The Saints just slammed the door on any hope for the Minnesota Vikings this season.
The Minnesota Vikings came into Week 16 needing to beat the New Orleans Saints and get some help from other teams in order to keep any hope of the playoffs alive. However, it was going to be a tough challenge to beat the Saints.
The game opened with a shootout. The Saints and Vikings exchanged rushing touchdowns with Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Mike Boone getting in the end zone in the first half. Of course, Kamara was the only one to reach paydirt three times in the first two quarters.
Minnesota’s defense looked terrible as they were unable to stop almost anything New Orleans tried. The Saints picked up a ton of yardage on the ground and used their running game to set up a limited passing game.
On the other hand, the Vikings’ offense looked pretty darned good. The offensive line still struggled against the Saints pass rush but Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Irv Smith Jr., and others found ways to move the ball. It was a turnover-free game for Minnesota, but that was not enough to keep up with New Orleans despite the defense getting two interceptions on Drew Brees.
Some opportunities did arise for the Vikings in this game, but the team couldn’t take advantage of them. A three-and-out after an interception and a fielded punt at the four-yard line gave Minnesota some chances to make an impact on the game but failed in spectacular fashion to cash in.
Christmas Day belonged to Alvin Kamara. The Saints running back had his way with Minnesota, gaining 155 yards on 22 carries, scoring six touchdowns, tying the NFL record for rushing touchdowns in a game.
The final score of the game was 33-52. The Minnesota Vikings had never given up more yards in a game to an opposing team than what happened on Christmas Day, as the Saints racked up 583 yards of offense against the purple and gold.
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This loss eliminates the Minnesota Vikings from playoff contention. Considering the way they have played the last three weeks, it’s probably for the best that this team didn’t sneak into the postseason.