The Minnesota Vikings had all the makings of a “get right” game against the Miami Dolphins last week. But even though they improved to 4-0, many Vikings fans left disappointed with their offense in the 15-10 victory. Minnesota managed just 336 yards of total offense in the win over Miami, and while it was a good win, fans want to see more as they face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The Saints are down bad, falling to 1-3 after a 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. But as the score indicates, their defense has been a major problem. After almost allowing a 50-burger to Atlanta, New Orleans has allowed an NFL-high 128 points in their first four games, and Troy Aikman’s comments about defensive coordinator Brandon Staley suggest the Saints could be ripe for the picking if the Vikings figure it out in Week 5.
“He doesn’t have any answers, and I think he knew it when we talked to him,” Aikman said during ESPN’s broadcast on Monday night. “I think he knew. He didn’t tell us, but the guys that are out, some of their big edge rushers and guys who can play the run and set the edge, they’re not on the field. …They just don’t have that star defender that can erase the mistakes of other people. This was a matchup issue coming in, and it’s proven true.”
New Orleans Saints’ defensive issues are exactly what the Minnesota Vikings need right now
The Saints' defense has been demolished in the first four weeks, and the biggest issue has been with their front seven. Edge rushers Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings are both out with injuries, a big blow to their pass-rushing depth; New Orleans is also without defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who is on injured reserve after tearing his ACL during the Saints’ first training camp practice.
New Orleans’s linebackers also haven’t escaped the injury bug. Kaden Eliss missed the Falcons game with an injury, and Pete Werner has been playing through a shoulder injury, limiting his effectiveness so far.
The Saints' secondary is another problem, as safeties Justin Reid, Jonas Sanker, and Julian Blackmon have each struggled mightily, and without a top corner, the Saints rank 14th in the NFL with 6.5 net yards per attempt and have the league’s second-lowest turnover rate (4.5%) behind the Indianapolis Colts (4.3%).
But perhaps the biggest problem, as Aikman alluded to, is Staley. The former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, Staley landed in New Orleans in part because his defense couldn’t stop yielding big plays, and without the depth to support him, it led to situations like the one against the Falcons, where he just shrugs his shoulders and wonders what he’s supposed to do.
This all came together in a gigantic mess on Monday night. The Falcons look like a different team after getting Michael Penix Jr. back under center from an ACL injury in Week 3. But the Falcons did whatever they wanted on the ground, rushing for 205 yards and five touchdowns between Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr.
Those numbers should make Vikings fans salivate over what they could do in the Caesars Superdome next week. But the bigger question is: will they take advantage?
The Saints could push the Vikings offense in the right direction in Week 5
A couple of things could hinder the Vikings as they look to get on track next week. The first is the state of the offense. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis wrote on Tuesday that the Vikings’ offense is still a work in progress and that while they didn’t pile on the points on Sunday, they made a few concessions, including more shotgun and pistol formations to fit Kyler Murray’s strengths.
“First and foremost, the Vikings lined up in the shotgun formation 54 times Sunday, the most in a game since O’Connell was hired in 2022,” Lewis wrote. “Minnesota ran the ball 18 times out of those shotgun sets, a significant jump from any of O’Connell’s previous games as a play caller.
“On an even deeper level, the Vikings sprinkled in pocket movement on third downs. They also utilized staple passing concepts.”
The Vikings also appeared to find something that worked in the fourth quarter of the win over the Dolphins as Murray completed 13 of his last 14 passes to put the game away. While you could argue that some of these changes could have come sooner if Murray hadn't suffered a concussion in Week 1, and O’Connell didn’t stage a quarterback competition with the since-traded J.J. McCarthy, there’s at least been some momentum, which should carry over against the Saints.
Injuries will make that task harder. Donovan Jackson is likely lost for the year after suffering a torn meniscus in Sunday’s win, and Christian Darrisaw’s status is worth monitoring after suffering a concussion. Justin Jefferson’s ankle is another question going into this week, but if anything, the Vikings could put an exclamation mark on their commitment to the running game.
After Aaron Jones ran 20 times for 94 yards and added four catches for 34 yards, he could be in line for a bigger performance on Sunday. With the Saints’ issues downfield, it could also open lanes for Murray to make just enough plays to get everything on track going into the bye.
With a 5-0 start hanging in the balance, it’s a good thing for the Vikings to get on tape before self-scouting during the bye week. And the Saints may be a willing partner in helping Minnesota’s offense get back on track.
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