Live updates: Vikings open NFL season vs. Giants

The Vikings open their 2024 NFL season Sunday at noon Central time against the New York Giants. Check back here often for live updates and analysis from East Rutherford, N.J.:

Vikings receiver Jordan Addison sparked the Vikings offense without having to catch the ball. While tracking and trying to come back to an underthrown Sam Darnold pass, Addison drew a 36-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Giants cornerback Adoree Jackson. That pushed the Vikings into scoring range, where tight end Josh Oliver caught a 22-yard pass over the middle. Running back Aaron Jones finished off the drive with a sprint to the pylon – flashing the playmaking speed that he showed for years in Green Bay – for a touchdown. The Vikings leapt to a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.

The Vikings entered this game against the Giants needing to make fewer mistakes than their opponent. That plan did not get off to a good start at MetLife Stadium, where the typically reliable fullback C.J. Ham fumbled away 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 this Giants offense remains lifeless with Daniel Jones at quarterback. In nine plays, they have yet to target first-round receiver Malik Nabers.

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

Receiver Jalen Nailor may not be fully healthy from sprained ankle that limited him in practice last week, but he’ll play through the issue. Nailor practiced through the injury this week, which head coach Kevin O’Connell liked to see after the third-year receiver has battled a variety of injuries throughout his young career.

“I look at this with his ankle [injury] as kind of affirmation of what’s really the next step for him, which is sometimes working through something,” O’Connell said Friday. “And I’m proud of the way he went about it. I’m proud of the way he responded to attacking his treatment. … It’s been a process for him throughout early on in his career. And it’s always been about Jalen’s ability to be on the field and be consistently out there.”