NFC Championship Preview: New Orleans Saints v. Minnesota Vikings

January 21, 2010

The 2 most productive offensive teams in the conference will square off in what promises to be an exciting NFC Championship game. The Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints were clearly ahead of the pack in this Conference, and they will now play to determine which is number 1. Both squads ran away with their divisional round games in surprising fashion, each winning by 31 points.

Brett Favre and Minnesota Vikings made quick work of the streaking Dallas Cowboys in their NFC Divisional showdown last week. While this may have seemed to be an impressive victory, we should not forget that the Cowboys still have Tony Romo at quarterback, and an average run game. The Viking defense that had struggled late in the season looked unstoppable as they held the Cowboys to just 248 yards of total offense. Tony Romo spent much of the game on his back as the Minny “D” had their way with the weak Dallas offensive line. Double teaming Jared Allen may have looked like a good game plan on paper for Dallas, but this left Ray Edwards one on one on the other side of the line. Edwards had a monster day recording 3 sacks while getting to Romo six times. The Saints defense is amongst the worst in the league, but their offensive line has given Drew Brees all the time he needs to pick apart opposing defenses.

New Orleans has the most balanced attack in the NFL. Many believe that Minnesota does, but Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre are the bulk of their offense. The Saints have many offensive sets that can make any of 5 or 6 players the focus. Reggie Bush is an option that most other teams don’t have. He can set up in the backfield or in the slot. This will create major problems for the Vikings defense as they will have to keep an eye on Bush at all times.

The two-headed rushing attack of Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell has combined for over 1400 yards and 11 touchdowns. They do more than enough to keep opposing defenses honest. This opens the passing game that is led by Drew Brees and his 34 touchdown passes. Many experts have the opinion that New Orleans doesn’t have a clear cut #1 receiver, but with Brees under center, you don’t really need one. Jeremy Shockey caught 48 passes for 569 yards this season, and he ranked 4th on the team in yards. If Allen and Edwards don’t get to Brees quickly, the Minnesota defensive backs will be in for a long night.

It is my opinion that this will be a one sided affair. It won’t take ling for the Saints to get on the board which will turn the Viking offense into the Brett Favre show. This may be thought of as a good thing by the common fan, but if the Saints “D” gets pressure on him it will force turnovers, and give the New Orleans offense a short field to work with. Tune in Sunday as both of these teams battle it out for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

Written by Cover The Number · Filed Under NFL

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