Written By Sam Ekstrom
LAST WEEK
With the duress of the Adrian Peterson situation hanging over their heads, the Vikings were outscored 30-0 over the final 56 minutes by the New England Patriots and fell by a 30-7 score. Matt Cassel threw four interceptions for just the second time in his career, and Minnesota’s special teams looked lost at times. It was an ugly game during an ugly week for the Vikings. “I was disappointed,” said head coach Mike Zimmer, “in the way that we didn’t have any sense of urgency offensively for the whole ballgame after maybe the first drive.”
The Saints lost a second straight heartbreaker. One week after losing an overtime shootout with Atlanta, New Orleans dropped a 26-24 decision in Cleveland when the Browns converted a last-second field goal. The Saints turned the ball over twice, including a pick-six thrown by quarterback Drew Brees. New Orleans will be playing their home opener Sunday against the Vikings.
RECENT MEETINGS
2011: The superb version of the 2011 Saints steamrolled the eventual 3-13 Vikings 42-20 in Week 15. Brees threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns, while Christian Ponder and the Vikings only managed 207 yards of total offense. Toby Gerhart scored twice in the game for Minnesota.
2010: “Brett Favre: The Sequel” began with a 14-9 loss in the Big Easy Week 1 of the 2010 campaign. In an odd defensive battle between two offensively-minded teams, New Orleans held the Vikings scoreless in the second half to begin their Super Bowl XLIV title defense with a victory.
2009: Five turnovers. Three interceptions. Twelve men in the huddle. The 2009 NFC Championship Game forever linked the Vikings and Saints in football lore. Minnesota wound up on the wrong end of one of the most dramatic conference title games in history, losing in overtime 31-28. The Vikings, by the numbers, outplayed the Saints but continually shot themselves in the foot, never more blatantly than when Brett Favre threw an interception in the closing seconds to take away Minnesota’s chance at a field goal.
The Vikings last beat the Saints on Oct. 6, 2008, a Monday Night thriller in which kicker Ryan Longwell booted the game-winner in the closing seconds.
COMMON LINK
Vikings DT Tom Johnson recorded seven sacks in a four-year stint with the Saints as a swing tackle. The Vikings signed him to a one-year, $845K contract in the offseason.
SAINTS BETTER AT HOME
Comparable to what the Vikings formerly enjoyed with the noisy Metrodome, the Saints become nearly unbeatable in their deafening Superdome. Two of the past three seasons, New Orleans has finished with a perfect home record. Since 2011, in 24 regular season home games, the Saints have only scored fewer than 30 points six times. That means there’s a 75 percent chance the Vikings will have to put up 30 or more points to have a shot… with no Adrian Peterson.
ENCOURAGING STAT FOR MINNESOTA
The Vikings are 15-7 in their last 22 indoor games.
DISCOURAGING STAT(S) FOR MINNESOTA
Minnesota is 1-4 in their last five games against a team playing its home opener. The lone win was Week 1 at St. Louis.
Matt Cassel is also 1-4 in games when he threw three-plus interceptions the previous week.
ON DREW BREES
Defensive coordinator George Edwards: “Brees is a shorter guy, so he can get on the edges. He likes to step up to the pocket into the windows that can sometimes be created with a 4-man rush, and he steps up to the deliver the ball.”
Defensive end Brian Robison: “Bottom line with Drew Brees is you have to get them off the spot. You can’t just let them sit there and pass the ball, because if you do, he’s gonna pick you apart.”
Head coach Mike Zimmer: “I’ve got so much respect for Drew. He is a great competitor. My son was in New Orleans when he was there, and I was able to go watch the Super Bowl when they won. Drew gets the ball out in the right places. He is very smart, and he wants to win so bad. He is a good guy, and Sean [Payton] does a great job with him and their football team.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
TE Jimmy Graham vs LB Anthony Barr – Graham is the NFL’s best tight end, and it’s not particularly close at the moment. The Vikings, like the Browns did in Week 2, will probably try and double-team Graham when possible, but the Saints have a knack for spreading the field and reducing defenses’ ability to double. It’s very possible that OLB Anthony Barr will wind up in pass coverage with Graham more than once. Barr’s coverage skills will be tested against the game’s best.
LT Matt Kalil vs DE Cameron Jordan – Kalil needs a clean performance to silence the critics. The former first-round pick struggled with penalties in Week 1. In Week 2, virtually the only block he was responsible for was Chandler Jones’ block of Blair Walsh’s field goal, which Kalil failed to protect well enough. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner defended Kalil on Thursday, saying pass protection is difficult when your team is trailing and forced to throw the football. The truth is, though, Kalil hasn’t been the same since his Pro Bowl rookie season. The big left tackle needs to shine on Sunday.
PREDICTION
It’s been an emotionally taxing week at Winter Park. While the Vikings certainly are in need of a galvanizing pick-me-up victory, the Superdome isn’t the place to get it done. New Orleans rolls at home as the calls for Teddy Bridgewater become louder. Saints 35, Vikings 20.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.