The Minnesota Vikings have a date with the New York Giants this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Week 16 matchup will mark the fourth consecutive season that the two teams have met in either regular season or playoff action. The Vikings are 1-2 in the last three of the contests.
Brian Daboll was the head coach of the Giants for all three of those contests. This time, it will be the interim head coach Mike Kafka calling the game. Brian Daboll was relieved of his duties as Giants lead-man on November 10th.
Mike Kafka talked to Giants media members on Wednesday to discuss the matchup in Minnesota this Sunday.
Giants’ HC Mike Kafka Opens Up About the Vikings
GettyFOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 01: Head coach Mike Kafka of the New York Giants speaks with his staff during the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Dan Salamone, Senior Managing Editor for Giants.com, detailed the words given by Mike Kafka on Wednesday. Firstly, it was coverage of Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“He’s going to present you with a bunch of different looks, coverages, max blitzes, max coverage, so drop eight, cover zero.
I think one of the most important things that we’ve got to look at, and study is the get back on track calls. What I’ve done, what he’s done, how he wants to handle that, whether it’s by personnel groups, whether it’s by concepts and scheme, where can I be aggressive, where is he going to be aggressive?
I think that’ll be a touch point for us as we go through the week.”
Kafka then touched on QB J.J. McCarthy, whom attended some pre-draft workouts and had numerous visits with New York ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Really sharp kid, great kid with a cool personality. Obviously, he’s having some production right now. He’s doing a nice job of managing that game and owning how they’re operating on offense and getting the ball to those playmakers. He’s operating fast and aggressive.”
McCarthy and Dart Face Off in Battle of Young QBs
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
This Sunday will mark the first of a potential many matchups between Jaxson Dart and J.J. McCarthy. Seeing as the Vikings and Giants often find each other on their respective schedules, it’s safe to assume these kids could be seeing a lot of each other in the future.
Both teams enter the game completely out of playoff contention. They are both, however, in contention for a top-ten selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Giants are basically guaranteed to be in that range. Inversely, it would be harder for the Vikings to fall in that range.
After Week 15’s action, Minnesota has moved back to the 13th overall selection. With a lack of games remaining, the Vikings will most likely find themselves in the 11th-14th overall range.
Both of these teams aren’t thinking about that right now, and are looking to stack wins to build momentum going into 2026.
Vikings Get Strong Words From Giants’ Mike Kafka