Saints–Vikings rivalry explained

Saints–Vikings rivalry
Team1:	New Orleans Saints
Team2:	Minnesota Vikings
Team1logo:	New Orleans Saints wordmark.svg
Team2logo:	Minnesota Vikings wordmark.svg
First Contested:	October 13, 1968 Saints 20, Vikings 17
Mostrecent:	November 12, 2023 Vikings 27, Saints 19
Total:	38
Largestvictory:	Vikings, 45–3
Currentstreak:	Vikings, 2 (2022–present)
Longeststreak:	Vikings, 6 (1970–1976)
Series:	Vikings, 25–13
Postseason:	Vikings, 4–1 Most recentJanuary 5, 2020 Vikings 26, Saints 20 (OT)

The Saints–Vikings rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} As the Saints play in the NFC South and the Vikings play in the NFC North, the two teams do not play each other every year; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium during which their divisions are paired up, sometimes more often if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions or meet in the playoffs.^{[5] [6] [7]}

The Vikings have dominated most of the series. However, the resurgence of the Saints under Sean Payton and Drew Brees made the organization competitive with the Vikings. Games between these two teams have been consequential both in the regular season and playoffs for the NFC. Due to regular playoff matches between the two teams, the rivalry has become noteworthy in the last 20 years.

The Vikings lead the all-time series 25–13. The two clubs have met five times in the playoffs, with the Vikings holding a 4–1 record. The Vikings won 20 of the first 27 games (.741) through 2009, though the rivalry has been more competitive since then.

Notable moments and games

• In January 1988, the Saints made their postseason debut by hosting the Vikings in the NFC wildcard game. New Orleans scored a touchdown on its first drive, but Minnesota took a 31–10 halftime lead and won 44–10.
• In January 2001, the 10–6 Saints traveled to Minnesota for a playoff game against the 11–5 Vikings. Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw for 302 yards as the Vikings defeated the Saints 34–16.
• In 2002, the 4–10 Vikings played the 9–5 Saints in a must-win game for the Saints. The Saints took a seven-point lead with just over 5 minutes remaining, but the Vikings responded with a touchdown pass from Culpepper to Randy Moss with five seconds left, narrowing the gap to a single point. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, the Vikings elected to go for two; Culpepper ran the ball in himself to give the Vikings a 32–31 win and the Saints went on to miss the playoffs.
• In January 2010, the 12–4 Vikings traveled to New Orleans to play the 13–3 Saints in the NFC Championship Game. Despite dominating the Saints in terms of total yards, time of possession, first downs, and other key stats, the Vikings committed five costly turnovers (including three from quarterback Brett Favre), and the Saints managed to hold on for a 31–28 overtime win. ^[8] This game was pivotal in the eventual changing of the league overtime rules, as the Vikings did not get a chance to score in overtime after the Saints.^[9] Additionally, the Saints organization was criticized for the volume and intensity of hits on Favre in Bountygate. The Saints went on to defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
• In 2010, the Vikings traveled to New Orleans for a rematch of the NFC Championship game in one of the most anticipated games of the season. The Saints once again prevailed over the Vikings, this time by a score of 14–9. The Vikings' season spiraled out of control as they fell from 12–4 to 6–10, which included head coach Brad Childress being fired mid-season, the Metrodome collapsing mid-season, and the lackluster play from Brett Favre in what was his final season in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Saints finished 11–5 (second in the division behind the 13–3 Atlanta Falcons), and went on to lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the Beast Quake game.
• In the 2017 playoffs, the Saints traveled to Minnesota for an NFC Divisional Round Game. The Vikings jumped out to a 17–0 lead, controlling all key stats. However, the Saints mounted a second-half comeback and eventually took a 24–23 lead with under a minute to play. With ten seconds left, Vikings quarterback Case Keenum completed a pass to Stefon Diggs, who evaded a tackle attempt by Saints safety Marcus Williams and took the ball into the endzone for a walk off touchdown. This became known as the Minneapolis Miracle.
• In January 2020, the 10–6 Vikings traveled to New Orleans as heavy underdogs in an NFC wild-card game. Although the Saints jumped out to a quick 3–0 lead, the Saints struggled to muster the kind of offense they were known for in 2019. The Vikings at one point led 20–10 before the Saints forced overtime on a last-second field goal. In overtime, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins led the team on a drive that resulted in a touchdown to Kyle Rudolph.
• In 2020, the Vikings played in New Orleans for a Christmas Day match-up. With the score 31–27 after three quarters, the Saints scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away 52–33. This game represented the worst Vikings' defensive performance in franchise history as they gave up 583 yards of offense to the Saints and allowed running back Alvin Kamara to tie the NFL record for rushing touchdowns in one game (6). This game eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention.^[10]
• In 2022, the teams faced off in London in week 4. The Saints needed to make a field goal late in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. A 32-yard pass from quarterback Andy Dalton to rookie receiver Chris Olave got the Saints to the Vikings' 43-yard line, setting up kicker Wil Lutz for a 61-yard field goal. He had made a 60-yard kick less than two minutes earlier, but with the game on the line, he hit the left upright and then the crossbar, sealing the Vikings 28–25 win.

