Preview, forecast, what to look out for

A look at the Giants' game against the Vikings in Week 1 of the NFL on Sunday at MetLife Stadium:

Marquee Duel

CBs Deonte Banks, Cor'Dale Flott, Nick McCloud and Adoree' Jackson against WR Justin Jefferson

Yes, it takes a village to deal with Jefferson, who cannot be stopped by a single defender.

The plan could be to have Banks run all over the field with Jefferson, but that could disrupt the overall coverage.

Jackson was successful in this post-2022 playoff game, but his contract was extended last week and he is not yet ready for a full-time role like this.

Jefferson had 1,074 receiving yards in just 10 games last season and 1,809 yards in 2022.

Paul's Choice

Malik Nabers has been calling for chants of “Leeeeek!” to be heard whenever he does something to rile up the crowd, and there will be no better sound for the Giants than when that chant resounds throughout the stadium.

Will it happen?

Daniel Jones has to get rid of the ball and the defense has to limit Aaron Jones to the point where Sam Darnold is forced to go airborne.

Giants 23, Vikings 19

Four Downs

Too much too soon? New defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will likely never want to take Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns or Kayvon Thibodeaux off the field for an extended period of time.

But he needs them as lively as possible towards the end of the game.

“All of these games are going to come down to one point, so we'll have to do our best there and hopefully the guys are fit enough and we can use them enough at the right time so they're at their freshest when we need them most,” Bowen said.

The massive 340-pound Lawrence has tremendous stamina.

“When I got here, I was surprised at the amount of playing time for such a big guy and how hard he plays,” Bowen said.

Find out: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores called for more blitz-zero than any other team in the league – sending an extra man on offense, meaning there is no deep defender and usually pure man coverage at the back.

An offensive line is all about communication, and the Giants have gained 20 years of NFL experience with new starters Jermaine Eluemunor, Greg Van Roten and Jon Runyan Jr.

“We have a lot of experienced players who have played a lot in this league, so it's not difficult,” said left tackle Andrew Thomas. “We're on the same page. We don't know exactly what they're going to do, but we try to read their keys and follow our rules. That's the only way we can handle blitz-zero and these different pressure situations.”

Just for fun: If it's close and the Giants need to win the game with a long-range field goal, can Graham Gano do it?

He made 92 percent (89 of 97) of his attempts in his first three seasons with the team, but dropped to 11 of 17 in 2023 before undergoing surgery on his left knee, his mainstay.

Gano is 37, so a bit older.

During the training camp it was difficult to say whether he was fully fit again.

“I don’t think I really lost it,” he said.

The Giants stayed with him.

“I've seen the Graham Gano that wins football games in this league,” said special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial. “He's a proven kicker in this league and I'm fully confident he can kick from any distance.”

Start the reconstruction: The Vikings can rely on no fewer than six new starters in defense – including an almost completely renewed linebacker corps with newcomers Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, former Giant Jihad Ward and first-round pick Dallas Turner.

Look for the Giants to look to exploit the middle of the field with quick hits to Wan'Dale Robinson and rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. and give Devin Singletary — Saquon Barkley's replacement — full power in the run game.