Minnesota Vikings: Week 1 Preview versus New Orleans Saints
Game Projection
This game has all the makings of a heavyweight battle between a great offense and a great defense. The under card would be the new defense of the Saints versus the middle-of-the-road Vikings’ offense.
The Saints will start out fast with a 7-0 lead after their first possession. Drew Brees will look like his normal self until the Vikings’ defense makes some adjustments. Even after the adjustments are made, the Saints still gain plenty of yardage; they just are held to field goals.
The Saints defense continues to show promise but they get eaten up by Dalvin Cook on the ground and on screen passes. Sam Bradford continues to throw short yardage passes but Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs both rack up over 75 yards.
Peterson does indeed score a touchdown in his return to U.S. Bank Stadium but he is held to under 50 yards rushing. The Vikings’ run defense gobbles up anything their way and keeps the score close even though Brees racks up 300 yards passing.
One mistake by Brees is ultimately his undoing as the Vikings’ defense racks up two interceptions from the veteran quarterback. Danielle Hunter racks up two sacks and makes Brees hear footsteps after a couple big hits.
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The Vikings fight back by using a balanced run-first offense and get Cook his first career touchdown. The rookie’s touchdown will give the Vikings a lead they will not relinquish.
Although the passing games rack up the yards, the score will be relatively low. The over/under is 48 and seems a little on the high side. I’m in no way a betting expert but the under seems like the correct bet here.
The Vikings are favored by three points, making this basically a pick-em game. The Vikings pull ahead by 10 in the fourth quarter but only win by three after a late touchdown by Brees is not enough for the Saints to win on the road. Final score Vikings 19-16 in a field goal riddled battle for the ages.
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The Vikings and Saints are set to kick off at 6:10 on Monday night from U.S. Bank Stadium. Check it out on ESPN our all around the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network.