I think the team should be slightly favored but playing on the road is always tougher no? The predictions are pretty even and for good reason. Win or lose, which players are you going to be focused upon?

I think the interior offensive and defensive lines are the players we need to watch closely. Depending on their play, it could portend a very long season or hope. I am also interested in the new pass rushers and obviously the cornerbacks.

I still believe the team should be able to squeak out a win and I am hoping that Daniel Jones gives us the ball more than Sam Darnold gives the Giants the ball. As always, turnovers usually play a huge factor in the outcome of games.

No matter how you slice it, the beer is going to be real good!

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Minnesota Vikings News and Links

NFL Expert Picks: Opinions Divided for Vikings at Giants

Vikings 20, Giants 17 – Staff, Bleacher Report

Far from a matchup between marquee quarterbacks, the Minnesota Vikings will open the season with journeyman Sam Darnold under center while New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is, somehow, still in the prove-it stage, entering the second term of his four-year, $160 million contract.

One of these quarterbacks could make you believe in their future again. They’re both top-six draft picks from back-to-back classes with a chance to change the perspective of their career futures.

“Big Blue recorded 29 total TDs a season ago, which was somehow not the worst number in the league (fourth-worst),” Bleacher Report editor Wes O’Donnell said. “But 10 of those scores belonged to the former Giants running back now playing in Philly. It’s a pretty irreplaceable number for [Giants Head Coach] Brian Daboll’s team.

“We don’t know which Daniel Jones we’ll see. We don’t know if the new-look Giants offensive line can protect him at all, let alone enough to find rookie wideout Malik Nabers,” O’Donnell added. “You regularly find me fighting for the positives with this team. Not right now. Gotta prove something first this year. Getting less than a field goal, even from a Sam Darnold-led Vikings team with question marks just as big as the Giants’ own, is not enough.”

Giants 21, Vikings 18 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

Sam Darnold is Minnesota’s starting quarterback with rookie J.J. McCarthy (knee) out for the season. Darnold returns to his original home as a former Jet, but the Giants defense won’t be kind, getting good pressure on him with its improved front. Daniel Jones hasn’t inspired much as New York’s QB in his return from major knee injury, but he can make enough plays with his legs to steal an ugly one, as he will have his share of passing woes vs. Brian Flores’ pass rush.

The Vikings will start veteran Sam Darnold on the road. Minnesota was 5-4 S/U on the road last season. Much of the focus on the Giants is on quarterback Daniel Jones and first-round pick Malik Nabers, but the defense under new coordinator Shane Bowen could be the key here in a pick-em matchup. Darnold has a 75.7 career passer rating on the road.

Giants 17, Vikings 14 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

Sam Darnold is Minnesota’s starting quarterback with rookie J.J. McCarthy (knee) out for the season. Darnold returns to his original home as a former Jet, but the Giants defense won’t be kind, getting good pressure on him with its improved front. Daniel Jones hasn’t inspired much as New York’s QB in his return from major knee injury, but he can make enough plays with his legs to steal an ugly one, as he will have his share of passing woes vs. Brian Flores’ pass rush.

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Vikings-Giants Week 1 score predictions from the Vikings on SI staff

Will Ragatz: Vikings 20, Giants 17

I think this will be a rather low-scoring, competitive affair between two teams with shaky quarterback situations and some dangerous playmakers on defense. I expect Darnold to put together a solid performance in which he leans on Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson. But more than that, this pick comes from my confidence in Brian Flores and the pieces he has on his defense. The difference in this game will be a couple Daniel Jones turnovers.

Joe Nelson: Vikings 27, Giants 0

Nolan O’Hara: Vikings 24, Giants 21

Tony Liebert: Giants 20, Vikings 17

Many experts expect the Giants to have one of the worst rosters in the NFL for the 2024-25 season. Star rookie receiver Malik Nabers will be relied on heavily as the team’s lone dynamic playmaker, flanked by veteran receiver Darius Slayton and free agent running back Devin Singletary. The public has seemingly given up on the duo of quarterback Daniel Jones and head coach Brian Daboll, but I think new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can provide the Vikings with some challenges on the road and I see New York winning this game.

