Drew Brees, Saints Cruise to 30-20 Road Win vs. Kirk Cousins, Vikings on SNF

The New Orleans Saints got revenge for last year's playoff loss Sunday night with a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Drew Brees only totaled 120 passing yards, but Alvin Kamara scored twice to lead the Saints to their sixth straight victory. After a Week 1 hiccup, the squad is now 6-1 and clearly one of the best teams in the NFC.

Adam Thielen topped 100 yards for the eighth straight game, but the Vikings fell to 4-3-1 on the season.

Opportunistic Defense Key for Saints' Super Bowl Hopes

A year ago, the Saints defense was one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. After years of ineptitude, the unit was an actual strength while leading New Orleans into the postseason.

That hasn't been the case this season, as it entered the week ranked 26th in the league with 27.2 points allowed per game. Among the many problems, a major issue was the inability to force turnovers with just five takeaways all season.

This changed against the Vikings with two turnovers that each transformed the game.

At the end of the first half, Marcus Lattimore recovered a fumble and took it from his own 13 to the opposing 33-yard line. The Saints scored soon after, turning a possible 20-10 deficit into a 17-13 halftime lead.

In the second half, it was P.J. Williams who intercepted Kirk Cousins and took it to the house to double the lead:

Regardless of what either offense does the rest of the game, these two plays gave the Saints a great chance of winning the game against a quality opponent.

Riley McAtee of The Ringer broke down what this could mean going forward:

If New Orleans wants to keep winning, the defense will have to continue to be aggressive and force turnovers. Otherwise, it will keep putting pressure on Brees and the offense.

One of the keys will be the pass rush, which stepped up Sunday with four sacks and nine quarterback hits. This type of effort will lead to more wins than relying on Brees to throw for 400 yards every game.

Vikings Show Why They Have NFL's Best WR Combo

It was a disappointing loss for the Vikings, but they did at least showcase their talented receiving duo that has surprisingly become the best in the NFL.

Thielen has reached 100 yards in every game this season and kept it going with 103 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against the Saints. The latest effort put him in the record books:

While the 28-year-old has gotten praise for his quickness and route running in the past, his entire skill set was on display Sunday, including this incredible grab over Williams:

Fans always debate who is the best at different positions, with Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins and others battling for the top spot at receiver. However, it's hard to argue anyone is playing better than Thielen at the moment.

Not to be outdone, Stefon Diggs had one of his best games of the year with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.

Like Thielen, Diggs is an outstanding route-runner who can get himself open and make plays on the ball when he isn't. He did make a mistake by stopping his route on the interception, and Thielen did have a fumble, but these receivers are exactly what you would hope for as a quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams all have great receiving groups, but the Vikings duo beats them all.

Considering one went undrafted and the other was taken in the fifth round, the Vikings have to be happy with what they have on the roster.

Drew Brees Remains MVP Candidate Despite Quiet Game

By the numbers, Brees was a non-factor in this game with just 120 yards, plus an interception. His only touchdown came on a flip to Kamara.

In fact, it was his worst passing game in his Saints career, via Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders:

However, he made plays to help the team win and limited his mistakes against a defense that can make you pay.

Brees also completed 78.2 percent of his passes, even higher than the incredible 77.3 completion percentage he had coming into the day.

The 39-year-old has been known for his huge passing numbers throughout his career, but this season he seems to care more about efficiency. He has topped 300 yards in only three of his seven starts, although he now has 14 touchdowns with only one interception.

The offense was also able to reach 30 points for the fifth time this season.

New Orleans is now 6-1, and unlike last year, it's not the defense or run game that is making the difference. It's Brees doing exactly what he needs to in order to help the Saints win.

Fantasy owners might not like it, but the players around him couldn't be happier.

What's Next?

The Saints have another important NFC battle next week while hosting the undefeated Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings will begin a stretch of three straight games against divisional opponents with a home game against the Detroit Lions.