Previewing This Week’s Vikings Game: Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints
The Minnesota Vikings enter Week 10 on a four-game winning streak after an outstanding team win against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.
Josh Dobbs put on the Superman cape down the stretch and led a game-winning drive to give Minnesota the win, and now, the Vikings head into another matchup against another NFC South opponent: the New Orleans Saints.
Whenever these two teams meet, chaos erupts, and the same is likely to happen this weekend in U.S. Bank Stadium. Here is a look at everything you need to know heading into this weekend’s Vikings game.
How to Watch This Week’s Vikings Game
This week’s Vikings game is scheduled for 12 PM Central on Sunday, November 12th inside U.S. Bank Stadium. It will be broadcast on FOX, so fans in the Twin Cities area can tune in on FOX9.
Saints/Vikings History
Over the past decade-plus, the Saints and Vikings have become a bit of a heated rivalry. It, of course, started with the 2009 NFC Championship Game, and since then, they’ve met in the 2017 and 2019 playoffs where the Vikings were able to exact a bit of revenge.
In total, the two franchises have met 37 times, including five playoff meetings. The Vikings lead the all-time series with a 24-13 record against the Saints and have won four of the five playoff games between the two teams.
Most recently, the Vikings captured a win against New Orleans in Week 4 of the 2022 season, defeating the Saints 28-25 in London. Fans will remember kicker Wil Lutz had a chance to tie the game and force overtime with a 61-yard field goal. Instead, he double-doinked the kick, allowing Minnesota to travel home with a win.
Playoff Implications for Both Teams
Both the Saints and Vikings come into Week 10 in the middle of a heated playoff race within the NFC. They each have 5-4 records going into the weekend, and a win could be important for the tiebreaking process at the end of the year.
New Orleans leads the NFC South by a game after their victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 9. Meanwhile, the Vikings have won four-straight games to take over the final Wild Card seed. Minnesota has slowly crept up the NFC North standings as well, trailing the Lions by just 1.5 games.
Vikings Spotlight Player: LB Ivan Pace
The New Orleans Saints have struggled in pass protection this season, particularly in the middle of their offensive line. Their three starters at center and guard rank among the bottom-20 interior offensive linemen in terms of pass protection.
Given Brian Flores’ love for the blitz, this feels like a perfect opportunity to get Ivan Pace involved in the middle of Minnesota’s defense. The Vikings have by far the highest blitz rate in the league (51.3%), and Pace has been a blitzer on 45 of his 280 defensive snaps.
The rookie linebacker has played fewer than 50% of the Vikings defensive snaps in each of the past four games, but with this golden opportunity to make some plays and put pressure on Derek Carr, he should play a larger role this weekend.
Saints Spotlight Player: QB/TE Taysom Hill
Everyone knows about go-go gadget Taysom Hill. He’s played QB, TE, and even RB for the Saints at times over the course of his career. In games where Hill rushes 7+ times over the course of his career, the Saints are 18-1 with their only loss coming against the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. Hill started at QB in that game, throwing 4 interceptions without Alvin Kamara or Michael Thomas in the lineup.
Indeed, there’s a reason the Saints find so much success when they give him the ball on a regular basis: he’s really dang good at making plays. This season, Hill has carried the ball 49 times for 255 yards and 3 TDs, making him one of the most efficient runners in the league.
For the Vikings to win this weekend, they will need to find a way to limit Hill’s production because it is inevitable that he will get the ball on a regular basis. He has 25 touches over the past two games (both being Saints wins) and has carved out a clear role for himself in New Orleans’ offense.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.