Jonathan Harrison: Vikings 20, Giants 3

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Giants vs. Vikings: Week 1 staff picks and predictions

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Vikings vs Giants Picks & Predictions for Week 1: Slayton Makes Waves in the Meadowlands

New York Giants wideout Darius Slayton was the team’s leading receiver last season. He racked up a team-high 770 yards while reeling in 50 of 79 targets for Big Blue. Although the Giants may have added Malik Nabers in the draft, Slayton shouldn’t be overlooked as a veteran option for Daniel Jones.

Jones infamously only threw for two touchdown passes — both coming in the same game — before going down with an injury last season. With Barkley no longer in the backfield, look for Jones to get the season started right at home.

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Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants Predictions: 5 Crucial Stats, Plus Players To Watch

Vikings vs. Giants Prediction

The Vikings may find an explosive play or two in the passing game, as they have Addison and Jefferson going against an inexperienced secondary. But given the talent level along the defensive line for both teams and expected spotty quarterback play, this game should yield a fairly low-scoring output.

New York has a slight edge in the running game both on defense and offense, plus Jones has demonstrated the ability to extend plays and drives with his legs. These two factors will prove pivotal in a tight game, and the Giants will win their first Week 1 home game since 2010.

Final Score Prediction: Giants 21, Vikings 20

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Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants Prediction, Odds and Picks for Tomorrow, 09/08/24

I’m a bit higher on Darnold than most, and when you think about it, almost all of his career starts have been in less-than-ideal situations. He came up in the league on some dumpster-fire Jets teams, and his only other stint as a starter was with a dysfunctional Panthers organization. Even with Carolina being a mess, he was able to quietly average 8.2 yards per attempt with 7 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions across 6 games in 2022.

The Giants are coming off a terrible season, and they don’t have too much to be excited about on either side of the ball. First-round pick Mailk Nabers seems like he might have star potential, but he’s still a rookie and the G-Men have virtually nothing at the skill positions outside of him. On the flip side, Darnold will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, as the Vikings have one of the league’s better receiving duos with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, as well as the recently acquired Aaron Jones at running back, who showed this preseason he’s still got plenty left in the tank. I’m taking Minnesota to get the win at MetLife as my Vikings vs Giants best bet.

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Vikings vs. Giants prediction, odds, pick for NFL Week 1

Minnesota should be able to play some good defense. They have decent defensive backs, which is important considering they have to shut down Malik Nabers in his NFL debut. Along with that, the defense should have no problem shutting down Daniel Jones. Jones is not the best, and there are no high hopes for him. If the Vikings can keep the Giants to under 20 points, they should win this game.

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Report: Vikings restructure T.J. Hockenson’s contract to free up cap space

The Vikings have restructured the contract of tight end T.J. Hockenson to free up cap space, according to Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press.

Prior to this move, the Vikings were dead last in the NFL in salary cap space with just around $900,000, according to OverTheCap. They can save around $7.1 million with a maximum restructure of Hockenson’s deal, per OTC.

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Cam Bynum Playing Hardball with Minnesota Vikings?

One extension candidate that has been on the Vikings’ radar, for months, is 26-year-old safety, Cam Bynum. The 2021 fourth round pick has blossomed next to Harrison Smith and locking him up long term is an easy decision, especially if the Cal product is willing to do it at a reasonable price.

Mixed in the middle of an absurd paragraph with dozens of random contract notes throughout the league, Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) includes that, “the Vikings are trying to extend safety Camryn Bynum“.

So, we can all expect breaking news in the next couple of days, about a Cam Bynum extension, right? Well, not so fast, says Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (KSTP SKOR North). During his Scoops session today, on the Mackey & Judd Show, the two sides remain in contact, but an extension is not close.

