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Takeaways From New York Giants’ Ugly 16-13 Loss to Vikings
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- Takeaways From New York Giants’ Ugly 16-13 Loss to Vikings
In one of the ugliest games of the 2025 NFL season, the (7-8) Minnesota Vikings defeated the (2-13) New York Giants 16-13. The loss was New York 's ninth straight and enhanced their chances of getting the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The two teams had a combined 22 accepted penalties, and the lone offensive touchdown scored all afternoon was a J.J. McCarthy 12-yard run in the second quarter.
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To put in perspective how bad this season has been for the Giants, they've fired more coaches this year (Brian Daboll, Shane Bowen, and Brian Cox) than they have wins.
The offense was putrid on Sunday as they were only able to muster 141 yards. But they still could have come away with a victory if Abdul Carter hadn't lined up offside on a Jevon Holland 96-yard interception return for a touchdown. But as we all know, bad teams will find ways to lose.
Here are three takeaways from Big Blue's ninth consecutive loss.
Offensive game plan was inept and timid
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There was a good chance that Jaxson Dart would struggle going up against Viking defensive coordinator Brian Flores' schemes. Coming into Sunday's contest, Flores had a 10-1 record against rookie quarterbacks as a defensive coordinator and head coach.
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But no one could have envisioned that Dart would finish the game completing just seven out of 13 passes for 33 yards and an interception. Or that in the first half, he would complete one out of five passes for two yards and an interception. If not for Brian Burns vicious sack on J.J. McCarthy that forced a fumble that Tyler Nubin returned for a 27-yard touchdown, New York wouldn't have scored a touchdown all afternoon.
You have to give Flores and Minnesota's defense credit for Dart having his worst performance of the season, but the offensive game plan also played a factor. It seemed interim head coach Mike Kafka knew his rookie quarterback would be overwhelmed going up against a defensive genius such as Flores, and had a conservative and timid offensive attack.
Kafka implemented a run-heavy approach, and rarely were there pass attempts over ten yards. In addition, Dart took a ton of punishment on Sunday as he was sacked five times and hit numerous times throughout the course of the game.
After losing his first four games as interim head coach, Kafka's chances of being named head coach for 2026 were slim to none, but the door may have been open for him to return as the offensive coordinator. That door appears to have been shut after Sunday's performance.
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Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025: Week-by-Week NFL Evaluations of All 32 Teams
Giants suffered a rash of injuries
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When a team has nothing to play for other than pride, you hope to see their young player progress and for players to avoid injuries. Unfortunately, the latter did not happen for Big Blue on Sunday.
Andrew Thomas (hand), Cor'Dale Flott (knee), and John Michael Schmitz Jr (hand) all left the game with injuries and did not return, and Burns and Nubin also missed some time but did return. The severity of the injuries to Thomas, Flott, and Schmitz is unknown at this time, which leaves their availability for next week's game against the Las Vegas Raiders up in the air.
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Some fans may prefer the team lose out so that they'll have the number one pick in the upcoming draft. But no one within the organization wants to see that happen as if it does, they'll set a new franchise record for losses in a season. Avoiding this disastrous record will be harder if they're without three of their key players.
Abdul Carter had a sack in his third consecutive game
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It's hard to find any silver lining after an ugly loss, but if there was one, it's Abdul Carter. Although is offside penalty erased a touchdown, Carter had a sack in his third consecutive game. He was also credited with four quarterback hits and is beginning to show flashes that he can be a dominant pass rusher in this league.
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This doesn't provide solace on a disastrous season, but it does provide optimism going forward that perhaps in 2026, he and Brian Burns can be one of the best edge rushing duos in the league.
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