MINNESOTA (1 - 4) at NY GIANTS (0 - 6) - 10/21/2013, 8:40 PM
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Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
MINNESOTA vs. NY GIANTS
Minnesota is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
NY Giants are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
NY Giants are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Minnesota at New York Giants
Minnesota: 5-1 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite
NY Giants: 1-5 ATS in all games
Minnesota @ NY Giants
The Vikings are 14-8 ATS in the underdog role, but 2-8 ATS when playing on Monday night and 0-4 ATS as underdogs of 2 points or more versus an NFC East opponent off back to back losses.The Giants are 26-11-2 ATS in October, 7-2 ATs at home off a loss versus a losing team, 5-1 ATS as Monday night favorites of 8 points or less, but they’re just 3-8 ATS versus losing teams and 1-4 ATS after a Thursday night game. Note the Giants are 3-0 ATS versus Minnesota at home and the home teams in Minnesota games are 13-5 ATS
NFL Week 7
Vikings (1-4) @ Giants (0-6) — Josh Freeman becomes third QB to start for Vikings in last four games, and first QB since Kyle Orton in 2011 to start for two different teams in same season; Minnesota allowed 31+ points in all its losses, 27 in its win (over 1-4 Steelers)- they got crushed at home by Carolina last week, but now at least players know Freeman is going to start until he plays himself out of the job. How are the Giants favored over anyone? Well, teams coming off Thursday games are 8-2 vs spread this season, so there’s that, but not much else. Big Blue allowed 41-36 points in losing its two home games- they allowed 37 ppg in losing two games they were favored to win. Bucs scored three TDs on 32 drives in three games Freeman started for them, first of which was in season opener in this stadium vs Jets. All five Minnesota games and four of six Giant games have gone over the total. Freeman already played in this stadium for Bucs in this season's opener, when Tampa Bay lost to the Jets.
Armadillosports.com
MNF - Vikings at Giants
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Monday night contest to close out Week 7 in the NFL isn't exactly one that will shift the balance of power in the NFC. The Vikings and Giants have combined for just one victory this season, while trying to somewhat salvage things before the main focus will be the NFL Draft coming up soon. Minnesota continues to circle the merry-go-round of quarterbacks by starting its third different signal-caller on Monday night.
Recently acquired Josh Freeman will get the start under center for the Vikings (1-4 SU, 2-3 ATS), who was signed less than a week after being released by the Buccaneers. Freeman threw only two touchdown passes in three losses with Tampa Bay, while completing only 45% of his attempts. Since last Thanksgiving, the Bucs lost nine of Freeman's 10 starts, with the lone victory coming in Week 17 of 2012 against an Atlanta team that had already wrapped up home-field advantage in the NFC.
Now, Freeman takes over a Minnesota offense that has been outgained in each of its five games, while picking up just 290 yards in last Sunday's home defeat to the Panthers, 35-10. Carolina held the ball for 36 minutes, while the Minnesota defense allowed five touchdowns to the Panthers. The Vikings have given up at least 27 points in all five games, resulting in an 'over' in each contest this season.
The Giants (0-6 SU, 1-5 ATS) haven't been much better, allowing at least 36 points four times, while yielded the fewest amount of points this season in last Thursday's 27-21 setback at Chicago. Eli Manning's nightmarish season continued by tossing three more interceptions (15 this season), including one that was returned for a touchdown by Chicago's Tim Jennings. The Giants' defense stiffened up in the second half by giving up just one field goal, while cashing as 9 ½-point underdogs for their only cover of the season.
Tom Coughlin's club is playing just their third home contest, coming off double-digit defeats to the Broncos and Eagles. In both of those losses, the Giants eclipsed the 'over of 52½ (Denver) and 53 ½ (Philadelphia), while New York is a perfect 3-0 to the 'over' with totals listed at 49 ½ or higher. However, the 'under' is 2-1 with totals at 47 or below, with this Monday's total sitting between 46½ and 47.
