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Vikings open NFL season at Giants
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Vikings open NFL season at Giants

The Vikings entered this game against the Giants with the need to make fewer mistakes than their opponent. That plan didn’t start well at MetLife Stadium, where usually reliable fullback C.J. Ham blew the team’s opening possession at the 20-yard line. Six plays later, the Giants got on the board with a 23-yard field goal, thanks in part to rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner jumping offsides. The good news for Vikings fans is that this Giants offense is still lifeless with Daniel Jones at quarterback. They have yet to target first-round receiver Malik Nabers in nine plays.

Quarterback Sam Darnold will have nearly every available target at his disposal during his Vikings debut against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Receiver Jalen Nailor may not be fully healthy after suffering a sprained ankle that limited him during practice last week, but he will play through the issue. Nailor practiced through the injury this week, something head coach Kevin O’Connell wanted to see after the third-year receiver has struggled with multiple injuries in his young career.

“I look at this with his ankle (injury) as kind of a validation of what really is the next step for him, which is sometimes working through something,” O’Connell said Friday. “And I’m proud of the way he did that. I’m proud of the way he responded to the attacks on his treatment. … It’s been a process for him early in his career. And it’s always been about Jalen’s ability to be on the court and be consistent there.”

Vikings new quarterback Sam Darnold will start the 2024 season in the stadium where he began his NFL career with the Jets. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Receiver Jordan Addison is also available to play. He is further along in his recovery than Nailor, O’Connell said, from a high ankle sprain he suffered Aug. 14 during a joint practice with the Cleveland Browns.