Last season, the Minnesota Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints during the NFC divisional playoff game. Then, Vikings quarterback Case Keenum threw a deep, last second throw to receiver Stefon Diggs who took it all the way to the end zone to the win the game.
Minnesota fans and fans from around the league call the play the “Minneapolis Miracle.” New Orleans fans attempt to erase the game from their memories and look forward to this season. New Orleans capitalized on their opportunity for revenge Sunday night, as they went head-to-head against the team that crushed their playoff hopes, the Minnesota Vikings, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who earlier this month passed Peyton Manning to become the NFL’s all-time passing yards leader, did not have the Brees-like night we are accustomed to seeing. However, he and the Saints were able to pick up a win through checkdown passes to running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II.
Brees threw for 120 yards with one touchdown and an interception, completing 18 of his 23 passes. The Saints dual running back threat, consisting of Kamara and Ingram II, both had 13 carries. Ingram had 63 yards rushing, while Kamara had 45 yards rushing, including a touchdown.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 359 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. It was a busy night for Cousins, completing 31 of his 41 passes. The Vikings dual receiver threat, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, both had over 100 yards receiving. Diggs had 10 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown, while Thielen had seven receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown as well.
During the postgame press conference, Saints head coach Sean Payton was asked by a reporter, “How much do you think this win in this building helps this team’s psyche–especially with the history of what happened last time?”
Payton responded with, “A lot was made about that coming into this game. Look, the game was the game last year. If you were old enough to remember Franco Harris, and if you were old enough to remember the fumble forward, or Hail Mary. I think our team handled the week really well. The focus was on winning this game, in the regular season, against a good team, and we were able to do that.”
The 6-1 Saints look to add on to their six game winning streak next Sunday against the undefeated 8-0 Los Angeles Rams in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The 4-3-1 Vikings hope to bounce back and get a victory next Sunday at home against the 3-4 Detroit Lions.
Feature image courtesy of David Grunfeld of NOLA.com