“I’ve mentioned previously, there is mutual interest, there has been dialogue on a Cam Bynum extension. But from my sense, there’s just no real momentum, heading into Sunday. It could always change, right? We know that both sides are motivated to get a deal done. I just think that’s a tricky [extension to get done].

He got the escalator so he’s making good money this year, making like three-ish million dollars, so it’s not like cam is yearning right this second, to sign an extension. You look at the safety market, from March, it has exploded. The cap is going up, up, up. So there is Cam Bynum motivation, just to play this thing out, get to unrestricted free agency, next March. But I’m not ruling it out, just based on, hey, there have been discussions, there is mutual interest.”

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Vikings’ expectations in 2024 ride on quarterback Sam Darnold’s shoulders

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J.J. McCarthy Radiates Positive Energy, Blends Reading List During Recovery

McCarthy still is unsure exactly what point during the Vikings Aug. 10 preseason game he suffered the injury. He explained he was descending a staircase at home the next day and felt his knee buckle.

When things felt worse the following morning, he realized the situation might be worse than he thought.

“I was like, ‘I should get this checked out,’ “ McCarthy said. “That’s when we decided to get the MRI, and that’s when the results showed that medial and radial tear.”

Doctors did not know until the operation what the preferred approach would be. After evaluating the injury internally (while McCarthy was under sedation), they decided the full repair with a longer timeline for recovery was the best approach.

He acknowledged initial disappointment (“there was profanity”) upon waking up and realizing he’d required a full repair. But the 21-year-old has focused on maintaining an upbeat mindset.

“You know, it’s tough … but you know what, you take everything that life throws at you, good or bad, and you find the positive in it,” McCarthy said. “I feel like I’ve been able to gain those deeper connections with my teammates and really take a step back and learn the offense in a more relaxed state of mind. I’m just appreciating every moment.

“It was tough, that initial week of just understanding, you know, ‘I’m going to be out for a while.’ But I’m not going to sit here and sulk and think, ‘Woe is me’ and worry about the past,” he later added. “I’m just going to focus on how I can better in other ways in my life. And that’s what I’ve been doing every single day, and I’m seeing a lot of growth in a lot of different areas. I’m just attacking it each day, and that’s what I’m worried about.”

The Latin phrase amor fati refers to the Stoic mindset of making the best out of any situation, which McCarthy explained he’d learned from guest speaker Becky Schmooke during an earlier Rookie Success meeting.

“I’m a huge believer in ‘life happens for you, not to you. And you know, that’s pretty much what ‘amor fati’ means,” McCarthy said. “That kind of stuck with me, just knowing that I could apply that in every aspect of my life, especially throughout my football career.”

In addition to the attitude McCarthy adopted, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold told media this week that the rookie also has been spending lots of time reading.

McCarthy confirmed and added it’s usually multiple books at a time, which he good-naturedly credited to living with ADHD. Currently, he’s reading The Invention of Yesterday by Tamim Ansary, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and Stay Sane In An Insane World by Greg Harden.

“Those are just all books that really kind of helped me throughout this process of trying to strengthen this,” McCarthy said, gesturing to his knee. “And I appreciate Sam saying that, because he’s been so great throughout this whole process. Just always checking in, always making sure I’m good and helping me out throughout the way.”

O’Connell has spoken highly of McCarthy’s approach to not only physical recovery but also his mental approach to adversity.

“The big thing for me is just making sure he knows that I am available to him throughout this time as if he was our starter, our No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback, whatever it would have ended up being, because the mindset towards the long-term growth and the goals that we have for him, those are all still in play, nothing’s changed from that standpoint other than – like we’ve had to talk about here – we don’t get to see it in the immediate right now,” O’Connell said. “I just love his attitude. I love the way he doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He’s frustrated that it happened, but at the same time he’s immediately going to do what he’s always done since he got here laser-focused on ‘what I can control,’ and I think that will serve him really well throughout his career because that’s what playing quarterback in this league is all about.”

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