The Giants had a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Saturday with a win over the Vikings and losses by at least two of the Lions, Seahawks, and Commanders.
All three of those teams losses, but the Giants couldn’t handle their own business. Running back Saquon Barkley’s late 27-yard touchdown run tied the Vikings in Minnesota, but the Vikings drove for a last second 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph to secure a 27-24 win.
Barkley noted that the missed opportunity on Christmas Eve created another one for next Sunday. The Giants will be in the playoffs with a win over the 4-9-1 Colts.
“We control our own destiny,” Barkley said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “Win and you’re in. At home. That’s beautiful.”
Depending on how things play out over the final two weeks, the Giants could find themselves back in Minnesota for a chance at a better result against the Vikings in the Wild Card round. Saturday’s game should give them plenty of confidence that they could pull off a win in that scenario.