New Orleans Saints Vs. the Minnesota Vikings: What We Learned

The Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints hosted the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game and in a game that many thought would be a high scoring affair, the Saints earned a hard fought 14-9 victory. 

New Orleans, playing in front of their home crowd, did not open up the offense as much as many thought that they word opting for a conservative ball control offense that kept the ball out of the hands of the Vikings offense and eventually won them the game.

Scoring Summary

The Saints got on the board first after quarterback Drew Brees hit wide receiver Devery Henderson for a 29 yard touchdown strike to put the Saints up 7-0 on their first possession of the game.  The Vikings got a 41 yard field goal out of kicker Ryan Longwell in the second quarter to make it 7-3.  Minnesota would go up 9-7 following a 20 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Favre to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (the extra point was blocked).

The Saints would get the final score of the game after a one yard touchdown run by Pierre Thomas made it 14-9 in the third quarter.  The Saints defense held on and kept the Vikings from getting ahead and New Orleans won the game.

Stud of the Game

You have to hand it to Thomas.  He not only rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown but more importantly he helped the Saints control the ball and the clock en route to a win over the Vikings.  It was a big key to keep the ball out of the Vikings hands and the Saints were able to do just that.

Dud of the Game

After kicking the game winner against the Vikings in the NFC Championship game, kicker Garrett Hartley struggled in this game missing two field goals.  Who knows what was wrong with Hartley during the game but hopefully he can get out of the funk that he was in on opening night and play better as the season progresses.  

Analysis

There are some that are surprised that the Saints didn’t air it out that much in this game but perhaps they didn’t really need to throw it that much since the Vikings weren’t putting a lot of points on the board.  Their opening drive, characteristic of what they were capable of doing so many times last season, was just about all they needed to win the game.

The Vikings didn’t look like they had their act together on offense as Favre looked rusty and made some poor decisions and that helped lead to the victory as well but the Saints played a good football game and have set the tone for the rest of their season.  

The Final Word

New Orleans has started off their season on the right foot now having won their first game against a pretty tough opponent.  Granted, it won’t be easy for them to keep up the defense of their Super Bowl title (from last year) but they are definitely off to a good start.

Next Up

The New Orleans Saints will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers next week.  Stay tuned for a full preview of that game.