Oct 042016
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (October 3, 2016)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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MINNESOTA VIKINGS 24 – NEW YORK GIANTS 10…
The New York Giants were soundly beaten by the Minnesota Vikings 24-10 on Monday night at new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. With the loss, the Giants fell to 2-2.

The three most telling statistics in the game were the turnover differential, 3rd-down efficiency, and time of possession. For the fourth game in a row, the Giants lost the turnover battle (2 to 0) with the New York defense yet to force a fumble or interception this season. The Giants were 2-of-12 (17 percent) on 3rd down while the Vikings were 8-of-16 (50 percent). The Giants were also 0-for-2 on 4th down. The Vikings owned the clock (35:32 to 24:28).

The Giants had six first-half possessions with the first five resulting in punts and only six 1st downs. The only points came on their last drive, an 11-play, 44-yard affair that resulted in a 40-yard field goal by place kicker Josh Brown.

Meanwhile, the Vikings scored two first-half touchdowns. The first was set up on short field after Dwayne Harris muffed a punt at the Giants 41-yard line. Six plays later, the Vikings were up 7-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run. In the 2nd quarter, Minnesota put together a 9-play, 75-yard march that gave them a 14-0 advantage on a 7-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-4.

The Giants offense remained anemic in the 2nd half. The Giants five possessions resulted in an interception, a punt, a touchdown, and two turnovers on downs. New York drove 91 yards in five plays for their only TD of the night, with the big play being a 67-yard catch-and-run by running back Paul Perkins on a pass from quarterback Eli Manning. Two plays later, running back Orleans Darkwa scored from one yard out.

The Vikings drove to the Giants 28-yard line on their first possession of the second half but missed the 46-yard field goal. Nevertheless, Minnesota got the ball right back after Manning’s interception, and they  only needed to gain 17 yards to set up a successful 44-yard field goal. The Vikings last scoring drive – an 8-play, 76-yard effort – came in the 4th quarter and resulted in a 4-yard touchdown run.

Offensively, Eli Manning finished 25-of-45 for 261 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. His top pass receiving targets were running back Bobby Rainey (7 catches for 43 yards) and wide receiver Victor Cruz (5 catches for 50 yards). Wide receiver Odell Beckham was held to a career low three catches for 23 yards. Running back Orleans Darkwa was the leading ball carrier with 48 yards on 12 carries.

Defensively, as mentioned, the Giants were shut out in the turnover department for the fourth game in a row. New York did not register a sack and quarterback Sam Bradford was officially hit only twice. The Giants also only defensed one pass.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INACTIVE LIST AND INJURY REPORT…
Inactive for the game were cornerback Eli Apple (hamstring), free safety Darian Thompson (foot), safety Nat Berhe (concussion), defensive tackle Robert Thomas (illness), running back Rashad Jennings (thumb), offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse (calf), and quarterback Josh Johnson.

Tight end Larry Donnell suffered a concussion in the game.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Ben McAdoo and the following players are available at Giants.com:

  • Head Coach Ben McAdoo (Video)
  • QB Eli Manning (Video)
  • WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (Video)
  • WR Victor Cruz (Video)

ARTICLES…

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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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