Rally-record Vikings host Giants in possible playoff preview

GIANTS PLAYER to WATCH: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux. Fifth overall draft pick, he had 12 tackles and a sack. He also recovered a ball from the Commanders for a touchdown last Thursday. VIKINGS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: WR Justin Jefferson. He is the NFL's leader in receiving yards (1,623) and receptions (111), making him the third player to have three consecutive 1,600-yard seasons in his career. To pass Randy Moss, he needs only 10 yards. KEY MATCHUP: Giants' RB Saquon barkley faces off against the Vikings' defense. Barkley will need 138 yards to beat his single-season record of 239 yards. He had 239 yards on 71 runs over the past five weeks, plus 18 catches for 95 yards. KEY INJURIES - Thibodeaux (elbow), DT Leonard Williams and RT Evan Neal were both limited in practice this week by the Giants. CB Adoree Jackson (knee), has been absent from the last four games. He did not practice with the Giants Tuesday or Wednesday. FS Xavier McKinney (hand), will likely miss his seventh consecutive match. ... Vikings LB Eric Kendricks was limited in practice this week. The Giants won two of the three playoff games against Vikings, which included the NFC championship match after 2000 season. Current No. 2 seed, with the Giants at Number. Since a loss at the Metrodome in 2004, the Vikings have won four of their last four meetings against the Giants. This Saturday's game is the Giants' first in 11 years. Giants QB Daniel Jones holds the record for Giants rushing yards with 583. The Giants defense is second in the league with 13 fumble recovery. The Vikings had never played consecutive Saturdays before 1997, when they beat the Giants in a wild-card round. They lost to San Francisco the next week. In the fourth quarter and overtime, the Vikings have a plus-9 turnover margin. In their last five games, they have only taken three penalties. This year, Kirk Cousins is the NFL's leading quarterback with seven game-winning drives. In his fifth season, he has had two of his five 400 yard games for the Vikings. He also passed Daunte Cullpepper for third in franchise history in passing yards (2205). FANTASY TIP - Graham Gano's three games with multiple 50-plus yard FGs for the Giants are the most in the league. In the last 10 games, he's gone 15-16 from any distance. The Vikings have allowed opponents to kick eight of the 11 attempts from 50+ yards this year. Denver has 34. The Vikings also have 33 FGs to their credit.