Eli Manning will need to solve the Minnesota Vikings defensive puzzle if the New York Giants are to come away from the US Bank Stadium with a win on Monday.
The Giants, coming off a loss to the Washington Redskins last weekend, when they also lost their running back Shane Vereen, will know they have a big job at hand to beat the 3-0 Vikings on their home turf.
Minnesota have been one of the more surprising teams of this NFL season, starting their campaign in perfect form. Wins over the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers have put Mike Zimmer's team in a great position coming into this marquee matchup against the Giants.
Those wins have come despite the Vikings not having an established quarterback – Sam Bradford was brought in only after preseason – and losing their main man Adrian Peterson through injury.
It is the defence that has led the Vikings to those three wins, with the special teams doing their bit as well. The defence, in particular, will need to be at their best again to stop Manning and co., especially considering the New York Giants will be desperate for a victory, after their first loss of the season in the last round of games.
"We have good players that are good team guys," Zimmer said. "They care about doing things right. They're competitive, they're smart. We definitely have not arrived. I think that it's a long season, [and] we have to continue to play good."
The Giants have the talent and offensive ability to get past the Vikings defence and what Ben McAdoo will want the most is to see how his team reacts after that first loss of the season.
"It's a big week just like last week and just like next week," McAdoo told the Giants official website. "We take them one at a time. It's one of 16, but it's an opportunity to get back on the field. We're looking to get back on the field as quickly as we can.
"Having a long week is good and bad for a variety of reasons. We're excited to get back on the field. Guys responded well to our Wednesday practice. We had a lot of great energy and effort out of practice. Looking forward to cleaning up the execution."
Where to Watch Live
The NFL game is scheduled for an 8.30pm ET (6am IST, 1.30am BST) start. Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
USA: TV: ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1. Live Streaming: Sky Go.
Canada: TV: TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Australia: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
