There's a good reason this game is primetime on Sunday. Saints-Vikings is the duel between the kings of the NFC North and the NFC South. This one should be a thriller in the same place where the Minneapolis Miracle took place in the NFC playoffs last season, when the Vikings' last-seconds touchdown led them to an unreal win and the Saints to a devastating loss. The Saints took down the Ravens 24-23 last week. They caught some luck with Justin Tucker missing the first extra point of his career, which would have tied the game at 24 in the final minute. The Vikings steamrolled the Jets in the second half, forcing Sam Darnold into the worst game of his career with four turnovers.
How to Watch Saints vs. Vikings: Week 8
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Start: Sunday, Oct. 28, 8:20 p.m. ET
TV Network: NBC
Radio: WWL-AM/FM (Saints)
Stream Online: Watch live with fuboTV
It seems there's a new record for Drew Brees to set every week. A few weeks ago, he took over for most all-time passing yards, topping Peyton Manning. Last week, Brees threw his 500th career touchdown pass, joining Tom Brady, Manning, and Brett Favre in that club. Brees has not thrown an INT this season, and he leads the league with a 77.3 percent completion rate and a 121.6 passer rating. It helps when he's got a dynamic running duo: With Mark Ingram back in the fold, it's tough for defenses to stop both him and Alvin Kamara. While their defense has struggled against the pass, the Saints (5-1) have been the best in the league against the run. The problem for the Saints is that the Vikings have had their number. The Vikings beat the Saints in the playoffs and the season opener last season, and are 14-3 all-time against the Saints in Minnesota.
The Vikings will be without starting RB Dalvin Cook again this week. They will need Latavius Murray to carry the load going up against the Saints' league-best rush defense. A lot will fall on Kirk Cousins, which he's used to at this point. The Vikings' passing game is 7th in the NFL; their rushing attack ranks just 27th. Cousins has had to throw the ball at least 40 times in four of their seven games and 50-plus times twice. His chemistry with Adam Thielen has been sensational. Thielen leads the NFL with 67 catches, which is on pace to break Marvin Harrison's all-time record of 143, and Thielen has 822 receiving yards. Still, Thielen has fallen under the radar. On defense, the Vikings have been anchored by Danielle Hunter, who is tied with Aaron Donald for the NFL lead with eight sacks. Hunter and company have quite the task ahead of them Sunday night.
