3 causes for concern in Week 1

The New York Giants will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday to kick off the 2024 regular season. The Giants will hope to get off to a good start against a Vikings team that, like the Giants, have low expectations this season.

The last time these two teams met was in the Wild Card round in the playoffs two years ago where quarterback Daniel Jones had arguably the best game of his career.

The Giants will be kicking off the celebration of their 100th season and sporting their “Century Red” uniforms on Sunday — the only time they will be wearing these uniforms this season.

With both teams hoping to start off the season with a win, here are three causes for concern for the Giants.

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Overlooking their Opponent

The Giants have a history, especially in recent memory, of playing up or down to their competition. Even though the Vikings are coming in short-handed due to injury, the Giants are still currently home underdogs in this game.

After the Giants learned they would be going up against Sam Darnold in Week 1, their chances of winning the opener certainly went up in the eyes of Giants fans. However, with the Vikings having one of the league’s best receivers who can change a game by himself, the Giants cannot overlook their opponent on Sunday.

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The Vikings air attack

The Minnesota Vikings come into Week 1 looking much different than they had hoped. With rookie J.J. McCarthy out for the season, veteran Sam Darnold will be under center throwing to the best receiver he has ever played with.

Justin Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in the entire NFL. He is a problem no matter what cornerback he is going up against and Deonte Banks will certainly have his hands full in the first game of his sophomore season.

The Vikings also have Jordan Addison, who has a great rookie season eclipsing 900 yards and reeling in 10 touchdowns. With the Giants already thin at the cornerback position, even after signing Adoree’ Jackson, the Vikings receivers present a big test in Week 1.

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The Vikings run stoppers

The Vikings played against the run very well in 2023, ranking sixth in opponent yards per game and third in opponent yards per rush. The Giants are sporting a brand new offense this year and although they will likely run their offense through rookie Malik Nabers And if they cannot get the run game going, it is going to make Big Blue look very predictable.

With Devin Singletary making his Giants debut behind a heavily reworked offensive line, the tough run-stopping opponent certainly causes a concern for the Giants.

Head coach Brian Daboll will be calling plays this season on offense and better have a plan for how he plans to attack the strong Vikings’ run stoppers.