Vikings @ Saints: The Battle of What Could Be

Have you ever heard of a team that is undefeated through 4 weeks, but is ranked 31^st in total offense? I introduce you to the Minnesota Vikings, who sit atop the NFC North alone at 4-0. They average just 262 yards per game, but couple that with the 5^th best defense in the league. The combined win total of the teams Minnesota has played thus far is just 6, with two of those teams remaining winless. They scraped by against Miami last week, winning 15-10. Kyler Murray had a decent day with 247 yards on 27/37 passes, with zero TDs and zero INTs. Yes, the Vikings remain undefeated, but no, that will most likely not last past this week. I think they have had some fortuitous “bounces,” so to speak, but at the end of the day, they are still winning. If their defense is up to par and their offense can find some juice, they may stand a chance against NO.

         The Saints really faltered on offense in this game. They just couldn’t get anything going outside the pass game. And most of those throws was Tyler Shough being a hero while he was getting hit by two interior defensive linemen. Their run game was ineffective, totaling for 50 yards on 19 carries for 2 TDs. Alvin Kamara had those 2 TDs which was cool to see, but he finished with 7 carries for 23 yards. The Saints need to run the ball more effectively moving forward. That will open the passing game for Shough. They can’t continue to lean on him to make plays when nothing else works. They go against the 7^th best run defense in Minnesota this week as the 27^th best rushing offense. Not the matchup they were hoping for, but something has got to give. I think the Saints take this one though.