by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Sep 26, 2022
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
Where to watch: NFL Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Vikings -2.5
FanDuel: Vikings -2.5
BetMGM: Vikings -3
Caesars: Vikings -2.5
Season record
Vikings: 2-1
Saints: 1-2
Are you not entertained by the NFL season one month in? What action we've had, and we're already down to the point where the 1972 Miami Dolphins can start popping champagne. Only three undefeated teams remain heading into the Monday Night matchup and there were upsets galore this past weekend. And of course, nothing was more electric than our own Wayne Root going 8-2-0 in the NFL this past weekend. So many upsets, so many big covers and backdoor covers, what in the world will Week 4 hold? Make sure you're following Wayne and our other champion handicappers to find out what we're rolling with so you may get on the action. You can find all of this on our Best Bets page.
Vikings - Saints preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Vikings: won 28-24 vs. Lions
Saints: lost 22-14 at Panthers
We’re hitting London this week for the NFL’s Global Series game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, so be prepared for a rout ahead of time.
We’re hitting London this week for the NFL’s Global Series game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, so be prepared for a rout ahead of time.
But we will start with the designated road team for this one, coming off a thrilling victory against the Detroit Lions to get off to a 2-1 start. Both wins are against division opponents, and one against the team that might be the best team in football right now, so take that how you will. But the Vikings are off to a strong start, especially offensively. I feel like we need to take that with a grain of salt, but we did see how the Vikings fared against the same Green Bay defense that silenced Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the day. Kirk Cousins threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns with the winner to K.J. Osborn with 45 seconds remaining. The Vikings trailed by 10 going into the fourth quarter before mounting a comeback against the pesty Lions. But the important thing is the Vikings find themselves with two wins in three games under new coach Kevin O’Connell and that couldn’t go any better for them.
“I wanted to score a touchdown. I wanted to win this football game in front of our fans in regulation, put maximum pressure on those guys,” O'Connell said.
And that they did with the Vikings storming back to get a huge win. The only downside for the Vikings is the uncertain health of star running back Dalvin Cook, who dislocated his shoulder. He ran for 96 yards and a touchdown before leaving. If he can’t go on Sunday in Tottenham’s stadium, it may not be as much of a uphill climb, though. Alex Mattison ran for 28 yards and the crucial fourth quarter touchdown to get them back into the game. That was all Minnesota needed to really get back in the thick of things, and it just came down to the defense stopping Jared Goff, which really isn’t the most impossible thing to do. This is based off a game where Justin Jefferson caught just three passes for 14 yards. If that doesn’t tell you how resilient of a win this one, then clearly you’re not ready to get up at 6:30 a.m. PT on Sunday to watch this team do it again.
Now for the Saints. As expected, 1-2 after winning that thriller in Atlanta. So far, the offense has not delivered and no one should be shocked given the circumstances. But the Sains completely laid an egg on Sunday by losing to the Carolina Panthers 22-14. Jameis Winston was a mediocre 25 of 41 for 353 yards and a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. Baker Mayfield wasn’t any better by giving up 170 yards and a touchdown to the Carolina quarterback, but the Saints just had no consistency to their game. They had 426 total yards of offense but turned the ball over three times. It was just a nightmare all around for those involved.
“I just think we’ve got to be better early on in the game," Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “We’ve got to execute better. Certainly, that starts with us as a coaching staff. We’ve got to put a good plan together and give our guys a chance to be successful.”
We just need to face it for what it is: The Saints are garbage and it’s time to officially tank and get in this quarterback sequence for the NFL Draft. There’s no way they’re going to survive, no matter how wide open the NFC South is right now.
Prediction
Someone’s coming back to get whipped like Tottenham used to back in the day, and it isn’t going to be Minnesota. It makes no sense to have the Vikings lose this game, and the Saints don’t have enough firepower to make things happen. Vikings by 17
Betting trends
Vikings are 7-11 ATS in their last 18 as a favorite.
Vikings are 1-4 ATS in their last five against NFC South teams.
Saints are 6-5 ATS in their last 11 as an underdog.
Statistical leaders
Vikings:
Passing: Kirk Cousins -- 758 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dalvin Cook -- 203 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Justin Jefferson -- 246 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Two tied -- 2 sacks
Saints:
Passing: Jameis Winston -- 858 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Alvin Kamara -- 100 yards
Receiving: Chris Olave -- 268 yards
Defense: Pete Werner -- 32 tackles
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Minnesota Vikings - New Orleans Saints prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
