The Minnesota Vikings and the New Orlean Saints travel across the Atlantic to face off in London on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at 9:30 (EST). The Minnesota Vikings are a 2.5-point favorite but the Saints are given a 49.8% chance to win according to ESPN’s FPI. The Vikings are coming off of a 28-24 come from behind win against the Lions. The Saints on the other hand have suffered back-to-back losses against the Buccaneers (20-10) and the Panthers (22-14).
The Saints are in need of a big win after dropping their last two. A loss in London would drop them to 1-3, continuing their losing streak, going into a tough five game stretch. A win over Minnesota would get them back on track, at 2-2 on the year. For Minnesota, it is big for them to win their next two as they have to play Miami and Arizona over a three week stretch. A loss puts them at 2-2 heading back home to play the Bears. A win gets them to 3-1 with a chance to get to 4-1 with a 3-0 record in divisional play. With that let’s take a look at what to expect in Minnesota vs. New Orleans.
Minnesota
The Vikings have been very hit or miss through their first three games. Week one they beat Green Bay 23-7, week two they lost 24-7 to the Eagles, and week three they rallied to beat Detroit 28-24. Last week they were ice cold in the first and third quarters but came to life in the second and fourth scoring all 28 points in them. On the defensive side Minnesota has struggled in the first half this season, allowing 38 of their 55 total points scored. In the second half it is a different story as the Vikings have only given up 17 points in the third quarter and shut out everyone in the fourth. Minnesota will look to find rhythm and consistency on both sides of the ball this week, looking to give them a complete game.
What To Watch
What I will be watching on Sunday is how the Vikings offense will do against the Saints defense. New Orleans has been a pretty good defensive team even with the way the scores have looked. New Orleans has allowed 30 points in the fourth quarter this season, something to watch if the Vikings get down like they did last week.
Another thing to watch on offense is the coverage on Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has been getting double or tripled teamed after his explosive week one, but the Vikings aren’t taking advantage of it. Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, and Irv Smith Jr. all need to step up and utilize his ability to draw a lot of attention away from the others. O’Connell needs the offense to make the defense pay for making such a terrible mistake. I expect to see Marshon Lattimore on Jefferson, with some help from others on the defensive side. If the Saints treat him like other teams have, Minnesota must take advantage of this opportunity which they haven’t done so far.
Biggest Question
The biggest question I have for the Vikings is can they have it all come together? Minnesota looks close to being a very formidable team, if they can just be more consistent. Week one they shocked everyone with a dominant 23-7 win over the Packers. In week two they lost in a frustrating game, shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly. Week three they had to rally twice from ten points down to win. Now it is fair to say that there aren’t many teams who have played a harder schedule than Vikings whose opponents are a combined 6-3 so far. This is the week that I would like to see more of a complete game from them against a struggling Saints team.
Injuries
The Minnesota Vikings have four players that are questionable on their injured list.
Questionable:
- Andrew Booth Jr. (CB) – Quadriceps
- Za’Darius Smith (LB) – Knee
- C.J. Ham (FB) – N/A
- Dalvin Cook (RB) – Shoulder
Booth and Smith did not practice Wednesday. Dalvin Cook was present at Thursday practice and is considered day-to-day at this point. There is also no update on Ham’s injury is not listed or his availability Sunday.
New Orleans
The New Orlean Saints have struggled since beating the Falcons in week one, suffering back-to-back losses to the Buccaneers and Panthers. Part of the reason behind Saints two losses is that they’ve allowed 27-points in the fourth quarter. This is something to take note of, as it shows that they were in games until late when their opponents blew it open. New Orleans is also dealing with a lot of injuries with 11 players on the injured list, all as questionable. If a good chunk of these players end up being out it could spell disaster for the Saints.
What To Watch
What I am watching in this for the Saints is can they score early on the Vikings defense. The reason that I am looking at this is that Minnesota’s defense is great in the second half. They have only given up 17 points in the second half and none in the fourth quarter. If the Saints are going into the fourth quarter down, I’d be concerned. If they can get up early and take advantage of a Vikings defense that has allowed 38 or its 55 points in the first half, it will give them their best shot at winning. Also, the Saints have struggled in the fourth quarter during their past two games giving up 27 points. An early lead should help them if they continue their fourth quarter struggles on defense.
Biggest Question
The biggest question for me is who will be starting at quarterback? Yes, Jameis Winston has come out saying he plans to play on Sunday, but that’s him, not the coaches. He was held out of Wednesday’s practice and backup quarterback Andy Dalton took first team reps. Winston, like the Saints, has struggled this season. So far this year Winston has a completion percentage of 63.5%, throwing for 858 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. If he does play, he won’t have the easiest of tasks against a Viking defense that only gets better as the game goes on. Thankfully for the Saints they have a proven quarterback in Andy Dalton to come in if Winston is ruled out on Sunday.
Injuries
The Saints currently have 11 players who are questionable on their injured list.
Questionable:
- Alvin Kamara (RB) – Ribs
- Jarvis Landry (WR) – Foot
- Taysom Hill (TE) – Ribs
- Tre’Quan Smith (WR) – Concussion
- Paulson Adebo (CB) – Ankle
- Marcus Maye (S) – Ribs
- Deonte Harty (WR) – Foot
- Jameis Winston (QB) – Back and Ankle
- Michael Thomas (WR) – Foot
Adebo and Maye were limited participation at practice on Wednesday. Winston and Thomas both did not pratice on Thursday, but offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is hopeful that Winston will be participating at some capacity on Friday. Landry, Kamara, Hill, and Harty were all limited participation at Thursday’s practice. Tre’Quan Smith was full participation on Thursday.
Bold Prediction
My bold prediction is that neither team will get over 300 yards of total offense in the game. This is going to be all defense and it will be ugly. Contrary to the fact that both teams have allowed over 300 yards per game and are averaging over 350 themselves, I don’t see this being high scoring. The trip to London won’t make it easy on either side and they’ll both come out a bit flat. They’ll get it going later in the second half, but we won’t see much scoring. Both teams allow under 25 points per game. I just don’t see a lot of action in this one.
Betting
The following betting lines are according to ESPN’s Pick Center.
Spread:
- Minnesota: -2.5
- New Orleans: +2.5
Money Line:
- Minnesota: -143
- New Orleans: +123
Over/Under: 43
Where To Watch
Minnesota vs. New Orleans will start at 9:30 am (EST). The game will air on the NFL Network. Commentating the game will be Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Mark Sanchez (analyst). Streaming services that have the NFL Network are fubo TV, Hulu (with live TV), Sling TV, and Youtube TV.
Prediction
This game is going to be low scoring, close, and probably ugly. Both defenses will keep the other’s offense at bay. The Saints won’t be able to do much against the Vikings defense while New Orleans defense is good enough to contain the inconsistency of the Vikings offense. In the end Minnesota’s offense with its weapons are enough to get by a tough Saints team, who will grind it out to get the W. Minnesota wins 20-9.
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