The first full day of NFL football in 2024 is finally here, and the Minnesota Vikings take on the New York Giants in Week 1 action.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game today.
Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
- Start time: Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, 1 p.m. ET
- Channel: Fox
- Live stream options: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FOX NOW
- Radio Stations: KFAN FM 100.3, WFAN 101.9FM/660AM
- Starting QBs: Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones
- Betting lines:
- Spread: MIN -1
- Total: 41.5
- Moneyline: MIN -112, NYG -108
The Vikings had a roller coaster of an offseason, starting with Kirk Cousins’ Achilles injury last season. While just speculation at the time, it seemed evident that the Cousins era in Minnesota had ended, with those clues becoming a reality when he signed with the Falcons in free agency.
After his departure, the QB situation was a bit of a mystery. Who were they going to bring in to take over under center? Would they draft one of the many signal callers highly touted in the 2024 NFL Draft or spring for a veteran? The answer was both. The Vikings brought in Sam Darnold while drafting J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall selection in the draft, and things seemed fine … for a moment.
In Week 1 of the preseason, McCarthy made his NFL debut, surprising many by throwing two touchdowns and helping the Vikings fight back from a 20-7 first-half deficit. However, the glimpse of the future would be pushed off as the rookie reported knee soreness the next day; after further evaluation, it was discovered to be a torn meniscus. With McCarthy’s rookie season a goner, Darnold solidified his starting status.
The Vikings have quite an array of offensive weapons, which Darnold never had until his minimal snaps with the 49ers last season. They even improved in the backfield, bringing in RB Aaron Jones from the Green Bay Packers. While they wait on TE T.J. Hockenson to get healthy as he starts the season on the PUP list, Darnold should have no issues finding WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Giants are anxious to see how QB Daniel Jones looks in his return from a torn ACL suffered six weeks into the 2023 season. While Danny Dimes went down with the injury, it might have bought him more time as he had amassed 909 yards, two touchdowns, six interceptions, and one fumble lost during a 1-5 stretch.
While New York had the opportunity to select McCarthy, Bo Nix, or Michael Penix Jr. to give Jones some stiff competition, they elected to get him another weapon by drafting WR Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick. Nabers immediately slides into the WR1 slot backed up by Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt.
Given the tumultuous quarterback situation, all three did their best last season in New York and should see improvement from having one arm under center for most of the season. However, the Giants hope Jones looks more like the quarterback who led them to a playoff berth in 2022, not the guy who looked lost to start the season in 2023.
It won’t be easy for Jones as he’ll have to do it without two-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, who joined the Eagles in the offseason. While the Giants brought in Devin Singletary, he’s hardly the weapon Barkley proved to be over the years in New York. Finding a reliable and consistent weapon for the rushing attack will do wonders for Jones, and at the moment, it’s not very clear who that is.
2024 Preseason Stats Leaders
- QB:
- Vikings: Jaren Hall, 28 cmp/46 att, 339 yards
- Giants: Tommy DeVito, 32 cmp/61 att, 270 yards
- RB:
- Vikings: Myles Gaskin, 27 carries, 128 yards
- Giants: Dante Miller, 26 carries, 108 yards
- WR:
- Vikings: Trishton Jackson, nine rec/11 targets, 154 yards
- Giants: Eric Gray, nine rec/10 targets, 68 yards