Saints at Vikings 1/14/18 - NFL Picks & Predictions

A rematch of a season opener will take place on Sunday afternoon for much higher stakes, when the New Orleans Saints visit the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional Playoff round. The Saints won 11 games during the regular season and won the NFC South Division title. On Sunday, New Orleans took care of business with a 31-26 home victory over Carolina in the wildcard found. Drew Brees threw for 376 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Saints to their third victory of the season against the Panthers.

Through sixteen games, New Orleans ranked 2nd in total offense and scored 28.0 points on average. Minnesota should be up to the challenge with a defense that ranked first in yards allowed and gave up a league best 15.8 points per game. The Minnesota Vikings quietly won 13 games during the regular season and ran away with the NFC North Division title. The Vikings finished on a three-game winning streak and only lost once at home. Journeyman QB Case Keenum was not expected to lead the Minnesota offense, but threw for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns. Shifty WR Adam Thielen hauled in 91 passes for 1,276 yards and four touchdowns for the Vikings.

For the season, Minnesota ranked 11th in total offense and is scoring 23.9 points per contest. New Orleans is talented on defense, ranking 17th in yards allowed and allowing 20.4 points per game.