4. Dalvin Cook Carries Offense

In the first matchup, Dalvin Cook was used sparingly. He ran the ball only 14 times, gaining 64 yards for a strong 4.6 yards per carry. It was peculiar that Minnesota didn’t remain committed to the ground game as teams have found plenty of success against the Giants on the ground this season. This weekend, the Vikings will look to exploit that.

Expect a heavy dose of Cook on Sunday afternoon, especially if this is a regular non-1 pm ET start kind of performance from Kirk Cousins. Wearing down New York’s defense early will open up the passing game later on as they will have to commit more players to stop the run.

Cook will match his counterpart in Barkley’s performance, rushing for at least 100 yards and one touchdown as well.

3. Kayvon Thibodeaux Shows Out

With the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants selected EDGE defender Kayvon Thibodeaux. There was a lot said about Thibodeaux in the lead-up to the draft that was negative as people questioned his work ethic and motor. Those have not been issues thus far in the NFL.

Thibodeaux never takes plays off and is always pursuing the player with the ball. He shows up when the lights are brightest and will look to make an impact in his postseason debut. When the Giants played on prime time against the Washington Commanders in Week 15, Thibodeaux had a career game. Sunday, he will make a similar impact.

With the offensive line ravaged by injuries, expect Thibodeau to find success creating havoc in the backfield. He will put pressure on Cousins all afternoon, registering at least one sack and three quarterback hits. For good measure, he will make at least two tackles for a loss while finishing the game with the most tackles on the team.