Even if the Vikings make the playoffs, Williams is expected to miss at least the first playoff game. He expressed optimism last week that he might be able to play in the Vikings' postseason opener, but it's estimated that he would miss at least a month.

Williams was injured in the Vikings' 35-14 victory on Dec. 14 in Arizona.

PLAYER NOTES

--DE Jared Allen was able to practice Wednesday after missing the last two Wednesday practices because of a sprained MCL in his left knee. Allen, who also has sat out the past two Thursdays, has not missed any games.

--WR Bernard Berrian suffered a sprained ankle in the Vikings' loss to Atlanta on Sunday sat out Wednesday's practice.

--QB Gus Frerotte continues to do work in practice and appears to be recovered from a lower-back injury. Frerotte has lost the starting job to Tarvaris Jackson.

--RT Artis Hicks was limited Wednesday because of a partially torn right triceps that has kept him out of three of the past four games. Ryan Cook has started in Hicks' place. It's not certain if Hicks will be able to return for the regular-season finale.

--WR/KR Darius Reynaud was limited Wednesday because of a turf toe injury suffered Dec. 7 in Detroit. Reynaud has been inactive for the past two games.

GAME PLAN: The Vikings are going to be in an interesting situation in this game. They need a victory to assure themselves of winning the NFC North - a Bears loss in Houston also would give Minnesota the division title - but they don't know what approach the Giants might take.

New York has clinched the top seed in the NFC and all that goes with it, so it's possible that quarterback Eli Manning and other starters could see limited work. But with the Giants having a bye in the first round of the playoffs there also is a chance Tom Coughlin won't want to take the chance of his guys getting rusty.

The Vikings say they are going to approach this as if the Giants are going to go all out for victory, meaning the Minnesota's top-ranked run defense is going to have to be on top of its game against the league's best rushing attack.

The Vikings are without Pro Bowl nose tackle Pat Williams but they still have the NFL's top rushing defense and gave up a respectable 98 yards against the Falcons excellent ground attack last Sunday.

The Vikings are going to need another good showing from quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson has looked like a much-improved player since returning to the field on Dec. 7 after Gus Frerotte was injured. Jackson provides the ability to run when things break down in the pocket but sometimes he becomes too reliant on his feet.

The Vikings are at their best when their third-ranked rushing attack is able to move the ball with Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson. But Peterson needs to stop putting the ball on the ground. He fumbled twice last week, losing one. The Vikings had seven fumbles in the game and lost four.

Peterson leads the NFL with eight fumbles this season and there is little doubt the Giants will try to add to that by going after the ball at every opportunity.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe vs. Giants linebackers -- Shiancoe established single-game highs in receptions (seven), receiving yards (136) and touchdowns (two) last Sunday against Atlanta. The former Giant has a team-leading seven touchdown catches and has developed a nice chemistry on seam routes with Tarvaris Jackson. It will be up to New York's linebacker corps to hold Shiancoe in check. Included in this group will be middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, who has a team-leading 91 tackles this season.

Vikings NTs Fred Evans and Jimmy Kennedy vs. Giants rushing offense: Evans and Kennedy played pretty well in place of the injured Pat Williams against Atlanta's top-notch running game. They will get another stiff test against the Giants. New York and Atlanta were tied atop the NFL in rushing entering last weekend, but the Giants are now all alone in first with an average of 158.9 yards per game. The Vikings, though, aren't too shabby when it comes to stopping the run, also ranking first (73 yards). The key is the majority of that statistical success was built with Williams anchoring the middle. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs (1,089 yards, 15 touchdowns) might not see much, if any, time Sunday because of a knee problem, but Derrick Ward likely (948 yards, two touchdowns) will be going right at Evans and Kennedy in this one.

INJURY IMPACT: Defensive end Jared Allen has continued to play despite neck and shoulder injuries, but he failed to record a sack for the first time in three games last Sunday against the Falcons. Atlanta did pay special attention to Allen, brining in an extra offensive lineman at times, so the fact he did not have a sack could have been attributed to that. Right tackle Artis Hicks was expected to take over for the struggling Ryan Cook in late November but Hicks has continued to battle a triceps injury. That has enabled Cook to stay in the lineup for the most part.