The Vikings'chances of upsetting the Giants on Sunday went from doubtful to questionable on Friday when star Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson was upgraded to questionable; New York is -7 (40) at WagerWeb.com.
Peterson tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee two weeks ago against Green Bay, but coach Brad Childress said he thought the NFL's leading rusher was progressing ahead of schedule this week in practice.
"He's getting there," Childress said. "There's a 50-50 chance he'll play [this week]."
If Peterson can't play against the Giants, Chester Taylor will again get the bulk of the carries. Taylor rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns in last week's victory over the Raiders.
At 4-6, the Vikings can't waste any time if they have any playoff hopes, which undoubtedly is playing into the reason they may bring Peterson back so quickly.
Minnesota could get back in the wild-card hunt by winning consecutive games for the first time this season.
"That is the only way we are going to have a chance to get to the playoffs," said Vikings safety Darren Sharper.
However, New York has won seven of its last eight, including a win in Detroit last weekend. Its only losses have been to Dallas (twice) and Green Bay, teams who have combined for only two losses. This will be the Giants'first of five straight contests against teams at or below the .500 mark."We have to play to try to stay there and work our way into the playoffs and get another shot at those upper-tier teams that we have already played," Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. "We have so much to play for, so much still on our plate, and so much still to be excited about. There is no time to mope."
Expect the ground games to make the difference on Sunday, as the Vikings have the NFL's best running attack (177.9) and the league's top run defense (74.4). New York is ranked No. 7 in rushing (128.0) and rushing defense (91.3).
New York could be missing its top two tailbacks, as Brandon Jacobs is out and Derrick Ward is very uncertain for this week, meaning veteran Reuben Droughns likely will start after rushing for just 13 yards on 11 carries in the second half against the Lions last week.
The good news for the Giants and QB Eli Manning is they will face a Vikings pass defense that, at 288.4 yards per game, is the worst in the league by 18.9 yards.
Minnesota has the NFL's second-worst pass defense, and QB Tarvaris Jackson will be facing a defense that has a league-high 34 sacks.
The lowdown: The Giants have won three of the last four meetings overall, with the last coming in 2005. .
The Giants'offense has struggled lately, scoring 13, 20 and 16 in their last three games. . The Vikings only have five TD passes on the season. . Even if Peterson plays today, there's no way he can be 100 percent, so there's no way I can't see the Giants not covering. Take New York.
Betting trends
The Vikings are 4-4 ATS.
The Vikings are 1-2 ATS away.
The Vikings are 2-4 ATS as the underdog.
The Vikings are 1-2 ATS as an away underdog.
The Giants are 6-4 ATS.
The Giants are 3-2 ATS at home.
The Giants are 3-2 ATS as the favorite.
The Giants are 2-1 ATS as a home favorite.
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