The Giants remain “hopeful’’ that starting cornerback Adoree’ Jackson will be able to play Sunday against the Vikings. 

Jackson has missed the past seven games because of the knee injury he suffered against the Lions on Nov. 20. For the second consecutive day, Jackson was limited in practice on Thursday. 

“I think he feels good,’’ Giants head coach Brian Daboll said before Thursday’s practice of Jackson coming out of the previous day’s session. “Encouraged, hopeful. We’ve got to go through these next two days. But I’ve seen progress. You never want to put anybody out there that’s not full ready to go. I think we’re making progress. We’ll see where it goes.’’ 

Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale on Thursday sounded hopeful he would have his entire starting unit intact for the game, meaning Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney — who’s returned from the injury to his fingers in an ATV accident during the bye week. 

“It really helps,’’ Martindale said. “That’s why they were starters at the beginning of the season. Just seeing Adoree’ out there smiling … we don’t know for sure if he can go — I think it’s still up in the air — but it’s fun just seeing him smile again, because he was down after he got hurt.’’ 

Asked if having McKinney, one of the best playmakers on defense, back on the field changes the way he can call a game, Martindale said, “Sure it does,’’ adding with a smile, “I’ll tell you after the game after Kevin [O’Connell, Vikings head coach] sees it first. It’ll definitely change the way you can call some plays.’’ 

Guard Evan Neal was limited in practice with an ankle issue after not being on the injury report on Wednesday. Receiver Marcus Johnson (knee) also turned up as limited Thursday after not being on the report Wednesday. Center Jon Feliciano (back) went from limited Wednesday to full on Thursday. 

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams (neck), LB Azeez Ojulari (ankle) and S Jason Pinnock (shoulder) all were limited for the second consecutive day. 

The Vikings had a notable upgrade on their injury report, with starting center Garrett Bradbury (back) going from limited in Wednesday’s practice to full on Thursday. Also going from limited to full Thursday was LB Brian Asamoah (knee). S Harrison Smith remained limited for a second consecutive day with a knee injury. 

With the Panthers and Texans having reportedly asked the Giants for permission to interview offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for vacant head-coaching jobs, Kafka on Thursday addressed the issue for the first time. 

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of those conversations and be a part of that process, but really that’s all I have to add on it,’’ he said. “My focus today and this week is really on getting our guys ready for Minnesota and the week ahead and today’s practice. That’s really all I’ll have on it. I really appreciate you guys respecting that part of it.’’ 

Kafka was asked a couple follow-up questions about the matter, but he declined further comment. 

With the Vikings having blocked a punt in the teams’ previous meeting this season, Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey on Thursday said he figured Minnesota will be hungry for another on Sunday. 

“It’s blood in the water,’’ he said. “That’s anytime you have a blocked kick in this league. They’ve rushed [the punter] 46 times this year. That’s more than anybody else in the league. And obviously, percentage-wise, they block more punts. They do a good job. Those guys play extremely hard, and it’s going to be a challenge for us. Again, that’s playoff football. That’s life in the NFL. It’s punch, counterpunch.’’ 

McGaughey called the issue “just a simple alignment thing,’’ adding, “It wasn’t anything special that they did. They’ve run the same rush probably 15 times the whole year. It was more of what we did than what they did. We cleaned that up.’’ 

It was a difficult special teams day for the Giants in that 27-24 loss at Minnesota on Dec. 24, with Vikings kicker Greg Joseph booting a 61-yard game-winning field goal. 

“We got beat by a buzzer-beater at half-court,’’ Martindale said of that kick, using a basketball analogy. “That’s what it was.’’