The Minnesota Vikings pulled off their fifth win in a row, beating the New Orleans Saints 27-19. They built a 24-3 halftime lead behind Joshua Dobbs‘ mad scrambling and T.J. Hockenson‘s monster performance. However, they relied on their defense and Jameis Winston‘s erratic play in the second half, holding on to win their fourth straight game without Justin Jefferson.
Below are five numbers that illustrate Minnesota’s second win with Dobbs under center:
2
Before Ty Chandler scored on a direct snap in the red zone, the Vikings were one of two NFL teams without a rushing TD from 2 yards and in. They entered the week with -8 yds on six such carries. It was Minnesota’s third TD run of the year, second by a running back.
10
Hockenson had a game-high 15 targets and hauled in 11 for 134 yards while playing through pain. He had 10 receptions for over 128 yards and a TD in the first half, making him the second tight end since 1978 to have at least 10 catches, 100 yards, and a receiving TD in a single half.
74
No team had more at stake than the Vikings this week. According to PFF, the Vikings had a 74% chance of making the playoffs with a win this week and 41% if New Orleans beat them. Since 1998, only six teams have started 0-3 and made the playoffs.
45.2
Dobbs traveled 45.2 yards from snap to score on his 7-yard scramble TD run. Dobbs has gained +130 rushing yards over expected on scramble runs this season, more than double the next closest QB (Mahomes, +58).
18.8
The Vikings held the Saints to 3 points in the first half with their lowest blitz rate (18.8%) in any half of a game this season.