Game results

|-| | style="| Saints
20–17 | Tulane Stadium| Saints
1–0| First meeting, and the only one prior to the AFL-NFL merger|-|-| | style="| Vikings
26–0| Metropolitan Stadium| Tied
1–1| First meeting at Metropolitan Stadium|-| | style="| Vikings
23–10| Tulane Stadium| Vikings
2–1| Last meeting at Tulane Stadium|-| | style="| Vikings
37–6| Metropolitan Stadium| Vikings
3–1||-| | style="| Vikings
29–9| Metropolitan Stadium| Vikings
4–1| Vikings lose Super Bowl IX |-| | style="| Vikings
20–7| Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
5–1| First meeting at Louisiana Superdome|-| | style="| Vikings
40–9| Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
6–1| Vikings lose Super Bowl XI|-| | style="| Saints
31–24 | Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
6–2||-|-| | style="| Vikings
23–20| Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
7–2| First game for interim Saints coach Dick Stanfel; Saints fall to 0-13 and finish 1-15|-| | style="| Vikings
20–10| Metropolitan Stadium| Vikings
8–2| Last meeting at Metropolitan Stadium|-| | style="| Saints
17–16| Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
8–3||-| | style="| Saints
30–23| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
8–4| First meeting at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Last game for Saints coach Bum Phillips|-| | style="| Vikings
33–17| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
9–4| |-! 1987 playoffs! style="| Vikings
44–10! Louisiana Superdome! Vikings
10–4! NFC wild-card round; first postseason meeting in the series, and the first postseason game in Saints history|-| | style="| Vikings
45–3| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
11–4||-|-| | style="| Vikings
32–3| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
12–4||-| | style="| Saints
26–0 | Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
12–5||-| | style="| Saints
17–14| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
12–6||-| | style="| Vikings
21–20| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
13–6||-| | style="| Vikings
43–24 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
14–6||-| | style="| Vikings
31–24| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
15–6||-|-! 2000 playoffs! style="| Vikings
34–16! Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome! Vikings
16–6! NFC Divisional Round; second postseason meeting|-| | style="| Saints
28–15 | Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
16–7| |-| | style="| Vikings
32–31 | Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
17–7| Saints wear alternate gold jersey for only time|-| | style="| Vikings
38–31 | Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
18–7| |-| | style="| Vikings
33–16| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
19–7| |-| | style="| Vikings
30–27 | Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
20–7| |-! 2009 playoffs! style="| Saints
! Louisiana Superdome! Vikings
20–8! NFC Championship Game; third postseason meeting, first overtime game in the series; Saints win Super Bowl XLIV.|-|-| | style="| Saints
14–9| Louisiana Superdome| Vikings
20–9| NFL Kickoff Game|-| | style="| Saints
42–20| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome| Vikings
20–10| Final meeting at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome|-| | style="| Saints
20–9| Mercedes-Benz Superdome| Vikings
20–11| |-| | style="| Vikings
29–19| U.S. Bank Stadium| Vikings
21–11| First meeting at U.S. Bank Stadium|-! 2017 playoffs! style="| Vikings
29–24! U.S. Bank Stadium! Vikings
22–11! NFC Divisional Round; fourth postseason meeting; the Minneapolis Miracle marks the first time in NFL postseason history that a game-winning touchdown is scored on the final play of regulation.|-| | style="| Saints
30–20| U.S. Bank Stadium| Vikings
22–12|-! 2019 playoffs! style="| Vikings
! Mercedes-Benz Superdome! Vikings
23–12! NFC Wild-Card Round; fifth postseason meeting; the Saints' season ends on the final play of a playoff loss for the third straight season, with two of the three against the Vikings.|-|-| | style="| Saints
52–33 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome| Vikings
23–13| Christmas Day game; Saints eliminate the Vikings from playoff contention. Alvin Kamara rushes for 6 touchdowns.|-|-| | style="| Vikings
28–25| Tottenham Hotspur Stadium| Vikings
24–13| Game played as part of the NFL International Series, officially a Saints home game|-| | style="| Vikings
27–19| U.S. Bank Stadium| Vikings
25–13||-|-| Regular season| style="|| | | Vikings 1–0 in London (officially a Saints home game)|-| Postseason| style="|| | | NFC Wild Card Round: 1987, 2019; NFC Divisional Round: 2000, 2017; NFC Championship Game: 2009|-| Regular and postseason | style="|| | | |-

See also

• Minneapolis Miracle
• New Orleans Saints bounty scandal

Further reading

• News: Cold war revived. Sun Herald. Newspapers.com. November 19, 1995. Glennon. John.
• News: Vikings are always there. The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. Newspapers.com. January 11, 2018. Foote. Kevin.

Notes and References

1. Web site: A brief history of the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings series. Kade. Kistner. December 25, 2020. Canal Street Chronicles.
2. Web site: The Vikings' Biggest NFL Rivals Of All Time. Shane. Mickle. May 15, 2020. ClutchPoints.
3. News: Vikings and Saints develop one of NFL's best playoff rivalries. Star Tribune.
4. Web site: Saints-Vikings Trivia on Christmas Day in Week 16. Carla. Antoine. Sports Illustrated New Orleans Saints News, Analysis and More. December 25, 2020.
5. Web site: Davis . Scott . The NFL schedule is created with the help of a simple formula . 2024-01-05 . Business Insider . en-US.
6. Web site: 2009-03-23 . NFL gives East teams a break traveling West . 2024-01-05 . ESPN.com . en.
7. Web site: Trapasso . Chris . How Is the NFL Schedule Created? . 2024-01-05 . Bleacher Report . en.
8. Web site: Vikings vs. Saints - Game Summary - January 24, 2010 - ESPN. ESPN.com.
9. Web site: NFL overtime rules 2021: Explaining how the OT format works in football for regular season, playoffs. Sporting News. 17 January 2022 .
10. Web site: Mike Zimmer gives Vikings fans another reason to hate the Saints. 23 August 2021.