SI.com: Saints at Vikings Divisional Pick
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
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
I also think that Zimmer has been deliberately conservative on defense these last few games against weaker
opponents. The Saints we see some new wrinkles they are not expecting as he turns it up a notch.
Is it Sunday yet...
I read StickyBun's posts and I get all fired up! Hell yeah we can take this Saints team!!!
Then I see Kingbash's posts and I revert back to the typical snakebit MN fan...
Not enjoying this emotional roller coaster... And it's only Monday... LOL
Seems about right. Give Lutz the advantage over Forbath. But that won't be enough. Pick: Vikings.
@"LabGeek" said: Is it Sunday yet... I read StickyBun's posts and I get all fired up! Hell yeah we can take this Saints team!!! Then I see Kingbash's posts and I revert back to the typical snakebit MN fan...Not enjoying this emotional roller coaster... And it's only Monday... LOL
... I can't help it. I want to believe, but I just can't seem to get there. I've been burned too many times.
ive become a keenum fan throught the year, being a Teddy lover for all so long, but if he can do this on Sunday... keenum will win me over for good. he may not have a huge arm and he may miss his share of open wrs (ESPECIALLY treadwell), but the guy plays hard and does enough for this team.
i hate the staints. i need this demon gone. cmon zim, case, vikes. SKOL.
This one is going to be a heavyweight fight, like the Southern dirty game we saw Saints vs Panthers...
Hell, I applaud those 2 NFC South teams for giving us some real NFL football after that stink we saw in Jax earlier on Sunday
We'll all be glued to our seats or TV's in the 4th qtr for this one...I will be over the moon happy if we win, especially if the Falcons pul out a win.
So much will get decided this coming weekend, it almost boggles the mind lol!
this team, this special D, with Zim... itd just doesnt feel real. im scared. my heart is already beating hard, im going to be on the edge of my chair for everything this weekend. im so ready.
@"TBro" said: I also think that Zimmer has been deliberately conservative on defense these last few games against weaker opponents. The Saints we see some new wrinkles they are not expecting as he turns it up a notch.Yup.
I think we'll see some serious hits on Brees to rattle him. He does NOT like being hit and will throw the ball up for grabs with pressure.
Let's hope Griffs plantar facsitis is much improved....
If Rhodes shuts down Thomas this game cud be over by 3rd quarter...a big IF at this point.
If Philly loses, Viking's fans won't be able to get a tractor to pull a toothpick out of their collective asses as the pucker factor will be off the chart to play a potential NFCC game at US Bank.
As far as the plantar faciitus concerned, I had it a few years ago. While I am not an NFL player, I remember it mostly affecting me after being off my feet. Like getting out of bed in the morning or having been sitting at my desk at work for a while. The first few steps I could barely walk but once it loosened up, it didn't effect me much. Needed to stretch the achilles.
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