Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants Prediction: Home team has a better chance of winning

On Sunday, in NFL Wild Card Round play at US Bank Stadium, the New York Giants take on the Minnesota Vikings. The New York Giants finished the regular season with a 9-7-1 record and therefore clinched the NFC's sixth spot. The Minnesota Vikings finished the year with a 13-4 record. With that record, the Vikings finished third, behind the Eagles and the 49ers.

After 11 games played during the current season, the Vikings held a record of 9-2. During that time, Minnesota was defeated by the Eagles and the Cowboys. The Vikings finished their most recent six games with a record of 4-2 and won games against the Jets, Colts, Giants, and Bears. In the final week of the regular season, Minnesota faced off against the Bears, and in the first half of the game, Minnesota had a scoring advantage of 16-6 over Chicago. The Vikings extended their lead to 29-13 with another 13 points from that position. Alexander Mattison carried the ball 10 times for 54 yards and two scores, while Kirk Cousins threw for 225 yards and a touchdown through the air.

After 11 games, the New York Giants had a record of 7-4 overall, with their only losses coming against the Cowboys twice, the Seahawks, and the Lions. The Giants have a record of 2-3-1 over the course of their last six contests, with losses to the Eagles twice, and Vikings, and a tie with Washington. During their game on Sunday against the Eagles, the Giants found themselves trailing 16-0 at the break. The second half ended with New York holding a 16-6 lead, but ultimately, they were unable to overcome their deficit and lost by a score of 22-16. Gary Brightwell completed 11 carries for 60 yards on the ground, while Davis Webb completed 10 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings have been hanging on by their proverbial fingernails all season, so this should be an exciting contest. These squads last competed against one another on December 24. Despite committing two mistakes themselves and allowing New York to convert on only three of eleven third-down opportunities, Minnesota managed to pull off a 27-24 victory on home turf. I expect the Vikings to prevail in this contest as well. New York's reserve team, however, played well against Philadelphia on Sunday. That bodes well for the Giants, as they will be able to put a rested squad on the field for this contest.