4 reasons why the Vikings will beat the Saints in the playoffs

Cook and Mattison are back to wreak havoc

Back in Week 16, the Vikings had a big matchup against the Green Bay Packers and it was something that eventually determined the winner of the NFC North. Unfortunately, the division champion was crowned that night due to the Packers coming out with the victory.

In that matchup, Minnesota was without the services of their top two running backs in Dalvin Cook and rookie Alexander Mattison. Had these two been in the lineup, the result of their showdown against Green Bay might have turned out in the Vikings’ favor instead.

For Sunday against the Saints though, Minnesota will have Cook and Mattison back in uniform and ready to lead the Vikings to an upset victory.

The performance of Minnesota’s running backs will be key in their efforts to defeat New Orleans. During the regular season, the Saints did pretty well at stopping their opponent’s rushing attack (fourth-fewest rushing yards allowed). But in two of their three losses this year, New Orleans’ defense gave up over 140 yards on the ground.

Rushing for at least 140 yards in a game is something the Vikings actually did eight times in 2019. With Cook and Mattison back in the lineup, expect Minnesota to heavily rely on their run game to pull off the upset over the Saints on Sunday.