3 Top Takeaways: Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints – Week 8

What was learned from the Minnesota Vikings seeing their three-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday?

Judging by just the box score, it would be extremely hard to convince someone that the Minnesota Vikings actually ended up losing to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.

Statistically, the Vikings outperformed the Saints in almost every category this week. Minnesota even held New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees to a measly 120 passing yards.

Despite all of this, the Saints still left U.S. Bank Stadium with a win on Sunday. Now, the 4-3-1 Vikings are left wondering if next week’s matchup against the Detroit Lions is a must-win scenario or not.

A multitude of factors contributed to Minnesota losing on Sunday. Costly mistakes by their top two receivers, coaching gambles not paying off, and a lack of urgency by the offense at the end of the game all played a part in the Vikings falling to New Orleans.

Minnesota could have definitely come out of Sunday with a win against a Saints team who has just one loss this season. But sometimes mistakes are just too hard to overcome and that was certainly the case for the Vikings this week.

Of everything that went down on Sunday night inside U.S. Bank Stadium, what are three things that can be learned from Minnesota’s third loss of the year?