When the football is booted into the air at 12:03 p.m. CT Sunday in Easter Rutherford, New Jersey, the Minnesota Vikings will begin what most pundits expect to be an uphill climb in the challenging NFC North.

The uphill climb will get really slippery if the Vikings don’t leave with a win over the New York Giants because waiting in the wings are the juggernaut San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. Must-win game in Week 1? You betcha.

With that, let’s dig into the five Giants who could make Sunday miserable for Minnesota.

Thomas is one of the premier left tackles in the NFL. Last season, Thomas owned the ninth-best pass-blocking grade (per Pro Football Focus) among tackles who played at least 20% of the snaps. His pass blocking graded better than road graders like Trent Williams, Lane Johnson and Penei Sewell.

After only four sacks as a rookie in 2022, Thiobdeaux burst onto the scene with 11.5 sacks in 2023. He’s a menace off the edge and with Brian Burns rushing on the other side he could see plenty of one-on-on opportunities. It’s a pick your poison scenario for the Vikings against two elite edge rushers. Thibodeaux will primarily be the responsibility of right tackle Brian O’Neill.

The rookie from LSU appears destined to be the next big thing at wide receiver in the NFL. He gave Lions and Jets cornerbacks nightmares in preseason joint practices and if Jones can simply be somewhat accurate Nabers could be in for a monster rookie season as the clear No. 1 WR for the Giants. Expect veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore to be stalking the Giants rookie on Sunday.

Burns gets a fresh start in New York after playing for the lowly Carolina Panthers the first five seasons of his career, but his 46 sacks with Carolina are nothing to scoff at. He had 12.5 sacks in 2022 and followed up with eight sacks last season. Now playing for a better defense, he appears destined for double-digits again in 2024. Christian Darrisaw has a very big job ahead of him in Week 1.

No player wrecked Minnesota’s magical 13-win season in 2022 than Lawrence, who ate Vikings center Garrett Bradbury alive in the first round of the playoffs. Sure, Minnesota’s awful defense made Jones look like an elite quarterback, but it was Lawrence who was basically shoving Bradbury into Kirk Cousins’ face every time the former Vikings quarterback dropped back to pass. With Burns and Thibodeaux rushing on the outside and Lawrence likely giving Minnesota’s interior issues on the inside, it could be a long regular-season debut for quarterback Sam Darnold.