New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings: 2022 Wild Card Recap

Game story

In the Wild Card of the 2022 NFL season on 2023-01-15, the New York Giants took care of business against the Minnesota Vikings, pulling away with a 31–24 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 21 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

D. Jones (New York Giants) paced the passing game, with +20.19 total EPA, and -1.3% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, D. Jones (New York Giants) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +20.19 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+16.1% win probability) landed in the third quarter when Minnesota Vikings changed the game: (:32) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short right to 87-T.Hockenson to NYG 25 for 18 yards (20-J.Love).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 D. Jones · New York Giants · Passing · +20.19 total EPA · 46 snaps · +0.44 EPA/play
2. 2 K. Cousins · Minnesota Vikings · Passing · +13.15 total EPA · 40 snaps · +0.33 EPA/play
3. 3 T. Hockenson · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +10.87 total EPA · 11 snaps · +0.99 EPA/play
4. 4 I. Hodgins · New York Giants · Receiving · +8.46 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.94 EPA/play
5. 5 D. Slayton · New York Giants · Receiving · +5.77 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.72 EPA/play
6. 6 S. Barkley · New York Giants · Receiving · +4.73 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.79 EPA/play
7. 7 A. Thielen · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +3.41 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.85 EPA/play
8. 8 D. Jones · New York Giants · Rushing · +3.22 total EPA · 12 snaps · +0.27 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Minnesota Vikings — K. Cousins (Q1 53:26)
• New York Giants — S. Barkley (Q1 50:19)
• New York Giants — I. Hodgins (D. Jones pass) (Q1 46:08)
• Minnesota Vikings — K. Osborn (K. Cousins pass) (Q2 30:50)
• New York Giants — D. Bellinger (D. Jones pass) (Q3 26:42)
• Minnesota Vikings — I. Smith (K. Cousins pass) (Q3 22:50)
• New York Giants — S. Barkley (Q4 7:52)

Field goals

• New York Giants — G. Gano (Q2 33:29)
• Minnesota Vikings — G. Joseph (Q4 12:38)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New York Giants won the period 14–7. Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the NYG 1 (Q1 53:26) — (8:26) 64-B.Brandel reported in as eligible. 8-K.Cousins up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q1 53:23) — 1-G.Joseph extra point is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright.; New York Giants found the end zone from the MIN 28 (Q1 50:19) — (5:19) 26-S.Barkley left end for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Giants added 1 points from the MIN 15 (Q1 50:11) — 9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.; New York Giants found the end zone from the MIN 14 (Q1 46:08) — (1:08) (Shotgun) 8-D.Jones pass short middle to 18-I.Hodgins for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Giants added 1 points from the MIN 15 (Q1 46:03) — 9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan..

The second quarter: Minnesota Vikings won the period 13–3. New York Giants connected on a field goal from the MIN 6 (Q2 33:29) — (3:29) 9-G.Gano 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.; Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the NYG 9 (Q2 30:50) — (:50) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short middle to 17-K.Osborn for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the NYG 15 (Q2 30:45) — 1-G.Joseph extra point is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright..

The third quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. New York Giants found the end zone from the MIN 9 (Q3 26:42) — (11:42) 8-D.Jones pass short left to 82-D.Bellinger for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Giants added 1 points from the MIN 15 (Q3 26:37) — 9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.; Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the NYG 3 (Q3 22:50) — (7:50) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short left to 84-I.Smith for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on NYG-57-J.Davis, Defensive Offside, declined.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q3 22:46) — 1-G.Joseph extra point is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright..

