Giants’ crushing loss to Vikings on last-second FG puts playoff clinch on hold

MINNEAPOLIS — Maybe these teams will meet again, a bit later in the winter, in the playoffs. If so, the Giants and Vikings will have a tough time topping what went down Saturday inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Giants did not get what they wanted or needed, but they did extend one of the best teams in the NFL to the absolute limit. The Giants pulled even with a dramatic closing drive late in the fourth quarter, but then were sent home 27-24 losers when Greg Joseph drilled a 61-yard field goal as time expired.

The Giants were down 24-16 before putting together a desperation seven-play, 75-yard drive punctuated by Saquon Barkley busting through the middle of the Vikings’ defense for a 27-yard touchdown run.

Needing to convert the two-point conversion to pull even, the Giants did it when Daniel Jones bought time in the pocket, rolled to his right and lobbed the ball into the back of the end zone, over the reach of cornerback Patrick Peterson, where rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger made the grab.

The Vikings took over with 2:01 remaining and used a pair of clutch third-down hookups from Kick Cousins to Justin Jefferson — for 16 and 17 yards — to keep alive an eight-play, 33-yard drive that got in range for Joseph’s mammoth kick.

Down 17-16 late in the fourth quarter, the Giants came up short when Jones’ third-down pass to Isaiah Hodgins was broken up by linebacker Jordan Hicks. Then, Jamie Gillan’s punt was blocked by Josh Metellus on a rush right up the middle. That crushing mistake gave the Vikings the ball on the Giants’ 29-yard line with 4:02 remaining.

Cousins found Jefferson, the NFL’s top receiver, between Fabian Moreau and Jason Pinnock for a 17-yard scoring pass with three minutes remaining.

The game was lost, but all is not lost for the Giants (8-6-1), as their playoff hopes remain very much alive — as long as they do not completely go in the tank down the stretch run of the season. If they are able to beat the crummy Colts (4-9-1) on New Year’s Day at MetLife Stadium, that should be enough to include the Giants in the postseason festivities for the first time since 2016 and for only the second time since 2011.

The Giants did not help themselves, but they received help from elsewhere in the NFC. The Lions (7-8) were beaten by the Panthers and the Seahawks (7-8) were beaten by the Chiefs, results that aided the Giants in their quest to get in the NFC tournament.

Jones was 30-for-42 for 334 yards, but it was a struggle all day for the Giants to find points. Cousins threw three touchdown passes and the Giants had no answers against Jefferson (12-133) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (13-109), who had two scoring catches.

The Giants trailed 10-7 at halftime, but used the third quarter to methodically move ahead. A 22-yard Jones pass to Darius Slayton was the big play on a drive that ended with Graham Gano’s 44-yard field goal that pulled the Giants even at 10.

An 18-yard catch-and-run by Barkley, followed by Jones’ perfectly-lobbed pass down the right sideline to Richie James for a 33-yard completion put the Giants in range for Gano to hit another 44-yard field goal, and with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter they had their first lead.

Rookie cornerback CorDale Flott nearly came up with the first turnover of the game when he intercepted Cousins late in the third quarter. A replay review, however, determined Flott did not maintain possession of the ball as receiver Adam Thielen made like a defensive back and separated Flott from the ball.

It was a costly reversal for the Giants, as the Vikings kept the ball and eventually completed a 75-yard drive when Cousins floated a pass to the left side of the end zone and Hockenson, who killed the Giants all day, ran past Darnay Holmes and leaped over Julian Love for a 15-yard touchdown reception. That put the Vikings back in front, 17-13, on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Back came the Giants, advancing to the Minnesota 32-yard line on four consecutive Jones completions. That is where the music died. Jones had feasted on looking for and finding Hodgins over the middle, working mostly against the veteran cornerback Peterson. This time, Jones threw a bit behind Hodgins and Peterson was there for an interception. Jones came into the game with an NFL-low four interceptions among starting quarterbacks.

The Giants’ defense picked Jones up with a fourth-down stop. A costly dropped pass by James stalled the ensuing drive and Gano’s 55-yard field goal pulled the Giants within 17-16 with 6:24 to go.

It was a slog for the Giants on offense in a first quarter that did not produce any points. They came out throwing, trying to take advantage of a Vikings pass defense ranked No. 31 in the league, allowing 278.8 yards per game. Jones threw five times on the first six snaps, but it was not a productive deal.

The third offensive possession looked promising when Jones hit Hodgins on three straight passes. The Giants were in business when Jones found Bellinger for a catch-and-run to the Vikings 23-yard line. Bellinger, though, did not complete the play. He was stripped of the ball by linebacker Brian Asamoah, who scooped up the fumble.

The turnover led to a field goal for the Vikings, putting the Giants in a 10-0 hole. They needed to move the ball and put up points to quiet the crowd and Jones found a way to make it happen. He went 5-for-5 on a 69-yard drive — and scrambled one time for 14 yards — and got the Giants on the board with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Hodgins, who outmaneuvered Peterson in the end zone.