The Minnesota Vikings (9-5) host the New York Giants (6-8) in Week 16 in a game nationally televised on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for
7:30 p.m., making it the only primetime game hosted by the Vikings during their 2-year stint at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings hold a 5-2 record at home, while the Giants have a 3-4 mark on the road in 2015.
In Week 15, the Vikings secured a winning season for the 1st time since 2012 by defeating the Chicago Bears, 38-17, at home. The Giants dropped their Week 15 matchup vs. the Panthers, 35-38, at home on a walk-off FG.
RB Adrian Peterson is 1st in the NFL with 1,314 rushing yards in 2015 and scored his 100th career TD against the Cardinals in Week 14. Peterson has 11,504 career rushing yards and ranks 17th on the all-time rushing list. As a team, the Vikings rank 5th in rushing yards per game with a 131.6 mark. QB Teddy Bridgewater threw for a career-high 335 yards at Arizona in Week 14 and set career-highs in both passer rating (154.4) and passing TDs (4) vs. the Bears in Week 15. Bridgewater has recorded back-to-back games with a 100 passer rating for the 2nd time in his career.
The Vikings defense is tied for the 8th-fewest points per game allowed (19.4) in the NFL and own the 7th-ranked passing defense in the NFL, allowing only 229.5 passing yards per game.
BROADCAST COVERAGE
NATIONAL TELEVISION: NBC (Channel 11 in the Twin Cities)
Play-by-Play: Al Michaels Analyst: Cris Collinsworth
Sideline: Michele Tafoya
NATIONAL RADIO: WESTWOOD ONE
Play-by-Play: Kevin Kugler Analyst: James Lofton
Pre-Game and Halftime Show: Scott Graham
LOCAL RADIO: KFAN-FM 100.3/KTLK-AM 1130
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline Reporter: Greg Coleman
Pre-Game Show: Mike Mussman – 5:30 p.m. CT
KFAN and KTLK serve as the flagship stations for the 72-station, 5-state Vikings Radio Network.
NORSEMAN NOTABLES
• QB Teddy Bridgewater's December passer rating (111.6 in 6 games) since entering the league is 3rd in the NFL trailing only Tony Romo (133.7 in 4 games) and Cam Newton (112.4 in 5 games).
• RB Jerick McKinnon scored his 1st career TD on a 17-yard reception and set a career high with 76 receiving yards on a season-best 4 receptions vs. Chicago (12/20). McKinnon had catches of 17, 25 and a career-long 30 yards.
• After throwing a career-high 4 TDs and rushing for 1 TD, Bridgewater became the 1st Viking to account for 5 TDs in a game since QB Daunte Culpepper threw for 5 TDs at New Orleans (10/17/04).
• TE Kyle Rudolph is 5th among all TEs with 24 catches since Week 11. Rudolph set a new career-high with 106 receiving yards on 6 catches vs. Green Bay (11/22) and had a season-high 7 catches at Atlanta (11/29). Rudolph also has a team-best 4 receiving TDs on the season.
• With a .666 win percentage (10-5), the Vikings have the highest home win percentage all-time among teams playing in a temporary stadium.
• Bridgewater has totaled 1,421 passing yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs and a 94.6 passer rating in his last 6 road games helping the Vikings to a 4-2 record in those games.
• WR Stefon Diggs, despite only being active for 11 games, moved into 5th in Vikings history in single-season receptions among rookies with 47. Diggs recorded his 1st multi-TD game of his career hauling in TDs of 15 and 33 yards vs. the Bears (12/20).
• The Vikings are the only team in the NFL to have 2 rookies with 4 sacks - LB Eric Kendricks (4.0) and DE Danielle Hunter (5.0). Hunter's 5 sacks are the most among all rookies.
• DE Justin Trattou tied the Vikings team record for INTs by a DL after intercepting Jay Cutler in Week 15 - Jared Allen (2010), Kevin Williams (2007) and Tim Newton (1985) also had 2 INTs.
• RB Adrian Peterson leads the NFL with 6 games of 100 rushing yards. Peterson recorded his 26th game with multiple TDs at Atlanta (11/29), passing Cris Carter for the most in team history.
• The Vikings started 6 rookies at Arizona (12/10) - RT T.J. Clemmings, WR Stefon Diggs, LB Eric Kendricks, LB Edmond Robinson, CB Trae Waynes and S Anthony Harris - tied for the most in franchise history.
