01-08-2018, 05:41 PM
NEW ORLEANS AT MINNESOTAVikings offense vs. Saints defense
These are different teams than those that met back in Week 1. In that Monday night game, Sam Bradford threw for 346 yards and Dalvin Cook rushed for 127. It’s now a Case Keenum-led offense, but Minnesota’s approach is still the same. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur attacks your man coverage with pre-snap motion and switch releases off the snap, and your zone coverage with multi-receiver route combinations downfield. He gave Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen fits in Week 1, and he’ll probably be another team’s head coach next season because he did it to other defensive coordinators throughout the year. Keenum has trusted Shurmur’s calls and been decisive as a dropback passer. And when the plays haven’t worked, he has been a creative improvised playmaker. The Saints can diversify their coverages; they must do that to try and make Keenum uneven.
Advantage: Vikings
Saints offense vs. Vikings defense
Drew Brees was otherworldly against a Panthers defense that played a lot of six-man zone coverages. At Minnesota, he’ll see traditional seven-man matchup zone coverages—and from a unit with a shutdown corner (Xavier Rhodes) and the league’s most dynamic safety tandem (Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo). That secondary makes this the NFL’s best defense; the pass-only offense that New Orleans relied on against Carolina won’t be enough. We can’t expect Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram to rush for 140 yards against a stingy Vikings front, but there at least needs to be balance from the ground game, as well as from Sean Payton’s well-crafted backfield screen game. Brees wont’ have the same voids to target as he did in the Wild Card round.
Advantage: Vikings
THE PICK: Vikings
These are different teams than those that met back in Week 1. In that Monday night game, Sam Bradford threw for 346 yards and Dalvin Cook rushed for 127. It’s now a Case Keenum-led offense, but Minnesota’s approach is still the same. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur attacks your man coverage with pre-snap motion and switch releases off the snap, and your zone coverage with multi-receiver route combinations downfield. He gave Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen fits in Week 1, and he’ll probably be another team’s head coach next season because he did it to other defensive coordinators throughout the year. Keenum has trusted Shurmur’s calls and been decisive as a dropback passer. And when the plays haven’t worked, he has been a creative improvised playmaker. The Saints can diversify their coverages; they must do that to try and make Keenum uneven.
Advantage: Vikings
Saints offense vs. Vikings defense
Drew Brees was otherworldly against a Panthers defense that played a lot of six-man zone coverages. At Minnesota, he’ll see traditional seven-man matchup zone coverages—and from a unit with a shutdown corner (Xavier Rhodes) and the league’s most dynamic safety tandem (Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo). That secondary makes this the NFL’s best defense; the pass-only offense that New Orleans relied on against Carolina won’t be enough. We can’t expect Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram to rush for 140 yards against a stingy Vikings front, but there at least needs to be balance from the ground game, as well as from Sean Payton’s well-crafted backfield screen game. Brees wont’ have the same voids to target as he did in the Wild Card round.
Advantage: Vikings
THE PICK: Vikings
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