Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings are back on the road in Week 5 and will visit the New York Giants at noon (CT) Sunday.
This will be the third season in a row in which Minnesota has traveled during Week 5. The Vikings claimed wins at Chicago in 2017 and at Philadelphia last season.
Both teams enter Sunday’s game with a 2-2 record, with the Vikings winning both home contests and falling in road trips to NFC North rivals Green Bay and Chicago.
The Giants have claimed two consecutive victories after rookie quarterback Daniel Jones replaced veteran Eli Manning in the starting lineup. New York defeated Washington 24-3 in Week 4.
The Vikings rank second in the NFL with 621 rushing yards and lead the league with eight scores on the ground, which is just one shy of the team’s total in 2018.
Dalvin Cook ranks second in the NFL with 410 rushing yards and is tied with Baltimore’s Mark Ingram for the most rushing touchdowns this season (five each).
The Giants offense ranks sixth in total yards (403.3 per game), eighth in rushing yards per game (129.0) and seventh in passing yards per game (274.3).
Minnesota’s defense ranks sixth in total yards allowed (312.8 per game), 11th in rushing yards allowed per game (94.3) and ninth in passing yards allowed per game (218.5).
TV BROADCAST
NATIONAL TV: FOX (KMSP in Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Play-by-Play: Sam Rosen
Analyst: Charles Davis
Sideline Reporter: Pam Oliver
LOCAL RADIO
RADIO: KFAN 100.3-FM/KTLK 1130-AM in Minneapolis/St. Paul
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen
Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline Reporters: Greg Coleman & Ben Leber
Radio Pre-game Show: Mike Mussman | 10 a.m. (CT)
KFAN and KTLK serve as the flagship stations for the five-state Vikings Radio Network.
SATELLITE RADIO
Sirius: MIN 127 or Streaming 819; NYG 113 or Streaming 822
XM: MIN Streaming 819; NYG 231 or Streaming 822
NATIONAL RADIO
Compass Media Networks
Play-by-Play: Chris Carrino
Analyst: Brian Baldinger
Pre-game, halftime & post-game host: Jon Rothstein
STAT OF THE WEEK
Dalvin Cook has scored at least one rushing touchdown each week in 2019, becoming the first Viking to do so in the first four weeks of a season since Bill Brown did so in the first six games of the 1968 season. The member of the 50 Greatest Vikings scored nine rushing touchdowns during that stretch.
NORSEMAN NOTES
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer is 5-3 against NFC East teams and 2-0 against the Giants.
Dalvin Cook is just the third player in the past 10 NFL seasons to rush for at least 400 yards and score five rushing touchdowns in the first four weeks of a campaign.
In the seven games that Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski has called the plays, Cook has totaled more than 100 yards from scrimmage five times.
Kyle Rudolph (391 career receptions) needs three catches to pass receiver Sammy White for seventh place on the Vikings all-time list.
The Vikings defense is tied with the Patriots, Bears and Browns for the second-fewest rushing touchdowns allowed in 2019. Each team has allowed just one score on the ground this season.
Danielle Hunter is tied for fourth in the NFL with five tackles for loss.
VIKINGS-GIANTS CONNNECTIONS
Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played four seasons in New York, helping the team win Super Bowl XLVI before signing with Minnesota.
Vikings center Brett Jones (2015-17) played in 30 regular-season games for the Giants before he was acquired by Minnesota in a trade.
Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (2012-16) and tackle Mike Remmers (2013, 2017-18) were with the Vikings before heading to New York. Ellison was a fourth-round pick who totaled 51 receptions for 515 yards and three receiving touchdowns while working primarily as a blocking tight end.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
Vikings DT Shamar Stephen (Brookville) and Jaleel Johnson (Brooklyn) are from New York.
Giants LB Ryan Connelly, who was just placed on Injured Reserve, is from Eden Prairie.
COACHING CONNECTIONS
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Marwan Maalouf and Giants Defensive Coordinator James Bettcher worked together for the Colts in 2012.
Vikings Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor Gary Kubiak, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Rick Dennison and defensive line coach Andre Patterson overlapped on the Broncos staff with Giants Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey.
Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur was the Vikings tight ends coach (2016) and offensive coordinator (2016-17).
Giants running backs coach Craig Johnson coached Vikings quarterbacks from 2011-13.
PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS
Zimmer was defensive coordinator of the Bengals when Giants G Kevin Zeitler played in Cincinnati (2012-13).
