You ask the question and then you have to go back, back, back to find the answer. When was the last time the Giants came away with an impressive road victory against a quality team?
Last season? Nope. Back in 2014? No. Sometime in 2013? Hardly.
The last time the Giants traveled and secured something eye-opening, the last time they returned home with an upset special, was Oct. 14, 2012, when they went west and manhandled the playoff-bound 49ers 26-3 in San Francisco. The 49ers ended up in the Super Bowl after that season.
It has nearly been four years since the Giants could look in the mirror and see a vision resembling road warriors.
Finding a way to win once in the next two weeks would qualify. The Giants have a “Monday Night Football” meeting with the Vikings, who are undefeated, and the night of Oct. 9 play another nationally televised game, in Green Bay. The Giants blew their chance for a 3-0 start when a turnover-filled, penalty-fest last week deteriorated into a 29-27 loss to the Redskins. Before that, the Giants won two games by a total of four points.
“The pain of discipline versus the pain of regret,’’ first-year head coach Ben McAdoo said. “The first two weeks we showed the pain of discipline. Last week, the pain of regret showed up. We have to make sure we stay on top of the pain of discipline. It takes work to get there. You can’t put that on a shelf week-to-week. You have to stay disciplined each and every day so it shows up on Sundays; this week, Monday night.
“It’s good and healthy to be in close football games. That’s usually what the big ones come down to.”
Odell Beckham Jr., during the week, lamented the Giants’ inability to blow anyone out, wondering why every game has to come down to the wire. The Giants will be thrilled if they can go into the final minutes with a shot to knock off the Vikings, who are a defense-first team.
“We have to come out and execute our game plan,’’ Beckham said. “I don’t think we have to do anything out of the ordinary. I think we have to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well.’’
The Giants know all about the new Vikings quarterback, Sam Bradford, who beat them twice last season with the Eagles. Bradford will take aim against a Giants defense severely depleted in the secondary, with rookies Darian Thompson and Eli Apple out and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (groin) likely out as well. This means lesser-known players such as Andrew Adams and Trevin Wade, plus veteran and former Bengal Leon Hall are going to have to come up big.
Marquee matchup
Vikings WR Stefon Diggs vs. Giants CB Janoris Jenkins:
The second-year receiver from Maryland is blossoming into a star and one of the very few breakout offensive threats in purple. Jenkins did an excellent job following Dez Bryant around the field in the season opener and he is limiting big plays against him to next-to-nothing. Diggs is a legitimate speed demon and he is off to a torrid start with 20 receptions for 325 yards and one touchdown.
4 downs
Loss leaders: Can any team survive and even thrive after losing what the Vikings lost? Take away the starting quarterback, all-everything running back and starting left tackle from a lineup and what will even the most talented offense look like? Well, the Vikings must make do without Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and Matt Kalil and haven’t been beaten yet.
“It shows everyone is capable on this team,’’ Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes told The Post. “We believe in everyone on this team. Those guys coming off our offense are still a big part of our team, they are a huge part of our team. But you have to believe and it is time for those guys to step up, we embrace the changes.’’
New digs: Architecture is not going to beat the Giants and neither are the grandiose surroundings they find themselves in for their first nationally televised game of the season. This is the second regular-season game ever played inside the Vikings $1.1 billion dollar stadium, which, according to the team “evokes images of ice flows colliding on frozen lakes or the jagged geology that once defined nearby St. Anthony Falls.’’ Whatever. The key is the noise factor and some believe it could be louder than the Metrodome, meaning the offense will have to be on point with the silent count. “It’s a tough environment to play in,’’ Ben McAdoo said. “They’re going to have blowups, mascots, motorcycles, noise and all kinds of stuff. We’re not going to get caught up in that. We have to play our game.”
See ball, get ball: Upsetting the Vikings is likely going to take something out of the ordinary and nothing would be more welcomed by the Giants than to finally force a turnover. Their defense is 0 for 3. They are the only team in the NFL without a takeaway on defense — the lone turnover they created was on special teams. The Giants are one of just two teams without an interception. The last time the Giants opened a season without an interception in their first three games? Try 1934 on for size. “I’m really shocked that we don’t have any right now, I really am,’’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of getting shut out in the turnover department. Getting one on the Vikings will not be easy — they have committed only one turnover, losing a fumble.
Protect this house: The Giants under McAdoo define an “explosive play’’ as a run of 12 or more yards or a pass of 16 or more yards. By that measure, the Giants had 15 explosive plays in last week’s loss to the Redskins — an impressive total. In order to find similar success, the offensive line must hold up against what for three weeks is the top defensive front in the league. The Vikings have an NFL-high 15 sacks, led by Everson Griffen (4) and Danielle Hunter and former Giants defensive tackle Linval Joseph with three apiece. After squaring off against sub-standard defensive lines (Cowboys, Saints) and an average one (Redskins), this is by far the stiffest test to date for the Giants’ offensive line.
Paul’s pick
The Vikings might be overvalued a bit and at some point the injuries to their stars on offense will show up. Best scenario for the Giants is their defensive front dominates what can be a shaky Minnesota offensive line, as it is difficult to envision Eli Manning and Co. marching up and down the field with any consistency.
Vikings 27, Giants 19