VIKINGS-GIANTS CONNECTIONS
• Giants RB Coach Craig Johnson served as the Minnesota Vikings QB coach from 2011-13.
• Vikings ST Coordinator Mike Priefer served as the Asst. ST Coordinator for the Giants from 2003-05.
• The Giants drafted Vikings DT Linval Joseph in the 2nd round of the 2010 NFL Draft, where he played until 2013, appearing in 53 regular season games with 46 starts and starting all 4 playoff games during his Giants career. Joseph was member of the Giants Super Bowl-winning team in 2011, recording a TFL in the Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots.
• Giants LB Jasper Brinkley was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2009 NFL Draft. Brinkley played in 64 games making 30 starts for the Vikings during 2 stints with the team (2009-12, 2014).
• Vikings DE Justin Trattou played for the Giants from 2011-13. Trattou was also a member of the Super Bowl XLVI-winning team but was inactive for the game. appeared in 11 career games for the Giants.
• Vikings DT Kenrick Ellis spent the 2015 offseason with the Giants before being cut on Sept. 6. Ellis was re-signed by the Giants on Sept. 22 where he was active but did not play against Washington (9/24) and was released following the game.
• Giants QB Eli Manning's father, former QB Archie Manning, played for the Vikings from 1983-84.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
• Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf graduated from New York Law School, Owner/President Mark Wilf graduated from New York University (NYU) School of Law and Owner Lenny Wilf received a Master of Law in Taxation from New York University. The Wilf's family-owned company, Garden Homes Development, is based in New Jersey and New York where they are deeply rooted within the community.
• Vikings VP of Corporate & Technology Partnerships John Penhollow held a senior level sales and management position with the New York Yankees, where he led the corporate partnership sales efforts for the New Yankee Stadium development.
• Vikings EVP of Strategic Planning and Business Initiatives Jonathan Wilf resides in New Jersey with his family.
• Vikings College Scout/Area Terrance Gray attended high school in Queens, New York and was named 1st-Team All-Queens by the New York Daily News when he played QB at Bayside High School.
• Giants Scout Ryan Jones began his coaching career in 1991 as a graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota, where he served as the assistant DBs coach.
• Giants S Craig Dahl is a Mankato, Minnesota native where he attended Mankato East HS.
• Vikings T T.J. Clemmings played football and basketball at Paterson Catholic in Teaneck, New Jersey. At Paterson Catholic, Clemmings only played 2 seasons of football but was rated one of the top prospects in New Jersey.
COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
• Vikings T Austin Shepherd played for Alabama with Giants S Landon Collins from 2012-14
• Vikings DT Linval Joseph played with Giants WR Dwayne Harris at East Carolina.
• Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes and Giants G Bobby Hart played together at Florida State from 2011-12.
• Vikings rookie DE Danielle Hunter played at LSU with Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. and P Brad Wing.
• Vikings WR Mike Wallace played at Ole Miss with Giants G John Jerry.
• Vikings T Jeremiah Sirles played for Nebraska with Giants CB Prince Amukamara in 2010.
• Vikings CB Captain Munnerlyn played for South Carolina with Giants LB Jasper Brinkley. Munnerlyn and Brinkley were roommates while at
South Carolina.
• Vikings TE Rhett Ellison, DE Everson Griffen and T Matt Kalil played with Giants LB Devon Kennard at Southern Cal.
VIKINGS-GIANTS SERIES NOTES
• The Vikings have lost their last 2 against the Giants after winning 4 straight from 2005-09.
• After inclement weather caused the Metrodome roof to collapse, the Vikings and Giants played at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on 12/13/10. The Giants won the game 21-3.
• The Vikings and Giants have met 3 times in the postseason with the Vikings having a 1-2 record in those games.
• The Vikings defeated the Giants in New York, 41-17, on 11/25/07, the same season the Giants went on to win Super Bowl XLII over New
England.
A WIN WOULD
• Improve Mike Zimmer's record as a head coach to 17-14 and bump Teddy Bridgewater's record as a starting QB to 16-11.
• Give the Vikings their 1st playoff berth since 2012 and Mike Zimmer's 1st appearance in the postseason as a head coach.
