Getty Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. just stirred up some trouble before the Week 1 matchup with the New York Giants.
The New York Giants have a lot to prove in 2024, and it starts Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.
“We about to go crazy, man. It ain’t even going to be no matchup,” Vikings second-year linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. told Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News about the Giants offense while smiling and laughing on September 6. “We about to go crazy on them,” he reiterated. “But it’s going to be cool.”
Later, after Wolfson reminded him of some of the new talent that Big Blue has on the offensive side — namely wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Devin Singletary, along with mainstay quarterback Daniel Jones — Pace finally acknowledged his opponent with a small ounce of recognition.
“Yeah, they look good. They look good, but I know our defense. I know we got it in this locker room, so we’re going to be good,” the Vikings defender responded, backtracking slightly.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan shared the shortened clip for NYG fans on September 7, noting that the “lack of respect for the Giants offense is real.” And that’s definitely apparent here.
Giants Must Change the Narrative on the Field
It’s been talked about all spring and summer, but no one can change this narrative except the Giants.
An opponent just laughed about the offense two days before the game. Good teams use stuff like that as bulletin board material and silence it on the field. Bad teams let jokes like this continue.
Now, it’s obviously easier said than done to win at the NFL level and prove people wrong, but the Giants have done it before. With a healthy Jones and head coach Brian Daboll at the helm, Big Blue made the playoffs and knocked off this same Vikings franchise two seasons ago.
Pace may be too young to remember that, as he was in college at the time, but holdovers like Jones and left tackle Andrew Thomas have the ability to remind him.
Malik Nabers Has the Talent to Elevate This Giants Offense
Giants teammates have very high expectations for Nabers, and for good reason.
“Whether it was at rookie minicamp, OTAs, training camp, or the preseason, Malik Nabers has consistently displayed an ability to make plays that the Giants have not had in their offense in years,” Giants.com digital media coordinator Matt Citak wrote while previewing Week 1.
“The 21-year-old receiver creates separation with ease, using his speed and agility to easily break free from defenders,” he continued. “It’s been easy to see why the Giants used the sixth overall selection on the former LSU Tiger.”
Outside of Nabers’ debut, the other major storyline on the offensive side is Jones’ return from ACL surgery.
“After tearing his ACL in the first week of November, Daniel Jones worked tirelessly all offseason to get back on the field as soon as he could,” Citak said. “Less than nine months later, the veteran quarterback was fully cleared for the start of training camp. After taking every single rep with the first team offense all summer, Jones is now faced with his first true test of this ever-important 2024 campaign.”
Yes, that’s right. It will be yet another prove-it season for Jones in 2024. As we all know by now, the quarterback’s contract makes him a strong candidate for release in 2025, and an injury clause hints that he may not even get the entire year to state his case.
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