Well, it wasn’t exactly the shootout we all expected. But the Saints’ 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener proved a few points:
The Saints don’t need to score 30 points to win a game.
They can win a defensive battle against a strong opponent.
They are just as physical as any other team in the league.
Brett Favre really looked like he could have used training camp.
As the game started, the Superdome crowd was in an absolute frenzy. Seeing that Super Bowl banner unveiled just added fuel to their fire. And the Saints came out fired up as well, marching right down the field to take a 7-0 lead on a 29 yard Drew Brees (27/36, 237 yards, 1TD, 101.3 QB Rating) pass to Devery Henderson.
That was probably the last time all night the normally explosive Saints offense looked like themselves. Minnesota may have had a lot of injuries in their defensive secondary, but their front seven was as good as ever. The Saints ran the ball just 3 times in the first half. That lack of balance gave the Vikings the opportunity to simply play the pass.
Meanwhile, the Vikings offense struggled as well. They did manage two nice drives towards the end of the half, the first ending in a field goal, and the second ending with a Brett Favre (15/27, 171 yards, 1TD, 1INT, 71.7 QB Rating) TD pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. The Vikings took a 9-7 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Saints suddenly switched their offensive philosophy and essentially ran the ball into the teeth of that Minnesota defense. Pierre Thomas (19 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD) used a lot of patience and agility to keep the chains moving for the Saints. His 1 yard score midway through the 3rd quarter gave the Saints a 14-9 edge, which they would keep for the rest of the game.
But, it was the Saints defense who were most impressive in the second half. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams made a great adjustment, taking Visanthe Shiancoe out of the game. Shiancoe seemed to be the only target Favre had a great deal of trust in, and Williams had him covered like a blanket.
Favre didn’t look like a confident player that entire half. And, while he didn’t take nearly the physical beating as he did in last season’s NFC title game, there was enough pressure in his face to disrupt the timing of the Vikings offense.
Although Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had 87 yards on the ground, the Saints did a much better job of corralling the Pro Bowler in the second half. Since the Vikings had no passing game to speak of in that half, it led to a lot of 3 and out series for Minnesota.
While it wasn’t pretty, it was important for the Saints to win this kind of game early in the season. Defending a Super Bowl title isn’t easy. In order to have success in 2010, the Saints will most likely play in more of these slug-fests. It’s reassuring to see that this team can win, even when the offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders. Plus, the offense will no doubt rebound as the year goes along. I do think that coach Sean Payton will have to keep a more balanced attack next week against San Francisco.
The only real trouble spot for the team came from kicker Garrett Hartley, who missed kicks from 46 and 32 yards. Hopefully, that’s just the sign of one bad night and doesn’t become a trend.
Who Dat Awards:
Drew Brees – He wasn’t the fantasy stats hero last night, but he was accurate and played a very smart game.
Pierre Thomas – An outstanding second half. He and the offensive line kept the Vikings offense off of the field.
The Offensive Line – They allowed just 1 sack and took over the game in the second half.
Jonathan Vilma – Had a key interception in the 2nd quarter.
Jo-Lonn Dunbar & Malcolm Jenkins – Both started for injured teammates and were outstanding. Dunbar had 7 tackles and Jenkins nearly made an interception. So much for my concerns there!
Thomas Morstead – His booming punts kept Minnesota in less-than-ideal field position. The coverage units also played very well.
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