Vikings rout Giants, 49-17, to clinch playoff spot

Eli Manning completed 15-of-24 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions…one each for Andrew Sendejo, Harrison Smith (who took his all the way to the end zone) and Captain Munnerlyn.

With his top receiver suspended, will Eli Manning be able to step up and lead the New York Giants against the Minnesota Vikings tonight?

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) points to fans as he leavesthe field after the Vikings defeated the New York Giants 49-17 in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Minneapolis.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (6-8): Rashad Jennings became the first NY running back to rush for a triple-digit yardage total this season when he rolled up 107 versus the Panthers.

“It’s always better when you do something yourself as opposed to relying on somebody else”, said coach Mike Zimmer.

“I didn’t see this coming”, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

Teddy Bridgewater turned in another sharp December performance, Blair Walsh chipped in five field goals and the Vikings (10-5) set up an NFC North championship game next Sunday night at Green Bay. And then came the team’s 49-17 defeat Sunday night at Minnesota.

They will be in prime time again next Sunday.

The Giants were knocked out the playoffs when Washington beat Philadelphia Saturday night.

Meanwhile, for the Giants, their win in Super Bowl 46 seems like ancient history. Instead, it was a lopsided affair in a game that was flexed into prime time two weeks ago because of the Giants’ perceived relevance in the division race.

The speculation about job security is something to which Coughlin and the Giants have gotten accustomed, although the circumstances would appear to make the current situation more tenuous than any of the other times he has been on the perceived hot seat. And they took care of business.

“I guess it’s a stat-driven league, a league that’s driven by numbers, ” Bridgewater said.

The Giants host the Eagles to finish the season.

Peterson’s touchdown was a two-yard goal-line carry, but he was vultured by Jerick McKinnon late in the game.

The night wrapped up a rough week-plus for the Giants, who had control of the diluted, wide-open NFC East for much of the season until dropping five of their last six games. Beckham earned the suspension after drawing three personal foul penalties, including one for a diving helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. Manning, who had just 11 interceptions entering the second-to-last week of the season, threw three on Sunday night against Minnesota. “I feel embarrassed because we went out and did this under his watch”. And with Beckham out of the equation, Manning was predictably very bad, completing 15 of 29 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Manning, sacked four times, was hindered by a handful of drops by his receivers in these tough-to-catch conditions. He fumbled a shotgun snap, too. The Giants offense is slanted more toward the pass, and Manning and targets such as WR Rueben Randle, WR Dwayne Harris and RB Shane Vereen will need to be productive.

“If you would have told me back in July that we’d have a chance on the last game of the year to play for a division title, I would have been excited about it”, Zimmer said. Giants LB J.T. Thomas was ejected for fighting with Vikings TE MyCole Pruitt in the fourth quarter…. Both safety Craig Dahl and right tackle Marshall Newhouse have been ruled out with concussions, according to the team.