The last time the Giants and Vikings hooked up in 2010, the game took place at Detroit's Ford Field after the Metrodome roof collapsed due to a snowstorm. New York cruised to a 21-3 victory as 4½-point favorites, as the Vikings' offense accumulated just 164 yards. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown for the Giants, who had lost their previous four meetings to Minnesota prior to this neutral-site win.
The Vikings have been slightly profitable in the underdog role this season, posting a 2-1 ATS record when receiving points. The Giants are listed as a favorite for only the second time in this miserable campaign, failing to cover in a Week 3 blowout loss at Carolina. Dating back to last season, New York has cashed in four of its last six tries as a home favorite, while scoring at least 27 points in five of those contests.
Underdogs on Monday night football have seen success this season by putting together a 4-2-1 ATS record, including San Diego’s victory over Indianapolis last Monday night. The ‘over’ is cashing at a solid pace on Mondays, going 5-2, while the winning team has put up at least 30 points five times this season under the Monday night lights.
The Giants are currently listed as 3½-point home favorites, while the total is set at 47. The contest can be seen nationally on ESPN with kickoff at 8:30 PM EST.
Monday Night Football Betting: Vikings at Giants
By Covers.com
Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants (-3.5, 47.5)
The quarterback carousel continues to spin in Minnesota and the latest man up is newly acquired Josh Freeman, who will draw the start when the Vikings visit the winless New York Giants on Monday. Freeman, who opened the season with Tampa Bay and quickly fell out of favor, will be the third quarterback to start this season for Minnesota. Backup Matt Cassel failed to get the team into the end zone until the final minute in last week's 35-10 home loss to Carolina.
New York, one of three winless teams remaining, had an 11-day break between games following a 27-21 defeat at Chicago - a division rival of the Vikings - on Oct. 10. That marked the lowest point total allowed by the Giants, who have surrendered a staggering 34.8 points per game, dead last in the league. Eli Manning has thrown an NFL-high 15 interceptions - matching his number from last season - and is a big reason why the Giants have committed a league-worst 23 turnovers.
LINE: The Giants opened as 2.5-point faves and are now -3.5. The total opened at 47 and is currently 47.5.
WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the high-50s with sunny skies. Wind will blow toward the N endzone at 5 mph.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS (1-4): Freeman's elevation to starter appeared to be a formality once he was signed less than two weeks ago following his release by the Buccaneers. "He's done enough for us to say we want to give him this opportunity, which is something we had in mind when we acquired him," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. Freeman does have the luxury of leaning on standout running back Adrian Peterson, who is fourth in the league in rushing (483) but was limited to a season-low 62 yards last week following the death of his 2-year-old son two days earlier.
ABOUT THE GIANTS (0-6): New York is in the midst of its worst start since dropping nine in a row to start the 1976 season and the problems are widespread. Manning has been the biggest culprit in committing a stream of turnovers and that, combined with a non-existent running game, has placed inordinate pressure on a defense that sits at the bottom of the league with a mere five sacks. "Right now we're careless with the football and it strikes right at my gut because that's one of the things that we preach about the most," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.
TRENDS:
* Vikings are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings in New York.
* Vikings are 0-5 ATS in their last five Monday games.
* Giants are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Over is 7-1 in Vikings last eight Monday games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs ran for 106 yards and two TDs last week but is dealing with a hamstring injury, necessitating the signing of RB Peyton Hillis.
2. Freeman threw for 27 TDs and more than 4,000 yards in 2012, but he completed only 45.7 percent of his passes with Tampa Bay this season.
3. The Giants ended a four-game losing streak in the series with a 21-3 win in December 2010, a game played at Detroit's Ford Field after snow caused the roof to collapse at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Giants look for 1st victory
By Sportsbook.ag
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-4) at NEW YORK GIANTS (0-6)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Giants -3.5 (-115) & 48
Opening Line & Total: Giants -3.5 & 47
The Josh Freeman era begins on Monday night when his Vikings visit struggling Eli Manning and the Giants.
