earlier this year that felt like a weekly occurrence, first with LT and then with Eli.
So I will be there on Sunday, but being realistic in not expecting a win in another loss season.
Pick: Vikings 35, Giants 24
David Hartman
Another week, another loss. The Giants have run their losing streak to eight games, and last week’s loss was especially disappointing because they were favored, and playing at home.
The Giants stay home this week to face the Vikings, winners of two straight. Minnesota isn’t in the playoff picture but they’re finally getting solid play from a healthy J.J. McCarthy. Brian Flores’s defense is playing well too, although they lost a couple of key pieces in their win at Dallas last week.
I think Flores will show Jaxson Dart some looks he hasn’t seen, and the Big Blue offense may struggle some in this one. But offense hasn’t been the issue for the Giants. Defense and special teams continue to be the main problems. This is another winnable game at home against a team with a losing record, but until the Giants show they can play 60 minutes of good football, I can’t pick them. Of course, this is exactly the type of meaningless late season game they’ve won in recent years.
Pick: Vikings
Valentine’s View
The Giants are 2-12. They have not been able to beat teams they should have beaten. They have not been able to win games they seemed to be in complete control of. This is another game they could win, but probably will find a way to gift-wrap for the Vikings.
Pick: Minnesota
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