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MINNEAPOLIS -- Nearly a month ago, the Minnesota Vikings lost their starting quarterback and hastily traded for another.Nearly two weeks ago, the Vikings lost their star running back and a key offensive lineman.However, Minnesota hasnt lost a game in more than eight months.Heading into their Monday night matchup with the New York Giants (2-1), the Vikings (3-0) qualify as one of the early surprises in the NFL. They topped the Tennessee Titans before earning surprise wins over the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers despite an unimpressive offense that is now led by a quarterback who didnt arrive in Minnesota until the preseason ended.For these Vikings, it is not about offense. With running back Adrian Peterson gone and new signal-caller Sam Bradford doing just enough to move the ball, Minnesota is winning thanks to defense and special teams.Coach Mike Zimmer -- a defensive specialist during his six years as an assistant with the Bengals -- has a defensive unit that heads into the Giants matchup averaging an NFL-best five sacks per game and is tied for second in interceptions.The Vikings defensive unit insists it isnt focusing on its own press clippings, instead doing its homework on the Giants and quarterback Eli Manning.Weve got our hands full, said Vikings defensive back Harrison Smith, who had a 35-yard touchdown return after intercepting Manning in late December when the Vikings won 49-17 -- a Giants loss that all but sealed the fate of since-dismissed former coach Tom Coughlin. Theyve got a bunch of very talented receivers that pop out on film, so theres definitely a lot to do this week. Anytime you play a quarterback like that, it challenges you.Last year, the teams played outdoors on a cold winter night in Minnesota. This year, the Vikings sparkling new U.S. Bank Stadium is the site, and conditions will be perfect under the glass roof.The Giants three-headed tandem of wideouts is sure to test the Minnesota defense on the turf, with rookie Sterling Shepard joining Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. as deep threats. Shepard, a second-round pick from Oklahoma, caught five passes last week, including his second pro touchdown.While Petersons absence means that the Giants run defense will get a potential break, there are sudden question marks in the New York backfield as well.In a 29-27 home loss to the Washington Redskins last Sunday, New York running back Shane Vereen was lost, likely for the season, to a triceps injury. That means the Vikings wont be the only team with a running back by committee approach.The Giants Orleans Darkwa and the Vikings Jerick McKinnon arent the running backs one would normally expect to delight a national TV audience, but both teams will battle with what they have.Orleans always runs hard, Giants guard Justin Pugh said. Even going back to last year, he puts his head down and hes going to get some yards. Im excited for him to get the opportunity. Thats huge, thats something that you dream about, to be the starting running back. Hes going to have his chance on Monday Night Football.In addition to Mannings two interceptions during the Washington loss, the Giants other glaring issue was penalties. New York was flagged 11 times for 128 yards, a trend that first-year coach Ben McAdoo knows cannot continue.We knew (the referees) were going to throw the flags, and throw them early and often, McAdoo said. We need to be a more disciplined football team, and well get that fixed.Yes its disappointing. We need to be better than that, we are better than that, we need to address it this week, and were going to fix it.The Vikings had similar troubles in their only other home game, a 17-14 win over the Packers in Week 2, when they were penalized 13 times for 137 yards. That was an error Zimmer vowed to correct as the season goes along.For non-division rivals, there is plenty of recent history between the Giants and Vikings. The Monday game will be the 12th regular-season meeting in the past 16 seasons. Perhaps the most famous Vikings-Giants matchup determined the 2001 NFC title, when New York advanced to the Super Bowl via a 41-0 blowout of Minnesota in the Meadowlands.Theyre playing good football, Manning said of the Vikings. Well have to see if we can get back on track and play some better football. Cheap Air Max 720 Uk . 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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It sounds as though, should he have to,?Mike Daniels will go from house to house and visit his Green Bay Packers?teammates at breakfast time in order to get them as fired up as he was after Sundays loss to the Indianapolis Colts.At almost the same moment Aaron Rodgers stood at the podium Sunday night and expressed disappointment about the unacceptable vibe he felt from his team on the sideline during the loss to the Colts, another player could be heard on an expletive-filled shower room rant.On Monday, Daniels, the outspoken defensive tackle, confirmed it was him, and though he didnt know reporters could hear it, he didnt back down, saying the Packers need to play angry and violent after losing three of their past four games.It has to be noticeable, like this team is pissed off, theyre angry, somebody pissed in their Cheerios this morning -- you know what I mean? Daniels said Monday. Thats what its got to be when you step onto that field. It has to be noticeable, and if its not then were not getting it done.What upset Daniels the most was the defenses inability to put pressure on Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. It was the same story in the previous weeks loss at Atlanta, when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was barely pressured. The Packers recorded two sacks in each game, both against suspect offensive liines, and Daniels said we didnt sniff the quarterback.ddddddddddddIm not going to sit here and lie to you we should have played much better and done a lot of things better and we didnt, Daniels said. We didnt. Were all held accountable. I hold myself accountable. I didnt get home, and that goes for everybody. The matchups were there. You could see it on paper. We didnt take advantage of it. Quite frankly, its embarrassing. Weve got to be better. If it doesnt piss you off, then thats an issue. I think we have a lot of people who are pretty angry.Packers coach Mike McCarthy said his message to the team Sunday night centered on the lack of energy, especially after the Colts returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, but he changed his stance Monday.After really reviewing the video, I actually thought the energy was pretty good, McCarthy said. I just think the attention to detail and the sharpness, particularly in the adverse moments of the game, we were not quite where we needed to be. You never want to start the game the way we did with the opening kickoff. It was poor. The coverage was poor, the ball placement was poor. Just a bad play that resulted obviously in a big play for them. ' ' '