The Minnesota Vikings (4-0) and the New Orleans Saints (1-3) will face off Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.
Last week Minnesota won 15-10 at home against the Miami Dolphins. New Orleans fell 45-24 at home to the Atlanta Falcons, making it their second straight loss. They need to win this week in hopes of turning their season around.
Vikings-Saints | A Week 5 Prediction
Minnesota leads the all-time series 25-13, including winning three out of the last four meetings.
These two teams last faced each other in 2023 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Josh Dobbs went 23/34 for 268 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for one. T.J. Hockenson caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Addison caught four passes for 69 yards.
On defense, Jordan Hicks and Josh Metellus each tied for a team-high with seven tackles.
Minnesota won 27-19 for their fifth consecutive win.
“We let some get away from us there at the beginning of the second half we’d like to have back,” safety Harrison Smith said, “but when the time came, we made the plays.”
For New Orleans, Jameis Winston went 13/25 for 122 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions after filling in for Derek Carr. Chris Olave caught six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Alvin Kamara caught seven passes for 33 yards.
On defense, Paulson Adebo and Demario Davis each tied for a game-high with nine tackles. Davis also added a sack.
With the win, they improved to 6-4. They finished the season at 7-10, missing the playoffs for the third time in four years. New Orleans fell to 5-5 with the loss and finished the season at 9-8. It was the third consecutive season they missed the playoffs.
This is another game Minnesota should win, but it will be tougher if Justin Jefferson sits out again (ankle). He really wants to play given that he is from Louisiana. Since Minnesota has a bye week after this game, it would not come as a surprise if they play it safe and have him sit for the second week in a row. It is also a long season and if he re-injures his ankle, it could be very costly.
New Orleans could possibly pull off a win if Jefferson is out, but it still would not be a bad idea to let him sit this one out. Minnesota should win even without him. If Jefferson plays and has a good game, but gets re-injured it could really cost them later on, especially with some tough games ahead. Even if they win with him, it could come with a major cost.
Last week was an ugly win for Minnesota, but in the end a win is a win. Even if this is another ugly win, it would put them at 5-0 heading into the bye. They can also get Jefferson (whether he plays or not), Christian Darrisaw (concussion) and Jordan Mason (thumb) healthy during the bye week. They unfortunately lost Josh Oliver (biceps) and Donovan Jackson (knee) for the season in the back-to-back weeks, but they at least can get the others healthy going forward.
Minnesota’s offense is still a work in progress, but the defense and special teams are continuing to do great. This week should include another win.
Prediction: Vikings win 17-13