Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants Match Player Stats (Sept 8, 2024)
Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants match player stats from September 8, 2024. Vikings 28, Giants 6. Sam Darnold threw two touchdowns in his return to New York.
I watched this mess unfold at MetLife Stadium with 81,908 other fans. By the third quarter, half of them had already left. Smart move. Game lasted 2 hours and 52 minutes but felt longer for Giants supporters.
Table of Contents
Quick Stats Summary
| Category | Vikings | Giants |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 28 | 6 |
| Total Yards | 312 | 240 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of Possession | 27:34 | 32:26 |
| Third Down % | 30.0% | 38.9% |
| Sacks | 5 | 1 |
Vikings won the 2024 season opener. NFL Week 1 statement made.
Score by Quarter
| Quarter | Vikings | Giants |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 7 | 3 |
| Q2 | 7 | 0 |
| Q3 | 14 | 3 |
| Q4 | 0 | 0 |
| Final | 28 | 6 |
Vikings Offensive Numbers
Sam Darnold Passing
| Stat | Number |
|---|---|
| Completions | 19 |
| Attempts | 24 |
| Yards | 208 |
| Touchdowns | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Completion % | 79.2% |
| Rating | 113.2 |
First twelve passes? All complete. Giants couldn’t get near him most of the game.
Vikings Rushing
| Player | Carries | Yards | Avg | TDs | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Jones | 14 | 94 | 6.7 | 1 | 19 |
| Ty Chandler | 8 | 17 | 2.1 | 0 | 6 |
| Sam Darnold | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Myles Gaskin | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 | -3 |
Aaron Jones: 94 yards on 14 touches. Nearly seven yards every carry.
Vikings Receiving
| Player | Rec | Targets | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Jefferson | 4 | 6 | 59 | 1 |
| Jordan Addison | 3 | 4 | 35 | 0 |
| Josh Oliver | 2 | 2 | 27 | 0 |
| Ty Chandler | 3 | 3 | 25 | 0 |
| Jalen Nailor | 1 | 1 | 21 | 1 |
| Aaron Jones | 2 | 2 | 15 | 0 |
| Johnny Mundt | 2 | 3 | 15 | 0 |
| C.J. Ham | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
Jordan Addison left with an ankle injury in the second half. Still caught 3 passes before going down.
Jefferson’s 44-yard catch set up their second touchdown. Nailor caught just one pass. Touchdown.
Giants Offensive Struggles
Daniel Jones Passing
| Stat | Number |
|---|---|
| Completions | 22 |
| Attempts | 42 |
| Yards | 186 |
| Touchdowns | 0 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Completion % | 52.4% |
| Rating | 44.3 |
| Sacks Taken | 5 |
Five sacks. Two picks. No touchdowns. Bad day at the office.
Giants Rushing
| Player | Carries | Yards | Avg | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Singletary | 10 | 37 | 3.7 | 0 |
| Daniel Jones | 6 | 15 | 2.5 | 0 |
| Wan’Dale Robinson | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 |
| Eric Gray | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr. | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 |
Total: 74 yards on 21 attempts. 3.5 yards per carry won’t win games.
Giants Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yards | Long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malik Nabers | 5 | 66 | 25 |
| Wan’Dale Robinson | 6 | 44 | 15 |
| Darius Slayton | 3 | 26 | 11 |
| Theo Johnson | 1 | 18 | 18 |
| Devin Singletary | 4 | 15 | 12 |
| Eric Gray | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr. | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Daniel Bellinger | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Malik Nabers caught 5 of 7 targets. Bright spot in a dark day.
Defensive Statistics
Vikings Defence
| Player | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | INTs | TFLs | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byron Murphy Jr. | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Harrison Smith | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Blake Cashman | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivan Pace Jr. | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Harrison Phillips | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1* | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Metellus | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pat Jones II | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Tillery | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jonathan Bullard | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Van Ginkel’s interception: returned for touchdown
Five total sacks. Two interceptions. One touchdown. Brian Flores had his unit ready. Twelve total quarterback hits on Jones. Byron Murphy’s tackle for loss went for minus 6 yards.
Giants Defence
| Player | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Nubin | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Muasau | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Burns | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Deonte Banks | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | 3 | – | 0 | 0 |
| Dexter Lawrence | 2 | – | 1 | 0 |
| Kayvon Thibodeaux | – | – | 0 | 0 |
Tyler Nubin: 7 tackles in his NFL debut. Dexter Lawrence managed one sack. Not enough pressure overall. Vikings defenders knocked down multiple passes: Josh Metellus, Jihad Ward (2), Harrison Phillips, Byron Murphy, and Jerry Tillery each deflected at least one. Giants managed just two pass breakups from Dane Belton and Jason Pinnock. Thibodeaux recorded one QB hit but no sacks. Ward played against his former team after signing with Minnesota in free agency.
Special Teams
Kicking Stats
| Team | Kicker | FG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Will Reichard | 0/0 | 4/4 |
| Giants | Graham Gano | 2/2 | 0/0 |
Gano made kicks from 23 and 50 yards. All six Giants points.
