By admin 
The matchup between the Minnesota Vikings (4-0) and New Orleans Saints (1-3) in Week 5 appears to favor the unbeaten visitors over the home team. Not because Las Vegas linemakers have declared the Vikings 2.5-point favorites in the game, but because the Vikings have the top-ranked defense in the NFL while the Saints have the worst.
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The immediate thought is that this is the game that the Vikings offense gets well, but multiple observers thought the same thing a week ago when the Vikings were playing at home against the winless Miami Dolphins. There was a belief that the Dolphins were the worst team in the NFL and that the Vikings would have their way with them.
Instead, the Dolphins made a statement on the first play of the game. They had not registered a sack in their first three games, but Kyler Murray was crushed by the Dolphins pass rush a split second after he had dropped back to pass. The Dolphins would sack him four times in the game. The Vikings won the game because PK Will Reichard made all five of his FG attempts.
This game does not appear to be one that will see the Vikings face similar resistance from the Saints defense. They do have one pass rusher who can cause problems in Chase Young, but he is likely to cause more issues for his own team than he is the Vikings. Young has 3.5 sacks, but he will disappear for long stretches from his OLB position.
Vikings D has to be aware of Saints passing game
The Vikings defense has been the best in the league to this point but the Saints have a quarterback in Tyler Shough who can test them. He is averaging 300.8 passing yards per game and has a 9-3 TD-interception ratio. Chris Olave is one of the best receivers in the NFL and that duo is not going to be intimidated by Dallas Turner, Josh Metellus, Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman. It is a fair test for the Vikings defense.
As dominant as the Vikings have been on defense, it would not be a shock if the Saints had one or two series that resulted in touchdowns. That’s why this is the week that the offense has to come around.
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Jefferson gets a chance to return home
The return of Justin Jefferson to the lineup is highly anticipated because his sprained ankle has recovered and he has returned to practice. Additionally, Jefferson will be playing 30 minutes from his home in Destrehan, Louisiana. When Jefferson was a college star at LSU, the home environment often motivated him, and now he gets the same chance with the Vikings — as long as the ankle doesn’t hold him back.
It would also be the time for Murray to step up and have a solid game. One of the big selling aspects of bringing Murray in after his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals was his mobility. He could get away from the pass rush and make plays on the run.
That has not happened to this point. Instead of getting out of the pocket and running or throwing for a significant gain, there has been some hesitation in Murray’s game. He needs to let his instincts take over. If he can find success on one or two plays early in the game, it could serve as a wake-up call for the Vikings offense.
The caveat is that Murray is not the same athlete at 29 that he was when he was 23 or 24. Injuries hurt him badly in two of this last three years with the Cardinals, but the Vikings believed he could still get it done. This would be a great week for him to show that O’Connell and the organization were correct in that assessment.
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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 7:34 AM.