This rivalry game was desperate for both teams. The Vikings needed to win to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Saints needed to win this to clinch the division instead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It started out equally and the teams were locked together but then the Saints went on 100 mph as the Vikings slowly ran out of gas. But the top story of that game was Alvin Kamara. He totaled 172 yards and 6 touchdowns which tied the NFL record for most touchdowns. He dominated the whole game starting from a 40 yard rush touchdown to a 6 touchdown day. He got the points for the Saints that whole afternoon. Brees didn’t do much, he threw 311 yards and no touchdowns along with 2 interceptions. It wasn’t the most ideal game for him but overall it was as they won 33-52 as eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs and they clinched the division. It was an exciting high scoring game which the Saints topped.
1st Half-
1st Quarter- The 1st quarter started out good for both teams. The Saints got the ball first and got 7 on the board. That drive was all Kamara. He kept on getting past that weak Vikings defense and at last got the reward. A 40 yard dash from him gave the Saints the lead. It was a quick opening score drive for the unlike the game against Kansas City where they struggled early on. The Vikings also had something up their sleeve. They responded with a super drive ending with a short 15 yard rush by Dalvin Cook, their amazing running back. That made it 7-7 to open up the first quarter. I guess the Saints got pretty dazzled so they put points back at the Vikings. Brees led them to the one yard line and then Kamara wrapped it with a bow. He got a simple 1 yard rushing touchdown which was his second to give the Saints a 14-7 lead. The next drive of the game which was for the Vikings slowed the momentum of the game a little bit. They punted a gave the ball back to New Orleans who were full of steam. That drive had some nice passes by Drew Brees but they ended up with a field goal to close out the quarter. 17-7 at the end of quarter 1 favoring the Saints.
2nd Quarter- Minnesota came out into that quarter ready to answer back. Kirk Cousins executed a perfect drive resulting in a 4 yard rushing touchdown by Mark Boone one of Minnesota’s running backs. Dan Bailey converted the extra point to make it 17-14 as they wriggled closer to New Orleans. And they got even better news. Brees threw another straight interception and gave the ball back to the Vikings. Unfortunately, they couldn’t take advantage as they punted it away. The Saints pushed 7 more points as they got Kamara his hat-trick for rushing touchdowns as he shredded the Minnesota defense. He was the king it that half for both teams. That ended the half and the Saints held a 24-14 lead over the Vikings.
2nd Half-
3rd Quarter- Minnesota needed some spark in their offense because the defense wasn’t doing anything to stop the stacked Saints. They couldn’t as the New Orleans defense wasn’t ready to give up points. They punted once again and hoped that their defense could prevent New Orleans from more points on the board. That dream came true. The young cornerbacks grabbed another interception and made it two on the day. The passing game for them wasn’t that successful but the run game was a good at it could be. This time the Vikings took advantage of the takeaway. Kirk Cousins finally got a passing touchdown as he found his tight end Irv Smith Jr. for 4 yards. Dan Bailey missed the extra point and Minnesota had 20 points with 3 touchdowns. The Vikings could still not stop the red hot Alvin Kamara as he skipped through the defense for his 4th touchdown of the evening. He was getting closer to the NFL record which was 6. After the extra point the score was 20-31 Saints on top. But the Vikings weren’t ready to give up. Even though the chances of winning were slim they still tried to get something going. The hard work payed of, slightly. The offense for the Vikings got another touchdown and it was Irv Smith again to make it 27-31. Again, Kamara sped through the Minnesota defense for his 5th touchdown of the game. Kamara was the spotlight of the game as he made some history and was about to reach six TD’s for tying the record. That pretty much ended the quarter and the Saints had a two possession lead over their bitter rivals. 27-38 Saints in charge.
4th Quarter-The first possession for the Vikings in the quarter always starts bad. They punted when it was crucial times for them and gave the ball quickly to the mind blowing Saints. They got in the red zone again ready to strike with Kamara. But Sean Payton, New Orleans head coach decided not to put him in and put in their backup QB Taysom Hill instead. After Hill rushed for another 7 their were many boos in the stadium with the Kamara Hill decision. But they extended their already giant lead to a even bigger lead. That really got the Vikings thinking to do something to get some points or else this game would get ugly for them. And they did something. Cousins led the team to the one yard line and then passed to Adam Thielen for the score. They were not able to convert the 2 point conversion but still made it a 12 point game as the score was 33-45. The next drive for the Saints was record making. Kamara being a legend, a superstar. The Saints got down to the 4 yard line and gave it to the superhero Kamara and he did the rest. He tied the football player who did that in 1929. Almost 100 years ago that player did that feat and now Kamara repeated it. It was a huge accomplishment for him and the Saints touched the half-century mark and the score was 33-52. The Vikings playoffs hope were in the bottom of the trash and the Saints clinched the NFC South once again. That ended the game and the Saints had finally won in the Minnesota rivalry. Final score-33-52 with the Saints being the winners.
It was a high scoring game full of excitement and a good clash between teams. The Viking’s defense need to be ramped up next season and the Saints are still trying for the top seed fight against the Green Bay Packers. Maybe these teams will have a battle next year. Will it have a different outcome?
THE END
Well done Ragnar. I am a friend of your Father and he pointed me to your blog.
Hi Raghav it’s Tyler. Just wanted to tell you how fantastic it is . You have good insights and have a lot of knowledge in the sports world . Plus could you write a preview for the Washington football team and the Eagles game?
Thanks for your comments Tyler. I will totally do the eagles game. Go Washington Football team, make the playoffs. I really appreciate your advice and thank you. Happy New Year.
Hi Raghav, it’s Jackie! Happy new year! This sports blog is nothing short of amazing. Immaculate. I can’t think of any more words. I really liked your recap on the Saints Vikings game. Again, this is your first step to becoming a world-famous sports commentator, who’s blog is known for it’s spot on predictions, and recaps that could’ve only be written by a genius writer. Now this is getting long. So long for now, Jackie
Thank you sooo much Jackie for your compliments. I’m really thankful for it and thanks for the lovely words you used to give the compliments. Happy New Year and Keep reading because I will be writing nonstop.