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The New York Giants host the Minnesota Vikings in their penultimate home game. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

NY Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings — Scoring Updates, Highlight Reels & Reactions

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Dec 21, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Another week, another “just end the season” game between two teams that have been eliminated from postseason contention.

This week, it’s the New York Giants, who will host the Minnesota Vikings in the penultimate home game for Big Blue.

The attraction for this one, though, is the showcasing of the two young quarterbacks, Jaxson Dart of the Giants, and J.J. McCarthy of the Vikings, who, although in his second NFL season, is actually playing in his first after missing last year due to a season-ending knee injury.

McCarthy, despite having slightly better skill players around him, is currently last among NFL quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage (56.8%). His 6.5 yards per pass attempt also ranks 23rd.

Dart, meanwhile, is ranked 24th (62.5%) in terms of completion percentage, and his 6.8 yards/completion attempt is 23rd.

But this isn’t necessarily Dart vs. McCarthy; it's each quarterback against the other team’s defense. Starting with McCarthy, he has been pressured on 40.7% of his dropbacks this season, fourth in the league among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks.

McCarthy, who will be without starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who was placed on IR Friday, has a 47.7% completion rate when under pressure, 18th out of the 29-man sample size.

Speaking of pressure, Dart is going against one of the toughest and most creative defenses he’ll face all season in the Vikings, who are masters of disguise when it comes to coverages.

The Vikings have blitzed at a 47% rate this season, the highest in the league (the next-highest is the Falcons at 36.1%).

The good news is that Dart has a respectable 62.1% completion rate when blitzed this season, having thrown eight of his 13 touchdowns against the blitz.

Can the Giants snap their league-long eight-game losing streak, or will the Vikings make it three in a row over NFC East teams?

Pregame

Statistical Notes

⏹Giants QB Jaxson Dart leads all rookies with 20 total touchdowns in 2025, which is the 2nd-most by a Giants rookie in the Super Bowl Era. He’s six away from tying Daniel Jones’s mark (26) set in 2019.

⏹Dart has thrown 46.2% of his pass attempts in under 2.5 seconds this season, the 7th-highest rate among qualified quarterbacks. On such passes, per NFL+, Dart has recorded a 78.7% completion percentage (5th-highest) and has thrown 7 of his 13 touchdown passes and zero interceptions on attempts under 2.5 seconds.

⏹Since losing receiver Malik Nabers to an ACL injury back in Week 4, the Giants, per NFL+, have used 12 personnel at the fourth-highest rate this season (34.5%), earning 5.9 yards per play (7th-most) and an explosive play rate of 16.3% (4th-highest) out of such groupings. When working in 12-personnel, the Giants have passed for 9.8 yards per attempt (third-most) but have rushed for just 3.8 yards per carry (ninth-fewest).

Blue Notes

⏹Before Week 16, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was one of six players in the league with three touchdown catches of 30+ yards. Overall, he is tied for sixth in third-down receptions (22), ninth in receptions (78), tied for ninth in receptions of 25+ yards (10), and 14th in receiving yards (882).

⏹Among defenders who have been targeted a minimum of 55 times this season, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott has allowed nine open targets, tied for the fewest in the NFL along with Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Flott has set a new single-season career-high with 10 passes defensed in 2025.

⏹Against Washington in Week 15, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. became the first Giant to record a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Saquon Barkley on 9/17/23 at Arizona. The two scores in one game were also a career-high for Tracy.

⏹Since his rookie year in 2024, tight end Theo Johnson has set new career-highs in receptions (45) and receiving yards (528). He leads the Giants with five receiving touchdowns this season, which is also tied for the 9th-most in the league among all tight ends.

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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