Minnesota’s defense set the tone and never really let New Orleans breathe, carrying the Vikings to a 23-13 win Sunday and keeping their perfect start intact at 5-0.
The Saints’ offense spent most of the afternoon stuck in the mud. Tyler Shough finished 16-of-25 for 96 yards with two interceptions, and New Orleans never found a rhythm. The numbers tell the story bluntly: just nine first downs, 142 total yards, 3.3 yards per play and a 2-of-10 showing on third down.
Even so, the game wasn’t fully put away by clean execution from Minnesota. The Vikings left points on the field with two costly red-zone fumbles.
Aaron Jones coughed one up inside the 10-yard line in the first half, and Myles Price had another in the third quarter. That second turnover briefly opened the door for New Orleans, which tied the game on an 87-yard fumble return.
But the Saints couldn’t cash in on the momentum swing. A missed extra point kept them from grabbing a one-point lead, and Minnesota soon reasserted control.
Jones answered with an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and Will Reichard sealed it with a 55-yard field goal to finish off the scoring.
Kyler Murray was efficient throughout, going 24-of-30 for 229 yards and a touchdown while also adding 51 rushing yards on 10 carries. The scoring throw went to Justin Jefferson, who was playing in his home state and finished with six catches for 79 yards.
Jones also turned in a heavy workload, piling up 113 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown.
Minnesota heads into its Week 6 bye still unbeaten. New Orleans, now 1-4, goes on the road to face the Giants next week.
In Other News...
Vikings Defense Is Starting To Look Like Every Offenses Nightmare
Minnesotas defense spent Sunday looking like the kind of unit opposing offenses would rather avoid altogether. In a 23-13 win over the Saints, Byron Murphy Jr. turned in a strong night in the secondary, while linebacker Blake Cashman and the rest of the group helped keep New Orleans out of rhythm and fed a Vikings team that went into its bye week without a loss.
What made it stand out was how little the Saints were able to build, even with a young quarterback trying to settle in. Tyler Shough never found much room to operate, and Minnesotas coverage and pursuit kept the pressure on from start to finish. Murphys two interceptions were the headline, but the bigger story for the Vikings is that this defense is starting to look consistent enough to carry real weight as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Jefferson Just Lost A Record To A Vikings Rival
Justin Jefferson has long been the benchmark for early-career production at wide receiver, but one of his records has now been overtaken by a familiar NFC North rival. Amon-Ra St. Brown has kept piling up catches since entering the league in 2021, and his steady output has put him in position to pass a mark that once belonged to Jefferson.
The new standard arrived during the Lions Week 5 game and was later confirmed by Detroits public relations account, underscoring just how consistent St. Brown has been from the start. For the Vikings, it is another reminder that the divisions top pass catchers are still trading blows, and Jeffersons place atop that list no longer looks quite as secure. [Read more 🡒]
Kyler Murray Is Giving Vikings Fans Real Reason To Believe
Kyler Murray put together the kind of efficient, dual-threat afternoon that can make a team feel a little different about itself, and Minnesota had every reason to take notice in the 23-13 win over New Orleans. He completed 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown without an interception, then added another layer with his legs, giving the Vikings the sort of balanced quarterback play that has been hard to ignore.
For a team heading into its bye week, the timing matters. Minnesota now gets a chance to carry that performance into the next stretch of the schedule, and the broader significance is hard to miss, too, because the game checked a box this franchise had never seen from a quarterback before. The only question is whether this was a one-off eruption or the kind of outing that starts to reshape what Vikings fans expect every week. [Read more 🡒]