EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Vikings bounced back Sunday to earn their first road victory of 2019, claiming a 28-10 victory over the Giants.
Minnesota moved the ball frequently and held onto it for chunks at a time, blending explosive gains and shorter ones on offense.
Kirk Cousins started ablaze, completing 19 of 23 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He finished 22-for-27 with 306 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 138.6.
Adam Thielen led Minnesota with 130 yards through the air and posted the second two-score game of his career.
Dalvin Cook added 86 yards on six catches and totaled 132 yards on 21 rushes, helping Minnesota outgain New York 490 to 211 on the day.
The Vikings netted 211 rushing yards and 279 passing and won time of possession 32:45 to 27:15.
The Vikings defense rudely welcomed rookie Daniel Jones, who was making just his third start, turning up the heat with blitzes and sacking him four times.
Anthony Barr recorded a safety in the second quarter and an interception in the fourth quarter. It was his first interception in a regular-season game since at Denver in 2015.
Jones finished 21-of-38 passing for 182 yards with one touchdown, the interception and a passer rating of 65.9.
The Giants were without second-year pro Saquon Barkley and lost his backup, Wayne Gallman to injury during the game. New York finished with 64 rushing yards.
Scoring summary
Q1, 8:46 remaining
Vikings 3, Giants 0
Dan Bailey kicks a 31-yard field goal [11 plays, 62 yards, 6:14 time of possession]
Mixing it up: The Vikings blended personnel groupings and got multiple players involved early. Four different players caught a pass (Stefon Diggs, Bisi Johnson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook), and four different players (Kirk Cousins, Cook, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah).
Q2, 14:55 remaining
Vikings 10, Giants 0
Thielen catches a 15-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Dan Bailey kicks PAT) [11 plays, 98 yards, 5:46]
Mr. Third Down: Thielen converted a third-and-8 with a 10-yard catch before reeling in his first score of the day on a third-and-4. Those were the only two third downs of the possession.
Q2, 12:08 remaining
Vikings 10, Giants 7
Darius Slayton catches a 35-yard pass from Daniel Jones (Aldrick Rosas kicks PAT) [5 plays, 50 yards, 2:47]
Capitalized: New York got a boost in the form of a 52-yard kickoff return by Corey Ballentine to start the drive at midfield.
Q2, 7:51 remaining
Vikings 13, Giants 7
Bailey kicks a 48-yard field goal [8 plays, 45 yards, 4:17]
Extended and shortened: A sack of Cousins on third down was negated by an illegal use of hands penalty on Janoris Jenkins. The Vikings followed with gains of 10 by Cook on a run and 28 on a catch by Thielen. A 14-yard pass to Irv Smith, Jr., however, was nullified because of a holding penalty that stalled the drive.
Q2, 2:09 remaining
Vikings 15, Giants 7
Jon Hilliman is tackled in end zone by Anthony Barr for a safety
Well-timed blitz: Barr showcased his ability to blitz, firing through the offensive line before the Giants executed the handoff. The Vikings defense picked up the offense just one play after a fumble by Cook.
Q2, 0:47 remaining
Vikings 18, Giants 7
Bailey kicks a 32-yard field goal [9 plays, 49 yards, 1:22]
Right back to him: The Vikings put the ball back in Cook's hands on the following drive, and the running back delivered receptions of 24 and 19 yards.
Q3, 7:35 remaining
Vikings 18, Giants 10
Rosas kicks a 32-yard field goal [15 plays, 61 yards, 7:25]
Near miss: Jones was unable to connect with a wide-open Sterling Shepard on a third-and-goal from the 10. The Giants got another set of downs because of a penalty on a field goal attempt, but Danielle Hunter sacked Jones on the following play.
Q3, 4:52 remaining
Vikings 25, Giants 10
Thielen catches a 9-yard pass from Cousins (Bailey kicks PAT) [5 plays, 67 yards, 2:43]
Breaking loose: Cook set up the score with a 41-yard scamper.
Q4, 4:13 remaining
Vikings 28, Giants 10
Bailey kicks a 45-yard field goal [9 plays, 46 yards, 4:52]
Digging it and icing it: Diggs had an impressive run after the catch on a 20-yard gain, and the Vikings essentially iced the game by milking nearly five minutes of time and going up by three scores.
