The Minnesota Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints 23-13 at Caesars Superdome on Sunday, improving to 5-0 and extending their unbeaten record in games played in New Orleans. Kyler Murray threw for 229 yards and a touchdown while Aaron Jones Sr. ran for 113 yards and a score, giving Minnesota enough offense to withstand a wild special-teams swing that briefly tied the game in the third quarter.
Will Reichard provided the difference with field goals of 40, 54 and 55 yards, going 3 for 3 overall, and Jones’ late touchdown run broke a 13-13 tie that resulted from New Orleans’ Jonas Sanker returning a fumble 87 yards for a score. Tyler Shough finished 16 of 25 for just 96 yards with two interceptions for the Saints, who fell to 1-4.
Takeaways From Vikings’ Win Over Saints
Minnesota’s offense finally found the end zone through the air
Murray connected with Justin Jefferson on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 12:06 left in the third quarter, Minnesota’s first offensive touchdown since Week 3. Jefferson, a New Orleans-area native who played at LSU, finished with six catches for 79 yards and the score in his homecoming game at Caesars Superdome.
A bizarre special-teams sequence nearly flipped the game
Myles Price lost the ball on a short pass when Martin Emerson knocked it loose, and Sanker scooped it up and raced 87 yards for a touchdown that tied the score at 13-13. New Orleans missed the extra point on the play, a miss that proved costly once Minnesota answered on its next possession.
Minnesota’s ground game closed it out
After the fumble-return touchdown tied the game, the Vikings put together a six-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Jones powering in from 8 yards out, putting Minnesota ahead 20-13 early in the fourth quarter. Jones carried 25 times for 113 yards and the touchdown, and Reichard’s third field goal of the day made it 23-13 for the final margin.
Player Of The Game: Kyler Murray
Murray completed 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, finishing with a 109.6 passer rating. He also ran 10 times for 51 yards, giving Minnesota a dual threat that kept New Orleans’ defense off balance for most of the afternoon according to Sporting News.
Vikings Vs. Saints By The Numbers
Minnesota outgained New Orleans 364 yards to 142 and held a 5.4 yards-per-play average compared to the Saints’ 3.3. The Vikings converted 9 of 18 third downs while New Orleans managed just 2 of 10. Shough was intercepted twice, both by Byron Murphy Jr., who finished with two picks for 14 yards including the one that ended New Orleans’ final scoring chance. Minnesota turned the ball over twice itself, losing fumbles from Aaron Jones Sr. and Price, with Jones also fumbling near the goal line earlier in the game.
What’s Next
The Vikings sit atop the NFC North at 5-0, the only unbeaten team in the division, while the Saints drop to 1-4 and remain tied for last in the NFC South with Tampa Bay. Minnesota also saw tight end T.J. Hockenson leave the game in the first quarter with a concussion; he did not return.
Both teams now turn to their Week 6 schedules as Minnesota looks to keep its unbeaten season alive and New Orleans tries to avoid its third straight loss. For more on Minnesota’s roster situation, see the Donovan Jackson injury update and the team’s recent decision to sign Odell Beckham Jr. to the practice squad.
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