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Vikings aim for division clincher vs. Giants

Dec 23, 2008 - 4:41 PM NY Giants (12-3) at Minnesota (9-6), 1:00 pm EST

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Having squandered one chance to wrap up a division title, the Minnesota Vikings get another one on Sunday.

The Vikings can lay claim to the NFC North title with a home victory over the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Despite a 24-17 loss to visiting Atlanta last weekend, Minnesota still has the edge in the division title chase, owning the tiebreak over a Chicago (9-6) team that visits Houston on Sunday.

While the Giants are a step up in class from the Falcons, there motivation will be in question after they sewed up the No. 1 overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with last weekend's 34-28 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers.

"I disagree with the idea that you have nothing to gain. There is a lot to be gained," New York head coach Tom Coughlin said. "If you believe, as we do, that you have to be playing your best football at this time of the year, you certainly do have some things to build on and particularly when you are not going to play for a couple of weeks."

With nothing to play for in last year's regular-season finale, the Giants played all their starters in a narrow loss to New England - a game which many credited with providing the spark for their stunning run to the Super Bowl.

However, spoiling the Patriots' perfect record was incentive in that game for the Giants. Getting up for the Vikings following a showdown with Carolina may be another matter.

Coughlin conceded he may rest some players for health reasons. Chief among them is running back Brandon Jacobs, who had been battling a nagging knee injury but rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina.

"The information will come basically from the medical people and exactly how we think we ought to go about our business here in this upcoming 16th game of the season," Coughlin said. "Our basic philosophy is that we want to win every game and that is the way our mentality should be."

Whether Jacobs plays or not, Minnesota must brace itself for New York's punishing ground game which churned out 301 yards against the Panthers. Backup Derrick Ward shredded Carolina for 215 yards on just 15 carries - an average of 14.3 a pop.

The Vikings will counter with their own high-powered running attack, led by Adrian Peterson, the league's leading rusher with 1,657 yards.

Peterson was held to 76 yards on 22 carries against the Falcons. Minnesota also lost four fumbles - three of them in Atlanta territory.

"We did a good job today of going out there and beating ourselves," Peterson said.

Tarvaris Jackson, who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns but lost two fumbles against Atlanta, will start his third straight game in place of Gus Frerotte.