The Saintly Appointed Ones vs The Pagan Viking Pillagers - Pick it!

[Guest]

Thanks HV!  Dis took my guess but I thought MaroonBells take on the scoring seemed right on.  I don't know if anyone predicted an OT game! 

[Guest]

@Ralphie said:
Thanks HV!  Dis took my guess but I thought MaroonBells take on the scoring seemed right on.  I don't know if anyone predicted an OT game! 

No miricle this time either.  The Vikes just straight up beat them at home.  B)

[Guest]

@HappyViking said:

Wow, what a game!  I'm giving the win to both Disgustipated and Ralphie - way to keep the faith!  I tip my Viking cap to you both, but also to JR44, MaroonBells, and FSUVike for picking the Vikes! SKOL!

@Disgustipated said:
FSUs breakdowns have got me feeling a bit optimistic...I think we stifle Brees early on, build a decent lead and hold on in a nail biter.


Vikes 27
Saints 23

@Ralphie said:

Can't argue with this ^^^.  But to be different, what fingernails?

Vikings  26

  Saints  24

Went the way some of us expected accept a bit lower scoring. 

I'm going to be brutally fucking honest.  Too many of you react with your hearts instead of your heads. I love all of you and don't blame you. Miles of scar tissue to deal with. 

But Maroon and I and a handful of others were giving data-driven opinions on why the Saints weren't all that and a bag of chips and Minnesota wasn't the hapless franchise teetering on the brink of another rebuild. 

Zimmer has ALWAYS schemed well against Brees and Payton. Today's wrinkle I still can't wrap my head around. Big Nickel but with Sendejo instead of Kearse.  Why did that work so well?

Thielen against their shitty Secondary was a no-brainer. I was impressed that Allen realized that Cousins was more comfortable looking for him and pulled Lattimore off of Diggs. And it still didn't matter.

Stefanski was meh and I'll get into that later in the week. But Minnesota ran well enough, got just enough Pass Protection and got Pass Rush from the Front Four. Those are always going to be the keys. When this team gets all 3 and doesn't shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties they can beat anyone.

I'll say it again. This team can beat anyone. Doesn't mean they will. But they truly have the Punchers Chance.

[Guest]

I was more off than Vegas was.

Vegas  had more info and experience than anyone here and had the game  Saints- 8.5?  

Playoffs are just not the same regular season

[Guest]

Just a lot of lazy groupthink in the media and Vegas. I was stunned nobody was picking the Vikings. Like nobody on TV, online and to a lesser extent even here.

New Orleans can't throw the ball deep. Except of course they did on that one play, which sucked. Their Offense gets 5 yards a clip. Minnesota has by far the best Defense at not giving up YAC. So the Saints were petty much going to need to go on 10+ play drives to score and negative plays were going to hurt their Offense every bit as much as they hurt Minnesota. 

And their Secondary has Lattimore and not much else. And 1 good pass rusher who doesn't do any of the things that the D-Linemen do that has caused the Vikings problems. 

I was impressed with their LBs. Maroon called it, their MIKE is really good. And Taysom Hill. I underestimate that unit and that player. I also didn't think Cook and Mattison would be that effective. Otherwise, no real surprises other than a little lower scoring than I expected.