Mike Zimmer gives Vikings fans another reason to hate the Saints

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer isn’t a fan of how the New Orleans Saints played at the end of their matchup last season.

During the last few years, the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints have certainly had some memorable meetings.

Since the 2017 season, the Vikings and Saints have faced off five times, including two meetings in the playoffs. Minnesota was able to win both postseason showdowns in dramatic fashion and they also came away with a victory when they took on New Orleans in the 2017 regular-season opener.

Last year, the Vikings went on the road for a Christmas Day matchup against the Saints. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s Christmas ended up getting spoiled as New Orleans left the field that day with a 52-33 win.

Mike Zimmer thinks the New Orleans Saints ran up the score on the Minnesota Vikings last season

For those who might not remember, the Vikings were only down four points to the Saints heading into the fourth quarter of their matchup last season. But then New Orleans ran away with the game in the final 15 minutes, outscoring Minnesota 21-6.

Recently, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer told NBC Sports’ Peter King that he believes the Saints ran up the score in their game last year. Especially since New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was still throwing the football with less than three minutes left in the contest when the Saints had a 12-point lead.

Yes, the Vikings got creamed by the Saints last season. But would anyone really be surprised if New Orleans head coach Sean Payton had his team keep their foot on the gas for the entire game? Especially against a franchise that has crushed the Saints’ dreams during two of their last three trips to the playoffs.

Despite New Orleans not even being in the NFC North, most Minnesota fans despise the team led by Payton. This disdain for the Saints can be traced all the way back to the 2009 NFC Championship when New Orleans intentionally tried to end the career of former Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.

Minnesota’s defense was pretty terrible last season, so it’s possible that the Saints didn’t run up the score against the Vikings last year. But once again, no one would be surprised if New Orleans actually did run up the score since Payton is not exactly known for his excellence in sportsmanship.