Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Now that we know we’re playing New Orleans, what are your initial thoughts on the matchup?
— Jim from Florida
It took until the final seconds of the final regular-season game in 2019, but the Vikings finally learned Sunday night that they will play the Saints in the Wild Card round. Kickoff from New Orleans is at noon (CT) on Sunday afternoon.
My initial thoughts? This will be a massive test for the Vikings defense, particularly the secondary, going up against quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Michael Thomas. Brees is a future Hall of Famer, and now leads the NFL in career touchdown passes (547) and passing yards (77,416). Thomas has been a pass-catching machine in his first four seasons, none more so than 2019, when he set a new single-season record with 149 receptions and led the league with 1,725 yards.
Throw in running backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray, plus tight end Jared Cook and the versatile Taysom Hill, and the Vikings defense will have to be at their best.
Defensively, the Saints are sound across the board. The unit is led by defensive end Cameron Jordan, the son of former Vikings tight end Steve Jordan who set a career-high with 15.5 sacks in 2019. The secondary, led by Marcus Lattimore and Marcus Williams, is also talented.
There are also plenty of surrounding storylines for fans to follow in this one. Sunday will be the fifth postseason meeting between the teams, but the first since the Minneapolis Miracle game on Jan. 14, 2018.
The Vikings are 3-1 all-time against the Saints in the postseason, but fans sure remember the lone loss, which came 10 years ago in the 2009 NFC title game.
These are two strong teams with head coaches who know each other well — Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and Saints head coach Sean Payton worked together in Dallas from 2003-05.
And they both consider themselves contenders in what is a strong, but possible wide-open, NFC playoff field.
Sunday can’t get here soon enough.