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Vikings intercept Manning four times, rout Giants

Nov 25, 2007 - 11:17 PM EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Dwight Smith and the Minnesota Vikings' defense produced more than enough points for their shorthanded offensive teammates.

Smith recorded two interceptions, including one for a 93-yard touchdown return, as the Vikings picked off Eli Manning four times Sunday en route to a stunning 41-17 rout of the New York Giants.

Darren Sharper and linebacker Chad Greenway also scored off interception returns for Minnesota (5-6), which entered with the NFL's worst-ranked passing defense.

But the Vikings had their way with Manning, who was constantly hurried into ill-advised passes and matched a career high for interceptions.

"We've been ridiculed a lot as a defense, so for us to come out and make plays today, it's huge," Smith said. "Maybe it will give us confidence and we can keep it going."

"I thought the Giants were one of the better teams in the NFC," Vikings coach Brad Childress added. "When your defense can cause turnovers, it makes it a lot easier."

Ironically, the last time Manning was intercepted four times came here on November 13, 2005 in a 24-21 loss to the Vikings - a contest Minnesota won despite not scoring an offensive touchdown.

"It wasn't a matter of confusion. They outperformed us," Manning said. "When you throw four interceptions, it's never a good day. We didn't catch any breaks, and they performed well."

While the Giants (7-4) failed to separate themselves from the rest of the crowded NFC wild card race, the Vikings have thrust themselves back into postseason contention.

Left for dead after falling to 2-5 with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on October 28, Minnesota has won three of its last four games.

"It's a significant game," Childress said. "We went from success last week to significant this week. I felt like we needed to win this game. It's an important part of the season. Everybody wants to be significant."

The underdog Vikings entered Sunday's game without star rookie running back Adrian Peterson, who missed his second straight contest with a torn knee ligament.

But Minnesota's defense picked up the slack, holding New York to a total of three points over a span of 10 drives bridging the first and fourth quarters.

"We stuck with our gameplan," Greenway said. "Guys made plays. We had a good pass rush and got a couple of tipped balls that went our way."

The Giants forged a 7-7 tie on Reuben Droughns' 1-yard TD run five minutes into the contest. But the Vikings took the lead for good with 3:15 left in the opening quarter thanks to Sharper, who intercepted Manning at the New York 20 and scampered into the end zone to make it 14-7.

Smith recorded the second interception of Manning five minutes into the second quarter and returned it to the Giants 8. Chester Taylor rumbled for an 8-yard TD on the following play to give Minnesota a 21-7 lead.

The teams traded field goals over the next 25 minutes, and the Vikings entered the fourth quarter with a 27-10 cushion.

Minnesota put away the contest just 79 seconds into the final period when Smith picked off Manning deep in Vikings territory and raced 93 yards the other way for a score.

Greenway scored on a 37-yard interception return just 42 seconds later to give the Vikings a 41-10 lead.

"The interceptions for touchdowns, there is no excuse for it," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "You are not going to be able to win a football game when you give away the points that we did.

"I did a poor job on getting them ready to play, and we could not overcome the deficit."

Taylor rushed for 77 yards on 31 carries for the Vikings, who improved to 2-0 without the electric Peterson - the NFL's leading rusher.

Tarvaris Jackson had his most efficient game of the season for the Vikings, completing 10-of-12 passes for 129 yards - including a 60-yard TD to Sidney Rice on the game's second play from scrimmage.

"I played pretty well today, managed the game pretty well," he said. "I had an interception last week and I tried to correct some things and I did. I played better than I did last week."

The fleet-footed Jackson also rushed for 38 yards on five carries, including a pair of first-down scrambles during a 14-play drive in the third quarter which allowed the Vikings to soak up nearly 10 minutes of clock time.

"I think that's the way you want your quarterback to play in this offense," Childress said. "You want him to be efficient. You want him to be a high-percentage, low turnovers. If you do that, you have a chance to win a lot of games."

Manning finished 21-of-49 for 273 yards for the Giants, who have lost their last two home games.

In spite of his awful performance, which included a meaningless fourth-quarter TD pass to Plaxico Burress, Manning was not pulled from the game.

"I thought about it at one point, but I didn't see the purpose in it," Coughlin said. "I don't like that feeling. I wasn't going to do that to him and I wasn't going to do that to me."