4 reasons why the Vikings will beat the Saints in the playoffs
By Adam Patrick
New Orleans’ lack of weapons outside of Thomas
Going into Sunday’s matchup, everyone is pretty aware of the fact that stopping Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is going to be a huge priority for the Vikings. But after Thomas, what other New Orleans skill position players does Minnesota have to worry about.
Most will point to running back Alvin Kamara as being another dangerous weapon on the Saints offense. But in 2019, Kamara set career lows for total yards from scrimmage and touchdowns while also setting a new career-high for fumbles in a season. This isn’t the same lethal running back that he was during his first two years in the NFL.
Some may then suggest that the Vikings need to worry about New Orleans tight end Jared Cook. He might cause problems for another team, but Minnesota has the tools (Eric Kendricks and Harrison Smith) to shut down a guy in Cook who only averaged three targets per game during the last four weeks of the season.
Along with Kamara and Cook, guys like Latavius Murray, Taysom Hill, Ted Ginn, and Tre’Quan Smith are not exactly players who should be striking fear in the Vikings’ defense on Sunday.