Every time the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints meet, you know it will be a battle regardless of their records. This season, it will be played out in London. And although the Vikings appear to be the better team this year, anything is possible with these two franchises. However, there is one glaring flaw in this year’s Saints team that the Vikings must exploit on Sunday.
The Saints find themselves bottom of the league in giveaways with five interceptions and four fumbles. That shouldn’t surprise anyone with Jameis Winston at the helm, so it’s easy to say the Vikings will carry that theme into Week 4. But the Vikings aren’t known for their takeaway prowess. They were middle of the pack last season and hover around average again this year with four total takeaways. So what can they do to keep the Saints’ turnover parade going?
Getting pressure on the quarterback is a great way to force turnovers. Luckily for the Vikings, they have elite edge talent in Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith. A quick look at their numbers this year shows that they might not be playing up to expectations. The Vikings rank 23rd in pressure rate and 28th in team pass-rush win rate through three games. That has to be better. To be 28th in pass-rush win rate is downright terrible considering the skill they have up front.
Ed Donatell isn’t one to call hoards of blitzers, but something needs to change when the opponent can be easily forced into game-changing mistakes. Minnesota’s first three opponents this year have stout offensive lines. Still, it’s no secret the Vikings are counting on the defensive front to be more disruptive than they have been to take some heat off a shaky secondary.
The Vikings’ Keep everything underneath, bend but don’t break defense has been an enigma this year. They are 30th in yards allowed but still have yet to allow a single point in the fourth quarter. Now the Saints come marching in. Guess who leads the NFL this season in fourth-quarter points scored?
The Saints have been in close games all season so far, and they haven’t been shy about staying aggressive. New Orleans leads the league with 12.7 points per game in the final quarter. That doesn’t come without its problems, though. All five of Winston’s interceptions this season have been thrown in the fourth quarter. If the Vikings can get a lead early, the Saints could quickly be forced into catch-up mode, which obviously has had its ups and downs this year.
Putting up points on the board early and often for the Vikings’ offense could end up being their best defense. The Vikings sit at 23rd for first-quarter points scored, so they’ll need Kevin O’Connell to channel his inner Tarantino and create a great script for Sunday.
The Saints are also tied for a league-worst four fumbles lost. Amazingly, none of those four have Winston’s fingerprints on them. The running backs and receivers are to blame. The Vikings have only forced one fumble this year, and the only three players to force multiple fumbles last season are no longer on the team (Bashaud Breeland, Xavier Woods, and Armon Watts). Not to mention, last season’s Denver Broncos were tied for 30th in forced fumbles in a Donatell defense. Safe to say this is an area in need of improvement. What better place to start than playing the team that has lost more fumbles than anyone else?
Despite most of their turnovers coming from Winston, the Saints maintain he is their starter moving forward. On the off chance that Andy Dalton steps in for him on Sunday, the Vikings may have a harder time squeezing out takeaways. The last time Dalton played the Vikings, back in 2020, his 2-7 Dallas Cowboys team emerged with a shocking victory. Dalton threw three touchdowns to only one interception. The strategy shouldn’t change too much, though. Get pressure on the quarterback and score early.
The Vikings will get plenty of chances to leave Week 4 at 3-1. But despite their struggles lately, the Saints game is never easy, and no doubt this Sunday in London will be a slugfest. However, New Orleans has a clear weakness, and Donatell and the defense should make every effort to exploit it. So set your alarms, grab some scones, pour a spot of tea, and hope the Vikings dominate the turnover battle.
