Daniel Jones guides Giants to win over Vikings and into next stage of playoff

The Giants reaped their first victory in the playoffs since 2011 thanks to outplaying the Vikings, conquering T.J. Hockenson's tough challenge, and stepping up when it really mattered.

The play of Cousins with the Vikings, a 3-yard pass to Hockenson on fourth-and-8 from the Minnesota 48 with 1:51 remaining, had no impact on the Giants' prospects for success. After that, the Vikings had no other offensive plays and three consecutive kneel downs from Jones clinched the victory for the Giants.

Through their 31-24 victory, the Giants have gained the privilege of participating in the divisional round at Philadelphia this Saturday night.

Saquon Barkley gave the Bears the lead by running a 2-yard touchdown with 7:47 left on the clock. This was the outcome of a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took 4:47 to complete. The deciding factor was Isaiah Hodgins' crucial 19-yard catch on the boundary which placed the ball on the Vikings' 26-yard line that eventually set up the touchdown.

Hodgins stated that Mike Kafka, their offensive coordinator, had made a great play call. With them having shown a lot of crossers and in-cuts, they finally decided to execute a double move and got the desired result. The pass from Daniel was able to put the ball in Hodgins' hands, with their receiver apparently succeeding in getting his feet in bounds.

Playing ball there is something that's special to us. It makes me self-assured, as well. Knowing that my quarterback, offensive coordinator, and all the other players have faith in me carries substantial meaning.

The Giants subsequently had a chance to secure the win, yet on third-and-15 from their own 41 with 3:03 to go, Darius Slayton let a Jones pass slip through his hands. Had he held onto it, he probably would have picked up the first down.

Slayton acknowledged, "I made a mistake. It's part of the game, though. Fortunately, I'm surrounded by a great defensive unit. That's what you want, a team that can persevere when not everyone is playing up to their best. It says a lot about our team overall."

Cousins opened the scoring for the Vikings, rushing for 1 yard. The Giants responded with successive touchdowns, a 28-yard rush by Barkley, and a 14-yard throw from Jones to Hodgins.

With only 45 seconds left in the second quarter, Cousins made a 9-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn which enabled the Vikings to reduce their deficit to 17-14.

Jones hit Daniel Bellinger with a 9-yard scoring pass, increasing their lead to 24-14 with 11:37 left in the third quarter. Nonetheless, Cousins connected with Irv Smith on a 3-yard TD pass, and Greg Joseph nailed a 38-yard field goal with 12:34 to go in the fourth quarter to make the score 24-all.

Barkley had no hesitation in stating that there was absolutely no question about it; due to the type of squad, they were, they had demonstrated that throughout the entire season. The shared rivalry and trust were what they needed to succeed in the playoffs.

Jones completed 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards and also accumulated 78 yards through running. Barkley managed nine attempts for a total of 53 yards, while Hodgins had eight receptions for 105 yards.

He threw 31 out of 39 passes for 273 yards, and Hockenson, who got two touchdowns against the Giants on the holiday eve, took in 10 passes for 129 yards but was unsuccessful in scoring a TD in this time. Jefferson had seven receptions, accumulating just 47 yards.

The previous evening, Jon Feliciano, the Giants' center, and other squad members including Barkley and Jones were all gathered together at the team hotel viewing football.

Feliciano reported that they hung out the evening prior to the game; teasing DJ Jones while Trevor Lawrence tossed the interceptions. He jokingly said, "Don't worry DJ, at least you can go to bed knowing you won't be the one with four picks.” To this, DJ chuckled and responded in kind. Feliciano expressed his pride in their winning a playoff game, "I'm super-proud to be part of this team.”

Feliciano described Jones as being in a lighthearted mood, for which she was very proud. She also voiced her pleasure in being part of a victorious team in the postseason.

Feliciano erupted in laughter, his eyes brimming with tears.

In a separate area of the locker room, safety Xavier McKinney discussed his hand injury, lamenting that he hadn't supported his team as much as he intended.

He remarked, "It was an intense contest. We weren't flawless, but we accomplished our goal in the end."

He conveyed that their success was due to extra effort put in by the team: "We put in more work with training and game-film analysis. It means a lot to us all that we've achieved so much as a unified squad in the playoffs."

While the Vikings were playing, Feliciano and Barkley joined the crowd in the Skol chant, boisterously dancing and encouraging the spectators to raise their volumes.

Barkley commented that they had a great time and felt sure their good play would carry into the playoffs.

It achieved it, although it wasn't simple.

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