New York has yet to win a game this season, but finally covered a spread in a 27-21 Thursday night road loss to the Bears. The Vikings started Matt Cassel at quarterback versus the Panthers last week and were blown out 35-10, prompting the move for Buccaneers cast-off Josh Freeman to take the reigns of the Vikings offense. In the past five meetings between the Vikings and Giants, Minnesota is 3-2 ATS and 4-1 SU with the most recent game being a 21-3 Giants victory in Minnesota in 2010.
To start the season, Minnesota is 2-3 ATS while New York is just 1-5 ATS. Since becoming the coach of New York, Tom Coughlin is 25-11 ATS (69%) in October games. Over the last three seasons, however, Minnesota is 5-1 ATS (83%) coming off an upset loss as a favorite. The Giants will again be without top RB David Wilson (neck) in this game and starting CB Corey Webster (groin) is listed as questionable as well. CB Xavier Rhodes (ankle) is listed as questionable for the Vikings, while S Harrison Smith (toe) is out and LB Desmond Bishop (knee) is on IR.
The Vikings appear to be moving on from Christian Ponder as they are starting Josh Freeman, fresh after signing him two weeks ago. Before being released by Tampa Bay, Freeman threw for 571 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. His completion percentage was a miserable 45.7%. After playing through the tragedy of his 2-year-old son being killed, RB Adrian Peterson rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries against the Panthers while also catching three passes for 21 yards. With 483 yards (4.7 YPC) and 6 TD this season, Peterson will be relied on heavily, but more so this week, as the team tries to ease Freeman into their offensive system. TE Kyle Rudolph led the way for the Vikings in receptions with nine catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Rudolph should benefit from Freeman in the lineup as he is capable of making plays and Freeman has a big arm, something both Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel do not have. When Freeman faced the Giants on the road in Week 2 of last year, he completed 15-of-28 passes for 243 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT, but his Bucs team lost 41-34.
The Vikings passing defense has been atrocious this season as they’ve allowed 308.0 passing YPG (29th in NFL), but they will be going against Eli Manning who has made quite a few mistakes this season, to say the least. The Vikings have already forced 12 turnovers this year, with four games of 2+ takeaways. Minnesota's rushing defense should fare well as it allows just 110.0 rushing YPG (T-17th in NFL) and will be going against mostly past-his-prime plodder Brandon Jacobs, as New York's top two backs, David Wilson and Andre Brown, deal with injuries.
The 0-6 Giants have gotten off to a terrible start this season and would really need a miraculous turnaround to put themselves into playoff contention. In last week's loss in Chicago, QB Eli Manning threw for 239 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Manning now has 15 interceptions on the year, which leads the league by a wide margin. To say he needs to take better care of the ball would be an understatement. With RB David Wilson out (neck), Brandon Jacobs handled the workload at running back and actually played a great game. Jacobs rushed 22 times for 106 yards (4.8 YPC) and two touchdowns. He will now be joined in the backfield by RB Peyton Hillis, who was signed after a tryout this week. Hillis' last NFL action came last December with the Chiefs when he rank for 101 yards on 15 carries versus the Colts. WR Reuben Randle led the Giants last week in receiving with three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. He will continue to benefit from the extra attention that WRs Victor Cruz (35 rec, 541 yards, 4 TD) and Hakeem Nicks (25 rec, 442 yards) draw on a nightly basis.
The Giants defense is going to have to improve greatly in this game, as they have allowed 268 YPG through the air (20th in NFL) and 123.3 YPG on the ground (26th in NFL). If their run defense doesn’t show up to play, it is going to be a long night for Giants fans as Adrian Peterson is ready to explode after his limited carries in Week 6.
Monday Night Football Handicapping – Minnesota at NY Giants
By Fairway Jay
Vegassportszone.com
A battle of the bottom feeders is not what the networks had in mind when they scheduled the Vikings (1-5 SU/2-3 ATS) vs. the winless Giants (0-6 SU/1-5 ATS). I’m quite pleased with the Vikings play this season as I had Minnesota as my biggest betting recommendation before the season – under season win total. Minnesota coach Leslie Frasier has to be considered on the hot seat and for good reason, as he and his staff are among the worst in the NFL. While coach Coughlin may be nearing the end in New York, he’s accomplished much more with two Super Bowl titles and his staff is clearly superior to the Vikings. The Giants also enter this Monday Night Football contest off a ‘mini’ bye following their Thursday night loss at Chicago on October 10, 2013.
