Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants
Sunday, December 21st, 1:00 PM ET
Another game between two teams eliminated from the playoff hunt, the New York Giants host the Minnesota Vikings in a battle of two young quarterbacks who have shown flashes this year. For the Vikings and Giants, this is the main thing they are going to take into the offseason.
The Vikings have largely had a season to forget, as this team won 14 games in 2024 with Sam Darnold at quarterback and obviously let him leave in free agency. Since handing the reigns over to JJ McCarthy, he’s battled injuries, again, and some horrendous play besides his previous two starts.
All of a sudden, the second-year QB has shown some promise, and if he keeps that up as the regular season ends, the Vikings could be in great shape in 2026, as the defense is very good, and when healthy, the offensive personnel are great, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The New York Giants may have someone special in Jaxson Dart, but he has simply taken way too many hits and has been evaluated for a plethora of concussions this year, which is far from ideal.
If the next Giants’ coaching staff can’t teach Dart to protect himself more, his career is going to be short. Both teams are out of the playoffs but definitely want to see more growth from their young QBs, so that’s what these final few games are going to be about.
I would give the nod to the Giants in this one. They are at home and have a very talented defensive line, and McCarthy has still largely been bad in 2025, so his two strong starts in a row don’t mean that’s going to keep up here in Week 15.
At the end of the day, though, this game is largely meaningless, as harsh as that might sound.