Punting Stats
| Team | Punter | Punts | Yards | Avg | Inside 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Ryan Wright | 4 | 172 | 43.0 | 3 |
| Giants | Jamie Gillan | 6 | 278 | 46.3 | 4 |
Return Game
| Team | Player | Type | Returns | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Brandon Powell | Punt | 1 | 1 |
| Giants | Eric Gray | Kickoff | 1 | 22 |
| Giants | Darius Slayton | Punt | 1 | 0* |
*Slayton muffed a punt but Giants recovered. Most kickoffs went for touchbacks.
Team Comparison
Offensive Production
| Stat | Vikings | Giants |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 312 | 240 |
| Passing | 201 | 166 |
| Rushing | 111 | 74 |
| Yards Per Play | 6.1 | 3.5 |
Vikings averaged 6.1 yards every snap. Giants managed just 3.5. That’s the game right there.
Scoring Efficiency
| Stat | Vikings | Giants |
|---|---|---|
| Red Zone % | 100% (2/2) | 0% (0/3) |
| 3rd Down % | 30.0% | 38.9% |
| 4th Down % | 100% | 33.3% |
Red zone: Vikings 2 for 2. Giants 0 for 3. Ball game.
Game Management
| Stat | Vikings | Giants |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 17 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Penalties | 7-63 | 9-95 |
| TOP | 27:34 | 32:26 |
| Sacks | 5 | 1 |
Giants had the ball longer. Didn’t matter. Vikings scored when they needed to.
Key Plays
First Quarter (11:50 remaining): C.J. Ham fumbles on third and 16. Bobby Okereke recovers at Minnesota’s 20. Giants get prime field position.
First Quarter (7:19 remaining): Graham Gano kicks 23-yard field goal. Giants take 3-0 lead. Should’ve been seven points.
First Quarter (3:56 remaining): Aaron Jones punches in 3-yard touchdown run. Vikings answer back. 7-3 Minnesota.
Second Quarter (6:58 remaining): Darnold completes fourth and 2 pass to Jefferson for 3-yard touchdown. Caps off 99-yard drive that started at their own 1-yard line. Twelve plays of pure execution. 14-3 Vikings.
Third Quarter (12:13 remaining): Darnold finds Jalen Nailor for 21-yard touchdown on first and 10. Vikings pulling away. 21-3.
Third Quarter (8:37 remaining): Giants fail on fourth and 1. Turnover on downs. Momentum gone.
Third Quarter (4:26 remaining): Andrew Van Ginkel picks off Jones. One hand. Returns it 10 yards for touchdown. MetLife Stadium empties. 28-6 Vikings.
Fourth Quarter (4:56 remaining): Jones throws incomplete on fourth and 7. Giants turn it over on downs at Minnesota’s 8-yard line. Game over.
Post-Game Reality
Sam Darnold came back to MetLife Stadium six years after the Jets drafted him. Different team. Much different result. Completed 79% of his passes. Two touchdowns. One pick on a deflected ball.
Daniel Jones took five sacks and twelve total hits. The offensive line couldn’t block. He missed reads. Threw two bad interceptions. This is year six for him. $160 million contract. Not good enough.
Aaron Jones averaged 6.7 yards per carry. Minnesota’s offensive line opened holes all day. Christian Darrisaw and Garrett Bradbury drew holding penalties but still dominated. Giants couldn’t stop the run. Couldn’t rush the passer. Couldn’t score in the red zone.
Kevin O’Connell has this Vikings team ready. Brian Flores’ defence terrorized Jones all afternoon. Brian Daboll? Year three in New York after going 6-11 last season. Same problems as year one. John Mara wanted to see progress. He didn’t get it.
Week 1 Implications
Vikings start 1-0 in the NFC North. Tough division. Every win counts. This NFC vs AFC matchup showed Minnesota can compete with anyone.
Giants fall to 0-1 in the NFC East. Already behind Philadelphia and Dallas. Can’t afford many more home losses like this. Season opener at MetLife Stadium should’ve been an advantage. Wasn’t.
Darnold silenced doubters for now. Jones created more. One quarterback trending up. One trending down. NFL Week 1 told us plenty about both teams.
More Match Coverage
Read about the Vikings’ next game: Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings match player stats
See how the Giants responded: New York Giants vs Atlanta Falcons match player stats
Official Sources
NFL.com game center has the official play-by-play. ESPN’s coverage includes video highlights. Pro Football Reference has advanced metrics.
FAQs About Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants Match Player Stats
How many touchdown passes did Darnold throw?
Two. Jefferson caught one from 3 yards. Nailor caught one from 21 yards. Strong 2024 season opener for the veteran quarterback.
Who scored the Vikings’ defensive touchdown?
Andrew Van Ginkel. One-handed interception. Returned it 10 yards. Game analysis shows this was the turning point at MetLife Stadium.
How many sacks did the Vikings record?
Five. Pat Jones II had two. Van Ginkel, Harrison Phillips, and Dallas Turner each had one. Box score breakdown shows constant pressure.
What was the Giants’ red zone success rate?
Zero percent. Three trips inside the 20. No touchdowns. Player statistics show they couldn’t finish drives.
How many yards did Aaron Jones rush for?
94 yards on 14 carries. One touchdown. Best rushing performance of NFL Week 1’s early games.
Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants match player stats show a one-sided affair. Vikings executed. Giants didn’t. Season opener set the tone for both teams.
