Vikings and Giants Share Naughty 2022 Stat

The Vikings and Giants square off this Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, with Minnesota looking to retain the NFC’s No. 2 seed playoff seed while New York hopes to [for sure] lock down a postseason berth.

And during the bout, both teams will navigate a naughty 2022 stat — 3rd Quarter woes.

Vikings and Giants Share Naughty 2022 Stat

Interestingly, the game will come down to “something’s gotta give” via the 3rd Quarter pain, as each team struggles in a similar — but different — way. Per FootballOutsders, Minnesota ranks 31st in the NFL per Offense DVOA in the 3rd Quarter, whereas New York is the league’s 32nd-ranked team per Defense DVOA. That’s right — it’s the NFL’s second-worst 3rd Quarter offense attempting to score against the NFL’s worst 3rd Quarter defense.

Indeed, a festival of futility could be on the docket around 1:45 pm CST on Christmas Eve. That’s about when the 3rd Quarter begins, and each team has demons immediately after halftime. Thankfully for Kevin O’Connell and Brian Daboll, the 3rd Quarter trauma hasn’t been the teams’ undoing in 2022. Minnesota owns an 11-3 record through 15 weeks, clinching the NFC North last weekend during a wild comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts. Similarly, the Giants have a winning record, too, at 8-5-1, as Daboll’s win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football put New York in the driver’s seat for a playoff trip.

For better or worse, the 3rd Quarter tomfoolery has merely been a nuisance for the Vikings and Giants, not a dealbreaker.

Moreover, the Giants defense is pretty woeful all game. The 3rd Quarter isn’t an outlier. New York’s defense ranks 29th per Defense DVOA, so the 3rd Quarter simply is the low point of the game. On the other hand, Minnesota’s offense ranks 20th in the business all around, meaning the 3rd Quarter sorrow probably drags the team down from decent to not-so-good per DVOA.

The Giants haven’t toppled the Vikings since 2013, losing three straight to Minnesota squads led by Mike Zimmer in 2015, 2016, and 2019. In fact, the last time New York defeated Minnesota was one for the ages — not in a good way — when the Vikings signed Josh Freeman for a game, and the rest, as they say, is history. Freeman played terribly, and the Vikings season continued a tumble into irrelevance. leading to Leslie Frazier’s eventual termination.

Another fascinating element to monitor on Saturday is Vikings signal-caller Kirk Cousins. The 34-year-old has never really performed admirably against the Giants, mainly during his tenure with the Commanders. Cousins has fired up a career split of 10 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in 11 seasons against the Giants — by far his worst production versus an NFC team. However, Cousins’ Vikings did take down the Giants in 2019, his first game versus New York in a purple uniform.

The Vikings are favored by four points at home this weekend. There’s a very real possibility that both teams meet again in three weeks during Round 1 of the postseason in the same building.

Keep an eye on the 3rd Quarter as an indicator of which team is turning the tide.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).