Saints at Vikings: TV, line, history, trends, uniforms, QBs

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12 November 2023

Saints at Vikings: TV, line, history, trends, uniforms, QBs

For the first time this season, the New Orleans Saints lead the NFC South all by themselves, and now they have a chance for a three-game winning streak, which would be only their second such streak under Dennis Allen as coach. To do so, they’re going to have to be successful at a place they haven’t won very much through the years.

In general, the later these two teams play in a season, the better it is for Minnesota. So with this being Week 10, what will happen here in the 38th all-time matchup between the two and the 19th played in the Minneapolis / St. Paul’s metro area?

One thing for sure is the series history most definitely is tilted, especially for the Saints on the road. How does that relate to Sunday’s game?

Let’s take a look at this series going back to the first game between them in 1968 at Tulane Stadium. Who has the series lead? How can we watch? How have the two starting quarterbacks done against this opponent? What’s the line? What will the teams be wearing?

All these questions answered (and more) in our weekly history and trends column. Here we go …

SAINTS at VIKINGS

TIME/TV: Sunday at noon at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The game will be broadcast on CBS on a regional basis (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, the Pensacola, Fla., area and most of the northern Midwest and northern Great Plains) with an announcing team of Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth with Kristina Pink as the sideline reporter. The WWL radio team is Mike Hoss and Deuce McAllister.

LAST WEEK: The Saints defeated the Chicago Bears, 24-17, at home. The Vikings defeated Atlanta, 31-28, on the road.

LINE TREND: The line has remained mostly constant – with the Saints as a 2.5-point favorite (at -120). However, it very briefly moved to Saints -3 on Thursday, but the sharps quickly moved it back to -2.5.

The money line as of late Saturday has the Saints at -155, while the Vikings were at +130. The over/under total is 41. What did I pick in this one? .

WEATHER FORECAST: It will be near perfect inside and out of the enclosed US Bank Stadium, as it is forecast to be sunny and 55 outside.

UNIFORMS: The Saints are wearing their road white jerseys with black numbers and black pants with their traditional gold helmet. The Vikings are wearing their home purple jerseys with white numbers. They also will wear their usual purple helmets with the Viking horn on each side. They are scheduled to wear white pants.

REFEREE: Adrian Hill is the lead official, and he has been in that role since 2019. New Orleans is 2-1 when Hill does their games, including the highest-scoring game in the 55-year series history – a 52-33 win at the Superdome on Christmas Day 2020. Meanwhile, Minnesota is 2-3 with Hill as the white cap.

TEAM INFO, STREAKS

SAINTS (5-4, 3-2 on the road)

The Saints are ranked 13th in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and tied for 15th in points scored. They are 18th in rushing offense and 10th in passing. … The team is seventh in overall defense and seventh in points allowed. They are 17th against the run and seventh against the pass.

Last week, the Saints collected 301 yards of total offense, which was the second-fewest yards gained in the Dennis Allen era in a victory. They gained just 244 yards of offense in the wind and ice in Cleveland on Christmas Eve 2022 in a 17-10 win.

Also last week against the Bears, New Orleans finished with a turnover margin of plus-5 or better for just the 17th time in team history and upped their record in those games to 15-2 all-time. Many fans were complaining about only winning by a touchdown with such a large turnover margin, but of the 14 previous victories with such a turnover margin, in six of those, the Saints won by seven or fewer points.

The Saints have forced at least one turnover in nine straight games to start the season, which marks the first time they have done that since the Super Bowl season of 2009, when they collected at least one turnover in the first 13 games of the year. (And they started the season 13-0.)

With a victory, New Orleans would have a winning streak of at least three for a seventh consecutive season (starting in 2017), which would an extend the franchise record. Previously, the Saints had at least one three-game winning streak in five straight seasons from 1985 to 1989 and 2009 to 2013.

VIKINGS (5-4, 1-3 at home)

Minnesota is ranked eighth in the NFL in overall offense (yards gained per game) and tied for 13th in points scored. They are 29th in rushing offense and second in passing. … They are 14th in the NFL in overall defense and 17th in points allowed. The Vikings are 12th against the run and 18th against the pass.

A few paragraphs ago, we told you the Saints have collected at least one turnover in nine straight games to start the season for the first time since 2009. Conversely, the Vikings have coughed it up at least once in all nine games this season and in 11 consecutive regular-season games dating back to last December. Interestingly, Minnesota hasn’t had a home game in which they did not commit a turnover and lost since Halloween night 2021 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Barring an extreme change prior to game time, this will be the 18th time over the past 10 seasons the Vikings have been an underdog at home. In the previous 17 games, Minnesota is 6-11 straight up but 11-6 against the spread.

SAINTS vs. VIKINGS SERIES

All-time: The Vikings lead the overall series, 24-13, including a 4-1 record in five playoff games between the two. And although the Saints have won two of the most recent games in Minneapolis, those are the only two victories they have there in the past 30 years and two of only four ever in the Minneapolis / St. Paul’s metro area.

The Saints won the first game ever played between the two, 20-17, on Oct. 13, 1968 at Tulane Stadium.

All-time in Minneapolis / Bloomington (Minn.): Vikings lead, 14-4, including wins in both playoff games (2001 and 2018).

All-time in New Orleans: Series tied at 9, but Vikings lead, 2-1, in playoffs (loss in NFC championship game in 2010; wins in 1988 and 2020).

All-time on a neutral site: Vikings lead, 1-0.

SERIES BY THE NUMBERS

3-8: Saints record vs. Minnesota all time in the month of November.

7-8: Saints record vs. Minnesota before the month of November.

10: Average margin of victory for New Orleans in their 13 victories in series.

15.2: Average margin of victory for Minnesota in their 24 victories in series.

25: Number of games in the series decided by seven or more points in the series (67.6 percent).

MEMORABLE GAMES IN THE SERIES

Jan. 24, 2010 (Saints 31, Vikings 28, OT): Well, duh. Not only is this most memorable game in this series, but it is one of two most memorable games in Saints franchise history and one that Vikings fans still wah, wah, wah about.

In fact, when you Google “Saints Vikings 2010,” the first question that pops up is, “What year did the Saints cheat against the Vikings?”

We all know what happened, but it’s certainly worth re-living. “It’s good! It’s good! It’s goo-hoo-hood! Pigs have flown! Hell has frozen over! The Saints are on their way to the Super Bowl!”

Jan. 14, 2018 (Vikings 29, Saints 24): If we post the highest of highs for Saints fans, we also must post the lowest of lows. And with a franchise that has a plethora of lows, this certainly is one of two or three lowest.

Like “Pigs have flown,” “The Minneapolis Miracle” doesn’t really need describing. Just this video of the call by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox Sports: