For the five seasons previous to this one, the New York Giants had lost 59 games. And BetOnline patrons have seen them try and fail with a few different head coaches. But they made a rather fortuitous choice when they dipped into the Buffalo Bills coaching staff and snagged offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

And then the fun began.

The team has been through some ups and downs, but the Giants have made a transformation under Daboll, on both sides of the ball. They have also posted a 9-7-1 record (13-4 against the pointspread), which was good enough to clinch a playoff spot with a week to spare.

And speaking about clinching playoff spots, the Minnesota Vikings did that about as easily as any team in the NFL, as the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears stumbled in the NFC North. Of course, winning a lot of games helps too. And they did that, rambling to a 13-4 mark (7-9-1 ATS), making for a very successful first season for Kevin O'Connell, another guy off the Sean McVay coaching tree.

Daboll and O'Connell are both prime candidates for the coach of the year award. Their teams will square off at 4:30 PM ET on FOX. Since the Vikes were a division champ and the Giants were a wild card, Minnesota hosts this game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Giants were locked into their playoff position, so they had an opportunity to rest 19 of 22 starters as they played the Eagles last week. Among those people were stalwarts Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence.

On Sunday, cornerback Adoree Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney - both of whom missed the last meeting on December 24 - should see action, and this team will need all hands on deck to deal with the well-honed Minnesota air attack.

In the NFC playoff odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, the Giants aren't getting a whole lot of points:

Minnesota Vikings -3 (+100)
New York Giants +3 (-120)

Over 48 Points -110
Under 48 Points -110

One of the interesting aspects of this game is that the Giants are operating at something of a deficit from the standpoint of their wide receiver corps. They are, in effect, working with second-tier receivers. Kadarius Toney had a hard time hitting the field under Daboll; he was later dealt to Kansas City. Kenny Golladay, who came with a heavy price tag, had very limited playing time at the outset. Sterling Shepard was lost with an injury.

Neither Richie James (57 catches, 569 yards) nor Isaiah Hodgins (33 catches, 351 yards) are game-breakers. Darius Slayton (15.7 yards per reception) is the only big-play threat. Even Saquon Barkley averaged only 5.9 yards per catch.

But Barkley is also the leading rusher in the NFC (1312 yards). And Jones, who has thrown only five interceptions in 472 attempts, has run for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. He's also won the full respect of this team for his leadership, leaving little doubt that the Giants will make some kind of a deal to hold onto him in the off-season.

The Giants have completely retooled on defense. Wink Martindale came over as defensive coordinator and made them pretty formidable. Most noticeable is the defensive line, where Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence have struck a dominant presence. Lawrence, voted to the Pro Bowl, is the highest-graded defensive tackle by the analytics site Pro Football Focus. "He has definitely become the centerpiece of our defense," according to Martindale.

Daboll, a veteran of 30 postseason games as an assistant coach (with five Super Bowl rings) is 9-2 ATS this season as an underdog. And the Giants took the first meeting to the final gun. Though not necessarily a big bargain, they are a viable possibility to win this straight-up.

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