Minnesota Vikings

Postseason sneak peek: Vikings vs. Saints

Published Jan. 11, 2018 3:18 p.m. ET

Tom Dierberger

The Minnesota Vikings’ 2017 campaign was a season of storylines. Sixteen contests -- 13 of them victorious – led us to where we are now: on the verge of a postseason run that could make up for the last 56 seasons of purple disappointment.

But no storyline -- not even Teddy Bridgewater’s miraculous return from injury or the rise of Case Keenum -- would outdo the potential fable of toppling two foes from NFC title games of the past: the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.

The first obstacle is New Orleans, a team that shamelessly battered Vikings general Brett Favre in 2010 and dared to take home Super Bowl rings that clearly belonged in the North.

Eight years later, the Saints, led by the same quarterback, Drew Brees, and head coach, Sean Payton, visit the Bold North on Sunday.

This vengeance tour is so wonderfully scripted it should probably feature Liam Neeson at quarterback and Russell Crowe at linebacker.

My name is Maximus Decimus Ragnar, commander of the armies of the North, general of the Zim Reapers and loyal servant to the true emperor, Zygi Wilf. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

*Shivers*

Admittedly, it’s much more of a revenge game for the purple faithful than the actual players on the field -- it's well known that defensive end Brian Robison is the only remaining player in Minnesota's locker room from that fateful 2010 evening.

But Vikings fans certainly haven't forgotten.

In a Twitter poll I sent out earlier this week, my followers (ok, so my mom, grandma and my fake burner account) voted by a large margin they’d rather take down the Saints in a 30-point blowout rather than deliver a heartbreaking, tortuous loss to Saints fans that would haunt them for the next decade.

Would you rather have the #Vikings beat the Saints...

— Tom Dierberger (@tomdierberger) January 9, 2018

That kind of beatdown would be personal. Hence the Saints' No. 1 spot in this week's bitterness rankings, a list of the other seven remaining teams in the NFL playoffs.

VIKINGS FANS BITTERNESS RANKINGS

1. Saints: Need I say more?

2. Falcons: The 1999 NFC Championship game is, quite frankly, one of my first memories as a human being. I was about four years old at the time and, up to that point, didn’t know what heartbreak really felt like. Now I do. Just ask Marshall Erikson.

3. Patriots: Everyone is sick of the Patriots. And according to recent reports, the Patriots are sick of themselves.

4. Steelers: Old school Vikings fans haven’t forgotten the loss in Super Bowl IX.

5. Eagles: I'm just bitter Campbell's Chunky soup hasn't given North Dakota's Carson Wentz an endorsement deal yet.

6. Jaguars: The Jaguars think their defense is better than the Vikings’ D. To quote the one and only Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson: “Child, please."

7. Titans: Any bitterness towards the Titans is like cheering against the Little Giants. Let’s just hope they don’t run the “Annexation of Puerto Rico.”

#BOLDNORTH PREDICTIONS

-- Favre shuffles out to blow the Gjallarhorn before the game (ok, not going to happen, but how sweet would that be?)

-- Keenum throws for two touchdowns and rushes for another, then plays freeze tag in the end zone for another classic team celebration.

FINAL SCORE: Vikings 28, Saints 13

Are you not entertained?