Minnesota P Britton Colquitt (2009-15) and New York WRs Bennie Fowler III (2014-17) and Cody Latimer (2014-17) overlapped with Kubiak (2015-16), Dennison (2015), Vikings tight ends coach Brian Pariani (2015-16) and quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak (2016-18). Colquitt teamed with Giants safety Jabrill Peppers (2017-18) and Zeitler (2017-18) in Cleveland.
Maalouf held the same position in Indianapolis in 2012, overlapping with Giants S Antoine Bethea. Giants T Eric Smith and S Michael Thomas were with Miami in 2017 when Maalouf assisted with special teams.
Vikings G Dakota Dozier teamed with Smith at the Jets in 2018 when Dennison held the same position.
Minnesota G Josh Kline and New York T Nate Solder spent three seasons together on New England’s roster (2013-15). Kline teamed with Giants QB Alex Tanney in Tennessee from 2016-17.
Vikings QB Sean Mannion teamed with Giants CB Janoris Jenkins and LB Alec Ogletree on the Rams.
Minnesota RB Ameer Abdullah and T Riley Reiff were teammates with New York WR T.J. Jones in Detroit.
COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
Vikings WR Laquon Treadwell and Giants WR Cody Core and TE Evan Engram at Mississippi
Minnesota DE Ifeadi Odenigbo and offensive quality control coach Christian Jones and New York TE Garrett Dickerson at Northwestern
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and CB Trae Waynes at Michigan State with Fowler
Minnesota CB Mackensie Alexander and S Jayron Kearse with New York RB Wayne Gallman, Jr., at Clemson
Abdullah and Giants G Nick Gates at Nebraska
Vikings LB Kentrell Brothers and Giants LB Markus Golden at Missouri
Vikings S Harrison Smith and TE Kyle Rudolph with T.J. Jones at Notre Dame
Minnesota LB Ben Gedeon and Peppers at Michigan
Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly and Giants C Spencer Pulley at Vanderbilt
Mannion and Remmers at Oregon State
Vikings G Dru Samia and Giants WR Sterling Shepard at Oklahoma
Minnesota S Anthony Harris and Eric Smith at Virginia
Vikings TE Irv Smith, Jr., and Giants DL Dalvin Tomlinson at Alabama
VIKINGS TOP PERFORMERS VS. GIANTS
Kyle Rudolph: 3 games (3 starts), 10 receptions, 135 yards, 2 TDs
Xavier Rhodes: 3 games (2 starts), 8 tackles (league stats), 1 INT, 4 PBU
Harrison Smith: 2 games (2 starts), 14 tackles (league stats), 1 INT, 35-yard INT return TD
Special Teams
Marcus Sherels: 3 games (no starts), 2 tackles (league stats), 1 FR, 1 PBU, 7 punt returns for 133 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown
VIKINGS BIG DAYS VS. GIANTS
Kirk Cousins: 20-of-29 passing (69.0 percent) for 302 yards with 1 TD and a passer rating of 114.4 while with Washington in New York on Nov. 29, 2015
Kyle Rudolph: 5 receptions for 55 yards and a TD on in Minnesota on Oct. 3, 2016
Danielle Hunter: 3 tackles and a sack in Minnesota on Dec. 27, 2015
Harrison Smith: 35-yard interception return for a touchdown (fourth of career) in Minnesota on Dec. 27, 2015
Marcus Sherels: 86-yard punt return touchdown (second of career) on way to single-game franchise record of 119 punt return yards in New York on Oct. 21, 2013
VIKINGS-GIANTS SERIES NOTES
1. The Vikings hold a 16-12 edge in 28 contests. The record includes a 1-2 mark in postseason games.
2. The series began in 1964 when Minnesota won 30-21 at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 6 to guarantee the first winning record in Vikings franchise history (team’s fourth season). The victory was part of a three-game win streak to finish with an 8-5-1 mark. Fran Tarkenton threw touchdowns of 43 yards to Hal Bedsole and 30 yards to Bill Brown. The quarterback also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown.
3. The Vikings have won six of the past eight in the series, including both games under Zimmer by a combined score of 73-27 (49-17 in 2015 and 24-10 in 2016).
Longest Vikings winning streak in series: 4 games (Nov. 13, 2005 through Jan. 3, 2010)
Longest Vikings losing streak in series: 4 games (Nov. 16, 1986 through Jan. 9, 1994)