The Minnesota Vikings kick off their season on Sunday at noon in New York against the Giants. Both teams have interesting quarterback situations. The Giants gave Daniel Jones a 4 year, $160 million contract during the 2023 offseason, despite his inconsistent play. The Vikings, on the other hand, signed veteran Sam Darnold this offseason, who is now the unquestioned starter for the whole season after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a meniscus tear. While the quarterback matchup isn’t a high-profile one, there are still other matchups to watch. With that in mind, here are three matchups to watch in the Vikings at Giants.
Kay Matchups in Week One: Vikings @ Giants
1. Dexter Lawrence vs the Vikings O-Line
Dexter Lawrence is one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, he has earned both All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors twice. In 2022, Lawrence was named a second-team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl. Last season, he elevated his performance, earning first-team All-Pro honors and another Pro Bowl selection.
During his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl season, Lawrence recorded 7.5 sacks, 68 combined tackles (35 solo and 33 assists), seven TFLs, 63 QB pressures, 32 QB hurries, and three forced fumbles, according to Pro Football Focus. That earned him an overall grade of 92.0 with an am81.9 grade in run defense and a 92.4 grade in pass defense from PFF.
Last season, Lawrence recorded 4.5 sacks, 53 combined tackles (32 solo and 31 assists), seven TFLS, 65 QB pressure, and 45 QB hurries. That performance earned Lawerence a 92.9 overall grade, with an 89.5 in run defense and a 92.56 in pass defense from PFF.
The last time the Vikings and Giants played was in the wildcard round of the 2022 playoffs. In that game, Lawrence dominated the Vikings’ offensive line, gathering six combined tackles (two solo and four assists), two TFLs, four QB hits, and three QB hurries. Lawrence’s dominant performance derailed any offense that the Vikings had during that game. If the Vikings want any chance in this game, they will have to slow down Lawrence so Darnold can get into a rhythm.
2. Vikings D-line vs Giants O-line
The Giants’ offensive line gave up a league-high 85 sacks last season. While their running game was middle of the pack, not being able to protect the quarterback was a huge problem. That is why the Giants massively overhauled their offensive line this offseason by bringing in former Packer Jon Runyan and two former Raiders, Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor. Although none of these linemen are All-Pro level players, they are certainly upgrades for the Giants.
While the Giants upgraded their offensive line this offseason, the Vikings upgraded their defensive line. The Vikings added two edge rushers, rookie Dallas Turner and veteran Andrew van Ginkel, to replace Danielle Hunter. Turner showed great potential in the preseason, and the Giants are a perfect Week 1 opponent for him to make an immediate impact. Turner should be able to take advantage of an offensive line that is still building chemistry and get to Daniel Jones a few times.
On the other hand, Van Ginkel is familiar with Flores’s system from his time in Miami. So he will definitely be noticeable in Week 1. Some other players to look out for on the defensive line are Levi Drake Rodriguez and Taki Taimani. Both players are backup defensive tackles who had a great preseason. While they may not get lots of snaps, if they can impact the game when they are in, that’s a great sign.
If the Vikings’ defensive line wins the battle against the Giant’s offensive line, then they should win the game.
3. Malik Nabers vs the Vikings secondary
The Giants selected Malik Nabers with the 6th pick in the draft this year. Nabers enters his first NFL game with lots of hype surrounding him after finishing off his college career with 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. The traits that made Nabers special in college were his speed paired with his route running ability. While Nabers’s route running will need to improve in the pros, his speed is an immediate threat in the NFL.
Guarding Nabers could prove to be a challenge for the Vikings’ patched-together cornerback room. The Vikings’ top corner is 33-year-old Stephon Gilmore, who doesn’t have the speed anymore to keep up with Nabers. The best chance the Vikings have to keep up with Nabers is Byron Murphy Jr., who ran a 4.55 40-yard dash when he was drafted in 2019. Even Murphy Jr. isn’t as fast as Nabers, though, who ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine this year.
The easiest way for the Vikings to slow down Nabers would be double coverage. But, with the way Flores runs his defense, double coverage for the whole game isn’t likely. This game will be a great test for the Vikings’ defense to see if they can handle a rookie receiver that has potential.
Main Image: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
