NFC Championship, 2000: New York Giants 41 Minnesota 0

Game information
Quarterback Kerry Collins led the Giants to victory by throwing for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the most lopsided contest in NFC Championship Game history and the second-most lopsided conference title game ever (after the 1990 AFC Championship Game). As of the 2021 season, this game is tied for the most lopsided NFL playoff game from the 2000 playoffs to the present with the New York Jets' 41–0 win over Indianapolis in the 2002 playoffs. The Giants shut out the Vikings by limiting them to only 114 offensive yards, sacking quarterback Daunte Culpepper four times, and forcing five turnovers, and handing the Vikings their first shutout and worst loss in their postseason history. New York wide receiver Ike Hilliard had 10 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Minnesota sports community sometimes refers to this as "41–doughnut" after a post-game comment from Randy Moss: "I was just talking to Daunte, and 41-to-doughnut, I think that's the worst defeat I've ever been in my life." Culpepper completed only 13 of 28 passes for 78 yards, with three interceptions, while Moss caught only two passes for 18 yards.

Minnesota got off to a bad start and never recovered. After the opening kickoff, Collins led the Giants 74 yards in just four plays, throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass to Hilliard to give them a 7–0 lead less than two minutes into the game. Then Giants safety Lyle West recovered a fumble from kick returner Moe Williams on the Vikings 18-yard line and Collins capitalized with an 18-yard touchdown pass to fullback Greg Comella on the next play, giving New York a 14–0 lead before the Vikings offense had even stepped onto the field. Minnesota eventually got a chance to score when cornerback Robert Tate intercepted a pass from Collins and returned it to the Giants 37-yard line. But Culpepper soon returned the favor with a pass that was intercepted in the end zone by Emmanuel McDaniel. Collins threw another interception on New York's following drive, this one to Don Morgan on the Vikings 12-yard line. However, Minnesota could not advance the ball, and Mitch Berger's 26-yard punt gave the Giants great field position on the Minnesota 41-yard line. Collins then threw a 22-yard pass to Amani Toomer that set up a Brad Daluiso field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

The next time New York got the ball, Collins' 43-yard completion to Ron Dixon set up an 8-yard touchdown pass to receiver Joe Jurevicius, making the score 24–0. Then after a punt, New York drove 62 yards and scored another Daluiso field goal, aided by a 21-yard run from Tiki Barber, and a 21-yard pass interference penalty against cornerback Wasswa Serwanga. On the last drive of the half, Hilliard caught four passes for 59 yards on a 77-yard drive that ended with his 7-yard touchdown reception with 12 seconds left.

By the time the first half ended, New York had scored 34 points (more than they had scored in any of their regular-season games) and gained 386 yards, while holding the Vikings to 45 yards.

In the third quarter, Culpepper lost a fumble while being sacked by safety Shaun Williams, and Cornelius Griffin recovered the ball on the Vikings 29, setting up Toomer's 7-yard touchdown reception to close out the scoring. New York's defense would dominate the Vikings for the rest of the game, not allowing them to get beyond the Giants 40-yard line. They also intercepted Culpepper twice, one by Sam Garnes and the other by Jason Sehorn.

By starting this game, Collins became the sixth quarterback to start in the conference championship for two different franchises joining Craig Morton, Ron Jaworski, Doug Williams, Jay Schroeder and Joe Montana, which would later be joined by Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Collins had previously started the 1996 NFC Championship Game for the Carolina Panthers.

This game was the final time the Giants won a playoff game at Giants Stadium. It was also their last playoff win at home until they defeated the Atlanta Falcons during the Wild Card round during the 2011–12 NFL playoffs.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Vikings and Giants. Both teams split their first two meetings.

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