The cards are certainly stacked against the Minnesota Vikings today in New Orleans. The Vikings go into today’s game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome without running back Adrian Peterson, and the Saints are looking to win their first game of the season in front of the home crowd. It’s safe to say those two reasons alone will compel fans to tune-in to watch today’s Vikings Saints game.
Minnesota found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges in Texas. Initially the Vikings indicated their star running back would play in today’s Saints game. After pressure from social groups and even the Minnesota governor, Peterson was dismissed with pay and put on the exempt list.
No question the 1-1 Vikings will miss his productivity. Although Peterson had only rushed for 75 yards on his 21 carries, he was always a threat to explode from the backfield. With quarterback Matt Cassel also struggling (36-of-61 for 372 yards), Peterson was a least a decoy to keep defenses honest.
The Saints defense isn’t necessarily one to worry about today, as it’s ranked next-to-last in the league. It’s actually the New Orleans offense the Vikings will need to keep an eye on, as the Saints play exponentially better at the Superdome.
Today’s Vikings Saints game marks the home opener for New Orleans, which has lost two tough games on the road. The season opener, a 34-37 loss in Atlanta, set the stage for last Sunday’s 24-26 heartbreaker against the Cleveland Browns. In that game, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes to tight end Jimmy Graham before watching the Browns win it on a field goal with three seconds left.
The Saints had an impressive home point differential at home last season compared to their road games, so today’s Vikings Saints game promises to tell a different story for Brees and Co. Through two weeks Brees has gone 56-for-82 for 570 yards and three TDs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pass for more than half that many yards today, if not double his touchdown total for the year.
You can watch today’s Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints game live on TV on FOX. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. You can also watch Vikings vs Saints online free live streaming Week 3 using the FOX Sports video website or DirecTV’s website. The latter requires you to have an NFL Sunday Ticket MAX package, which requires a subscription. All subscribers can watch the game online free via the DirecTV live stream if they’re stuck using a smartphone, tablet or PC.
