Vikings beat Bears 29-13 in final regular season game, will host Giants in 1st round of playoffs

Daniel Jones took the day off. Saquon Barkley and his 1,312 yards rushing never saw the field. The New York Giants used a lineup more fitting for a preseason game - all so they could stay healthy for a playoff game.

The final score - Eagles 22, Giants 16 - was largely immaterial to New York on Sunday night. The Giants already secured the No. 6 seed in the NFC and just needed to get through the game to learn their playoff opponent.

Now they know, and the Giants (9-7-1) head to Minnesota (13-4) next Sunday for a rematch of their first meeting this season, played just two weeks ago.

The Giants expect a better outing than their one Sunday.

"I'd say we did enough to get to the postseason," coach Brian Daboll said.

The Giants, winners of four Super Bowls, are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

The game film and scouting reports are about as fresh for both teams as they can get. Greg Joseph's franchise-record 61-yard field goal as time expired on Dec. 24 gave the Vikings a 27-24 victory.

Jones had 334 yards and a touchdown to Isaiah Hodgins with one interception on 30-for-42 passing. Barkley rushed 14 times for 84 yards.

The Giants were ready to get back to New Jersey and start thinking about the Vikings.

"We've got to take these buses home, get in the training room, get in the meeting room and have our best week of preparation," Daboll said.

New York's reward for clinching a playoff spot last week was the chance to give the backups a shot against the Eagles, who clinched the top seed in the NFC with a victory.

In a surprise decision, the Giants elevated Davis Webb off the practice squad and started him over No. 2 QB Tyrod Taylor. Webb, in his first career start, rushed for a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth that made it 19-9. He tossed a 25-yard TD pass to Kenny Golladay late in the fourth that made it 22-16. He threw for 168 yards on 23-of-40 passing.

"Very thankful for that opportunity," Webb said. "It was a battle. They're a really good team, but I didn't play good enough for us to win early in the game."

Daboll didn't get into specifics on why he chose Webb over Taylor. And he had no regrets about running out his B-team against an Eagles team that had plenty to lose in defeat.

"It's the NFL, so the guys you have on the team, you have confidence in," Daboll said. "I thought our guys competed all the way to the end."

Golladay, who had 11 touchdowns for Detroit in 2019, scored his first one in two seasons with the Giants.

"It felt good to finally get that first touchdown," he said.

It was about time. So was their return to the playoffs.

The Giants overcame injuries and a 2-4-1 slide in November and early December to become the third NFC East team to qualify for the postseason, joining Philadelphia and Dallas. The bulk of the credit goes to first-year general manager Joe Schoen and rookie coach Daboll. They straightened out the franchise after the Giants went 4-13 last season, their fifth straight double-digit losing season. The Giants have made the playoffs only twice since they won their fourth Super Bowl in February 2012.

New York's season already seems a success.

The Giants, though, want so much more.

The date and time is set for the Vikings' Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Giants.

The game will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 3:30 p.m.

With Justin Jefferson commanding his usual attention, K.J. Osborn stepped up for Minnesota.

The Vikings are hoping it's a sign of things to come.

Osborn had a game-high five catches for 117 yards during Sunday's 29-13 victory over the Chicago Bears, sending the NFC North champions into the playoffs on a high note. Osborn closed his third NFL season with 30 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns over his last five games.

"His role is an evolving thing, snap in and snap out," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "He's incredibly valuable as a play-caller to the coaches, but also to the 10 guys in the huddle knowing the different jobs he's going to do. When called upon, he's as explosive and reliable as anybody we have."

Minnesota has one of the league's best receivers in Jefferson, who had an NFL-high 128 receptions for 1,809 yards this season. But he might attract even more attention in the playoffs, forcing Kirk Cousins to take a closer look at some of his secondary options.  

The Vikings (13-4) are going to need Osborn, Adam Thielen or tight end T.J. Hockenson to deliver when Jefferson is surrounded, and Osborn thinks they are ready for the challenge.

"Playing with, in my opinion, the best receiver in the league, and a vet in Adam Thielen, it's a lot of coverage. You know, we got T.J. It's all types of guys in our offense," Osborn said. "So any time I try to get my opportunity, I try to make the best of them."

Osborn helped Minnesota get off to a fast start in its season finale. He had a 66-yard reception on the team's first drive, setting up Thielen's 4-yard touchdown catch.

He had a 7-yard reception on a third-and-6 deep in Chicago territory in the second quarter, a drive that concluded with the first of two 1-yard TD runs by Alexander Mattison.

"What's been great about K.J.'s journey is the more we put on his plate, the more he shows he can handle it," Cousins said. "His rookie year, we didn't give him a big role. Last year, he started showing up more and more, sometimes on accident, where he's getting the ball and not expecting it and he's just making plays. Then this year, give him more, and he's handled it."

The Vikings close out the regular season with a 13-4 record. Next up, the playoffs. 

Another check-in at the Bills-Patriots game. Another kickoff return for touchdown. Is this real?

The Vikings now lead 23-6 after another rushing touchdown from Alexander Mattison. The one-two punch of Mattison and Dalvin Cook will be needed during the playoffs. 

After a solid offensive first half by Kirk Cousins, it appears the Vikings are now resting him for the playoffs. Mullens is in. 

After a brief scare, Cook seems to be OK and is back on the field for Minnesota. 

Cornerback Patrick Peterson capitalized on miscommunication from Chicago Bears and intercepted a pass. 

The Vikings are up 13-0 after a touchdown run from running back Alexander Mattison. This time, they make the extra point. Good time to step up for the No. 2 running back. 

Not something you want to see before the playoffs. Good news is that he was walking around before going into the tent, and was only in the tent briefly. 

Running back Dalvin Cook fumbles while in Bears' territory. Bears have the ball. It's Cook's fourth fumble of the year. 

ForWhile technically it's not part of the Vikings game, the Bills-Patriots game got off to a memorable start. In the first game after Damar Hamlin's scary injury, the Bills returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. 

Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Patrick Jones II -- a former teammate of Hamlin's -- also had a sack Sunday and pointed to the No. 3 on his wrist.