PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley said he wanted a rematch after first meeting the Minnesota Vikings when the New York Giants lost 27-24 on time on a 61-yard field goal.
request granted.
The sixth-place Giants will take on the third-place Vikings in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs next weekend.
“Actually, after the Minnesota game, I spoke to some of the guys and said, ‘See you again,'” Barkley said after not playing on Sunday as the Giants got their starters in a 22-16 loss to Philadelphia rested eagles. “It was a great duel [in Minnesota]. It was a great game.
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“Of course they won. But we’re happy because it’s the stuff you dreamed of playing in the National Football League as a kid. Not many people on this team had the opportunity to play in the playoffs. That was it. ” a tough few years here and we finally have our chance. We feel like we have a balanced team that complements each other really well. It’s now a week-long season.”
The Giants (9-7-1) believe they could have won the first time in Minnesota. Offensive lineman Nick Gates said if they played a clean game “it would have been a different story.” New York had blocked a punt and an interception, and it dropped an interception and a few key passes – all in the fourth quarter alone.
Gates wasn’t blown away by the atmosphere at US Bank Stadium either.
“Surprised. I actually thought it was a lot louder,” Gates said. “I thought especially when our offense is out there, they would be a lot louder out there. But you know, they’re Midwestern folks. You are too nice. I can say it because I went to Nebraska. I went to Nebraska. I include myself in that.”
The Vikings (13-4) went 8-1 at home this season. The only blemish was a 3:40 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in late November.
The Giants’ only away win against a winning team came in late October when they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars. They would likely face either Minnesota or the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round. But the 49ers took care of business, beating the Arizona Cardinals 38-13 to become the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
That set the stage for the rematch with the Vikings.
“It’s the playoffs. Whatever the seeds, the seeds are,” said Giants coach Brian Daboll. “We will prepare as hard as we can to play against a really good football team in a hostile environment.”
The Giants, after learning from their playoff opponent, said they had no preference (they didn’t play San Francisco this season).
There is familiarity with Minnesota. And a feeling that they can walk.
“I think we’re a confident team no matter who we’re playing,” said quarterback Daniel Jones, who was also ruled out of Sunday’s game. “Like I said, we’ll study the film and see what we can do better, but we’re excited for the opportunity.”