The fourth quarter: New York Giants won the period 7–3. Minnesota Vikings connected on a field goal from the NYG 20 (Q4 12:38) — (12:38) 1-G.Joseph 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright.; New York Giants found the end zone from the MIN 2 (Q4 7:52) — (7:52) 26-S.Barkley up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Giants added 1 points from the MIN 15 (Q4 7:47) — 9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Minnesota Vikings (Q3 15:32) — (:32) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short right to 87-T.Hockenson to NYG 25 for 18 yards (20-J.Love). [WPA +16.1% · EPA +3.77]
• New York Giants (Q4 7:52) — (7:52) 26-S.Barkley up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +13.3% · EPA +0.77]
• New York Giants (Q1 48:06) — (3:06) 8-D.Jones pass deep right to 86-D.Slayton pushed ob at MIN 34 for 47 yards (24-C.Bynum). [WPA +11.1% · EPA +3.04]
• New York Giants (Q4 11:08) — (11:08) (Shotgun) 8-D.Jones pass deep left to 18-I.Hodgins ran ob at MIN 26 for 19 yards. [WPA +9.8% · EPA +1.80]
• New York Giants (Q4 8:38) — (8:38) 8-D.Jones up the middle to MIN 5 for 2 yards (94-D.Tomlinson). [WPA +8.6% · EPA +2.06]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Minnesota Vikings (Q3 15:32) — (:32) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short right to 87-T.Hockenson to NYG 25 for 18 yards (20-J.Love). [WPA +16.1% · EPA +3.77]
• New York Giants (Q1 48:06) — (3:06) 8-D.Jones pass deep right to 86-D.Slayton pushed ob at MIN 34 for 47 yards (24-C.Bynum). [WPA +11.1% · EPA +3.04]
• New York Giants (Q1 50:19) — (5:19) 26-S.Barkley left end for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +7.6% · EPA +2.77]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q2 32:36) — (2:36) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short left to 87-T.Hockenson to NYG 47 for 27 yards (36-T.Jefferson; 29-X.McKinney). [WPA +6.3% · EPA +2.74]

Quarterback report card

D.Jones led all passers in efficiency for New York Giants, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• D.Jones (New York Giants) · 46 dropbacks · 52.2% completion · -1.3% CPOE · +0.44 EPA/play · +20.19 total EPA
• K.Cousins (Minnesota Vikings) · 40 dropbacks · 77.5% completion · +13.7% CPOE · +0.33 EPA/play · +13.15 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, New York Giants generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.26 vs +0.14), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Minnesota Vikings: 8 drives, +10.58 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• New York Giants: 9 drives, +21.84 total EPA, 5 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New York Giants leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• D. Jones (New York Giants) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• K. Cousins (MIN) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q1 53:26 · NYG 1 · Score 0-6
   (8:26) 64-B.Brandel reported in as eligible. 8-K.Cousins up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q1 53:23 · NYG 15 · Score 0-7
   1-G.Joseph extra point is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright.
3. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q1 50:19 · MIN 28 · Score 6-7
   (5:19) 26-S.Barkley left end for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q1 50:11 · MIN 15 · Score 7-7
   9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.
5. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q1 46:08 · MIN 14 · Score 13-7
   (1:08) (Shotgun) 8-D.Jones pass short middle to 18-I.Hodgins for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q1 46:03 · MIN 15 · Score 14-7
   9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.
7. New York Giants FG (+3) — Q2 33:29 · MIN 6 · Score 17-7
   (3:29) 9-G.Gano 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.
8. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q2 30:50 · NYG 9 · Score 17-13
   (:50) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short middle to 17-K.Osborn for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
9. Minnesota Vikings TD (+7) — Q2 30:45 · NYG 15 · Score 17-14
   1-G.Joseph extra point is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright.
10. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q3 26:42 · MIN 9 · Score 23-14
    (11:42) 8-D.Jones pass short left to 82-D.Bellinger for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q3 26:37 · MIN 15 · Score 24-14
    9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.
12. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q3 22:50 · NYG 3 · Score 24-20
    (7:50) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass short left to 84-I.Smith for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on NYG-57-J.Davis, Defensive Offside, declined.
13. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q3 22:46 · NYG 15 · Score 24-21
    1-G.Joseph extra point is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright.
14. Minnesota Vikings FG (+3) — Q4 12:38 · NYG 20 · Score 24-24
    (12:38) 1-G.Joseph 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-14-R.Wright.
15. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q4 7:52 · MIN 2 · Score 30-24
    (7:52) 26-S.Barkley up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
16. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q4 7:47 · MIN 15 · Score 31-24
    9-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-6-J.Gillan.