The Vikings have apparently decided to put QB Ponder on the bench for an extended time, as newly acquired QB Josh Freeman will make his debut for Minnesota on Monday Night Football. While some of the pieces appeared in place for continued success following the Vikings playoff berth last year, QB play has continued to be an issue. Freeman will have a chance to attack a Giants defense allowing nearly 400 yards per game and opponent QB rating of 97. The overall defensive numbers for the Giants are not terribly bad considering New York is winless at 0-6, yet they have allowed at least 27 points to every opponent and a league-high 209 points.
A look at the schedules shows the Giants have faced a tough slate including four winning teams plus 3-3 Carolina and 3-4 Philadelphia. They have been beaten badly by undefeated Kansas City (7-0) and previously unbeaten Denver following the Bronco’s first loss last night. New York plays just their 3rd home game of the season and Monday Night Football sets the perfect stage to break through with their first win of the season. Recall this team won the Super Bowl less than two years ago; their second championship in five years. Minnesota has far less excuses with bad losses to Carolina and Cleveland at home along with road losses vs. division opponents Chicago and Detroit. The Vikings only win was in London vs. previously winless Pittsburgh. Minnesota’s defense has regressed and underperformed, ranking #31 in the league allowing 418 yards per game and 49% on 3rd downs. The Vikings enter off their worst loss of the year last week; 35-10 at home to the Panthers. In that contest, Minnesota ran the ball just 13 times while Carolina pounded the ball at the Vikings worn down defense 39 times.
On offense, the Vikings clearly lean on the league’s best running back, Adrian Peterson. He’s nursing a hamstring injury but stil averaging 4.7 ypr this season. Yet the Vikings rank right in the middle of the league averaging 113 rushing ypg. Considering the opposition, the offensive line and overall production of the Vikings offense is also sub-par. Now strong-armed QB Freeman will be forced to quickly develop a rapport with his WR’s and offensive line. We would expect to see plenty of running plays for the Vikings, but production could be lacking further if star left tackle Matt Khalil (back) doesn’t make kickoff. The Giants defense has performed pretty well considering the opponents faced with stronger running games. However, their pass defense could suffer again tonight as a trio of defensive backs are on the injury report while listed as questionable.
The Giants and QB Eli Manning should have plenty of success attacking a Vikings secondary allowing 308 passing ypg, 7.5 yards per pass attempt and 66% completions. That was before Minnesota’s best defensive back and starting safety Harrison Smith was injured. He’s now out with a turf toe injury. He also had the only interceptions (2) by anyone in the Vikings secondary. Also note that the Vikings have allowed a league-high 13 TD passes. All those alarming numbers are even worse when factoring in the opponents and QB’s faced, as those teams passing offenses average less than 260 passing ypg.
Well aware the Giants have the NFC’s worst running game, averaging just 67 rushing ypg and a league-low 17 rushing attempts per game. They are thin at RB, but a patchwork offensive line has had problems producing and in protection. But of all their stats this season, the most disturbing is turnovers. The Giants have a league-high 23 giveaways and by far the worst turnover differential at -16. The next closest in the NFC is -3. The Giants have at least 3 turnovers in every game this season. Tonight I’ll call for that streak to end.
New York QB Eli Manning has a league-high 15 interceptions; the same number he had all of last season. He’s only completing 53% of his passes, but his 286 passing ypg and 7.5 yards per pass attempt are very good. He’s often under pressure and playing from behind, so we must evaluate ‘garbage’ yards and meaningful yards passing as well. Still, the Giants have a skilled and talented receiving core, and the trio of Nicks, Cruz and Randall should be solid and productive in this match-up. Manning and the offense have to be looking forward to facing the Vikings soft secondary, and Monday Night Football sets the ideal stage for the Giants to break through big with their first win of the season.