Minnesota Vikings: 3 Players that must shine vs. Giants in Week 5

2. Adam Thielen

Another player that must step up and shine in New York is Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen. Thielen has been in and out of the news all week this week in preparation for the Week 5 game against the Giants following his comments after the Week 4 game against Chicago surrounding the offense and its ineffectiveness in passing the ball so far this season.

After the loss at Soldier Field to fellow NFC North opponent in the Bears last Sunday evening, Thielen made some post-game comments that raised eyebrows around the league and some considered them to be a shot at his quarterback Kirk Cousins, per The Washington Post:

"“At some point, you’re not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen told reporters after the game. “That’s when you have to be able to throw the ball. … You have to be able to hit the deep balls.”"

So far this season, Thielen has been up to a slow start when you compare it to his stellar 2018 campaign with Minnesota. During the season last year, where Thielen finished with a career-best 1,373 receiving yards and career-high nine touchdowns, it seemed like the wide receiver was recording 100-plus yard receiving games almost weekly.

Through four games this year, Thielen has managed to combine for only 179 yards and two touchdowns coming into Week 5. With 13 receptions and an average of 13.8 yards per catch, Thielen is also coming off of his worst performance of the 2019 season in the loss to Chicago last Sunday.

In the defeat to the Bears, Thielen grabbed just six yards on two catches, being held without a receiving touchdown for the second game this year.

On Sunday in New York, it will be interesting to see if the Vikings put more effort and focus into their passing game and if Thielen becomes more of a focal point along with the rest of the passing game when they take on the Giants on the road.