RB RASHAD JENNINGSLed by Jennings, who carried the ball 16 times for 107 yards and a touchdown, the Giants rushed for 161 yards as a team against a stout Carolina defense last week. It was the Giants' highest total since Week 3 of last season when they ran for 193 against Houston. It was the second-straight game Jennings had more than 80 rushing yards after not doing so since Nov. 30, 2014. "I thought we did that better than anything for quite some time [on Sunday]," Coughlin said of running the ball. "That proved that we are getting better at that. Rashad had some nice runs. Shane [Vereen] had some nice runs. Andre [Williams] had a couple runs. I thought that was a real plus even when things weren't going very well for us. But then at the end, when we were able to maneuver back and forth and Rashad breaks out of there for a big play, I thought that was a good sign for us."

DE ROBERT AYERS JR. In the last three games, Ayers racked up 4.5 of his team-leading 6.5 sacks this season. He had 2.0 on the Jets' Ryan Fitzpatrick, 1.0 on Miami's Ryan Tannehill, and 1.5 on Carolina's Cam Newton. Meanwhile, the Giants have 10 of their 19 sacks in the last five games.  But they first have to stop the run to put Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings in passing downs. "That's the whole deal with a good running game and play action pass off of it," defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. "We're hopeful that we can play good on first and second down and get into some unmanageable third downs for them, it'd be better for us. That'll be the intent."

WR RUEBEN RANDLEWith Odell Beckham Jr. suspended for one game and Dwayne Harris dealing with a shoulder injury, it's all hands on deck on Sunday night in Minnesota. Asked about who will fill the playmaking void, coach Tom Coughlin said, "Rueben comes to mind, but Harris has made plays for us in the past. Hakeem [Nicks] has made great catches for us in the past. Obviously, the opportunity is going to be there for everybody to contribute. Will Tye has made some nice plays for us. Coming out of the backfield, Shane [Vereen] has done a nice job."

LB JASPER BRINKLEYBrinkley, the Giants' starting middle linebacker, played four seasons with the Vikings before joining Big Blue this season. He made 30 starts in 64 games in Minnesota and knows all about the challenges of facing running back Adrian Peterson. "He did play up there, so I think he'll be juiced up for it," Spagnuolo said of Brinkley. "I don't know if you know, he just had a baby. I'm saying that because, God bless him. Tackling, and I'm all over him about doing this and that, but there's more important things in life. I think he'll play a key part in this game. He knows them a little bit. Anytime you're playing a good running team, the guy right in the middle obviously is really important."

CENTER WESTON RICHBURGWhile lining up against former Giants defensive tackle and Super Bowl XLVI champion Linval Joseph, Richburg will lead the offensive line against another stout defense in Minnesota. The Vikings are seventh against the pass and tied for eighth in points allowed, two areas the Giants have excelled this season offensively. It will be strength vs. strength. "They got a good front seven," quarterback Eli Manning said. "They do a good job getting pressure on the quarterback, getting sacks, a lot of times just bringing four guys, not with pressure. But their linebackers, when they do come, they do a good job. They bring some safety pressures. So they do a good combinations of things. They do a good job stopping the run and getting to the quarterback."