New Orleans Saints

Saints, Vikings open postseason with 5th playoff meeting

Published Jan. 2, 2020 6:02 p.m. ET

MINNESOTA (10-6) at NEW ORLEANS (13-3)

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. EST, Fox

OPENING LINE — Saints by 7.

RECORD VS. SPREAD — Vikings 9-7, Saints 11-5

SERIES RECORD — Vikings lead 22-12

LAST MEETING — Saints beat Vikings 30-20, Oct. 28, 2018

LAST WEEK — Vikings lost to Bears 21-19; Saints beat Panthers 42-10

AP PRO32 RANKING — Vikings No. 9, Saints No. 2

VIKINGS OFFENSE — OVERALL (16), RUSH (6), PASS (23).

VIKINGS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (13), PASS (15).

SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (9), RUSH (16), PASS (7).

SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (11), RUSH (4), PASS (20).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Vikings have won three of four playoff meetings. ... Minnesota won previous postseason meeting, 29-24, on Jan. 14, 2018 in divisional round in game that ended with 61-yard TD catch by Stefon Diggs as time expired, known as “Minneapolis Miracle.” ... QB Kirk Cousins had 26 TDs passing against six INTs in 2019. He's only QB with 25 or more TDs passing in each of past five seasons. ... RB Dalvin Cook makes playoff debut. Cook had 127 rush yards in only career game against Saints in 2017. He had six TDs rushing in eight road games in 2019 and became third RB in Vikings history, along with Ted Brown and Chuck Foreman, with at least 1,000 yards rushing (1,135) and 500 yards receiving (519) in single season. ... Diggs had career-high 1,130 yards receiving in 2019. ... TE Kyle Rudolph has five TDs receiving in his past five road games. ... DE Danielle Hunter tied career high with 14 1/2 sacks this season. ... Saints' lone playoff win over Vikings came in NFC title game in New Orleans at end of 2009 season. Saints went on to win lone Super Bowl in franchise history. Two current Saints, QB Drew Brees and punter Thomas Morstead, played in New Orleans' lone playoff win over Vikings 10 years ago. ... Saints QB Drew Brees completed 74.3% of passes in 2019, second-highest single-season mark in NFL history behind his own NFL record of 74.4% last season. Brees is NFL all-time leader in yards passing with 77,416 and TDs passing with 547. He has 15 TDs and no INTs in past four outings. ... RB Alvin Kamara had 1,330 scrimmage yards (797 rushing, 533 receiving) in 2019, became third player in NFL history, joining Abner Haynes and Herschel Walker, with at least 500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in each of first three seasons. ... Saints RB Latavius Murray played for Vikings previous two seasons. ... WR Michael Thomas led NFL with single-season record 149 receptions and had career-high 1,725 yards receiving. this season. He has at least 10 catches, 100 yards, in each of last six home games. ... Thomas had at least 10 catches in nine games, most in single season in NFL history. ... TE Jared Cook has seven TDs receiving in past seven games. DE Cameron Jordan had career-high 15 1/2 sacks in 2019.