Saints/ Vikings in NFC Title Game Re-Match

September 9, 2010

The NFL football year kicks off Thursday night with two teams that had perhaps the most memorable game from the 2009 season. The Minnesota Vikings and the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints will face-off in a re-match of their incredible NFC title game.

As we all know, a crucial interception by Brett Favre in the final seconds of the NFC Championship game may have very well cost them a trip to Miami and potentially a Super Bowl win. It’s never nice to say that the winning team was out-played, but based on all statistics from that game, the Saints clearly were. The high-powered New Orleans offense managed just 15 first downs and 257 yards. Those numbers are well below their season averages, and were due to the Vikings superb defense. Minnesota had more than twice as many first downs (31) and 218 more yards on offense, but still managed to lose the game.

This has been an eagerly anticipated game, especially after Favre decided to rejoin the Viking just a few weeks ago. Both teams are expected to fair well again in 2010 as most sportsbooks have them each winning close to 10 games. As an expert football handicapper I can tell you that the Vikings are going to have a much more difficult time getting back to the NFC title game. Brett Favre is a year older. Sidney Rice will be out until late October, and Adrian Peterson still has issues with holding onto the football. On top of all that, the Vikings are the recipients of an incredibly difficult non-division schedule. October alone may be enough to knock Minnesota into an early hole. They play the Jets, Cowboys, Packers and the Patriots in consecutive weeks, and will be lucky to escape with a 2-2 record.

The Saints have a tough schedule as well, but they are at full strength and are possibly better due to some acquisitions during the off-season. New Orleans is lucky to be in a weak division with the exception of Atlanta, and face teams like Cleveland, Arizona and St. Louis in non-division games. Drew Brees is one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the league, and surrounded by a ton of weapons on offense. Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem and Jeremy Shockey can all make plays! The Saints defense should be improved as they selected CB Patrick Robinson in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

This should be an exciting game with tons of offense. The Saints are naturally the favorites, but at 4.5 points the Vikings may not be getting enough respect. Expect the revenge minded Vikings to play hard and show that they are expecting to get to the Super Bowl this time around. If Favre can play at the level that he is capable of, then Minnesota has a legitimate chance of winning this game outright. Tune in an see!

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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