Saints Face a Vikings Team With One Major Strength and a Glaring Weakness

The New Orleans Saints will have their hands full Sunday when they welcome one of the NFL’s remaining undefeated teams to the Caesars Superdome.

Coming off a 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, New Orleans (1-3) will look to avoid its fourth consecutive defeat against a Minnesota Vikings team that has emerged as one of the NFL’s early surprises.

Minnesota enters Week 5 with a 4-0 record following a 15-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins. While the Vikings haven’t necessarily overwhelmed opponents offensively, their defense has been among the league’s best, and they’ve consistently found ways to win close games.

Under head coach Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota has relied on a combination of aggressive defense, timely offensive production and an ability to capitalize on opponents’ mistakes.

Here are three things Saints fans should know about the Vikings heading into Sunday’s matchup.

Sunday’s matchup between the Saints and Vikings will hinge on whether New Orleans can handle Minnesota’s league-leading blitz and pressure package. Minnesota enters Week 5 with arguably the NFL’s best defense through four games, allowing a league-low 12.8 points per game while racking up 16 sacks, four interceptions and a plus-five turnover differential, the second-best mark in the league.

That is a major concern for a Saints offense that has struggled with consistency, protection and turnovers. New Orleans has surrendered 12 sacks through four games, turned the ball over too often and enters Sunday with a minus-five turnover differential. Against a defense that thrives on disguising coverages, generating pressure from different alignments and forcing difficult decisions, the Saints cannot afford to fall behind early or repeatedly find themselves in obvious passing situations.

The biggest individual matchup is quarterback Tyler Shough against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy system. Shough has already been sacked 12 times this season, with nine coming against the blitz, and New Orleans will need clear answers built into the game plan to avoid exposing him to the same issues again.

There are reasons for optimism. When Shough has gotten the ball out against blitzing defenses, he has been productive, posting a 105.1 passer rating while completing 71.9% of his passes and throwing for 442 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. But Minnesota has been uniquely effective at creating negative plays, and the Vikings’ No. 2 pressure rate will make life difficult if the Saints cannot keep the pocket clean.

New Orleans (1-3) will need to rely on a game plan that can sustain those positive trends under pressure. Without much help from the rushing attack, the Saints must produce through the air to pull out their first home win, and Minnesota is built to complicate exactly that.

A key question for Sunday’s game is whether Minnesota All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson will play.

Jefferson, who has 13 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns in three games, is recovering from a Week 3 ankle injury. After missing last week’s game against Miami, he returned to practice on a limited basis and has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

With a bye following Sunday’s game, Minnesota is evaluating whether to rest Jefferson to allow additional recovery time before Oct. 25, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell.

The Vikings face other offensive injury concerns: receiver Jordan Addison (hamstring) and tackle Brian O’Neill are also questionable, while tackle Christian Darrisaw will miss the game.

Jefferson’s absence would aid a struggling Saints secondary, though Minnesota still retains offensive threats like tight end T.J. Hockenson.

Despite being undefeated, the Vikings have averaged just 21.5 points (18th in the NFL) and 263 yards per game.

Quarterback Kyler Murray has 433 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Aaron Jones leads Minnesota with 297 rushing yards, while tight end T.J. Hockenson leads the team with 22 catches for 195 yards and one score.

In their 15-10 win over Miami, the Vikings did not score a single touchdown, highlighting their reliance on defense.

If New Orleans can contain Jones, limit Murray and force long third downs, it will have a chance to keep the game competitive. However, the Saints must still score against a formidable Minnesota defense to avoid another loss.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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