By admin 
Drew Brees went into the New Orleans Saints’ Ring of Honor at halftime Sunday, and the offense he once ran gave the Caesars Superdome crowd little else to cheer. Tyler Shough threw for 96 yards and two interceptions in a 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the kind of afternoon we worried about when Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy defense came up on the schedule.
Read more New York Jets Defense Beats the Cleveland Browns in the Rain
The score was tied at 13 late in the third quarter, and the defense was the reason. New Orleans has now dropped three straight games, all of them on Poydras Street, and sits at 1-4 with trips to New Jersey and Paris ahead. Four things stood out.
Tyler Shough never got the ball downfield
Shough came in averaging 300 passing yards per game with nine touchdown passes. He left with 16 completions for 96 yards, none longer than 16, and a 38.1 passer rating. Protection held up, too. A Vikings defense that led the NFL with 16 sacks got to him once.
Both interceptions went to Byron Murphy Jr. in long-yardage spots, a second-and-26 and a third-and-12. Chris Olave was held to four catches for 46 yards after carrying a 90.0 receiving grade through four games, according to PFF. And the fourth quarter, once Shough’s best stretch, produced a punt, a failed fourth down and an interception.
The defense did enough to win
New Orleans forced three fumbles and recovered two. Chase Young’s 27-yard return of the first set up the only offensive touchdown, and Jonas Sanker took the second one 87 yards to tie the game. Carl Granderson added 1.5 sacks.
Read more Instant Analysis: Giants Tie Commanders in Mistake-Filled Game in Washington
That came without interior linemen Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton, both inactive with an illness, and the cost showed up over time. Minnesota held the ball for 39:37, converted nine of 18 third downs and got 113 rushing yards from Aaron Jones Sr. Young had 13 of the team’s 57 pressures through four games, according to PFF, and he needs more help when the defense is out there for 68 plays.
Special teams gave away the third quarter
Jayden Price fumbled the second-half kickoff at the Saints’ 29, and Justin Jefferson scored from 15 yards out six plays later. When Sanker’s return evened things up, Daniel Carlson pushed the extra point wide left, so a 14-13 lead stayed a tie. Earlier, Myles Price brought a 64-yard Ryan Wright punt back 43 yards. A team gaining 3.3 yards per play can’t absorb those.
The run game still misses Travis Etienne Jr.
Kendre Miller carried on the final five snaps of a 15-play touchdown drive that needed two fourth-down conversions, and that was the best the ground game looked all day. The Saints finished with 55 yards on 17 carries. A group that ranked 27th in rushing at 88.5 yards per game went backward again with Etienne on injured reserve.
It showed up on third down. New Orleans went 2 of 10, had three three-and-outs in the first half and held the ball for 20:23. The Giants are next on Oct. 18 at MetLife Stadium, and Kellen Moore’s offense has a week to find a run game before it gets on a plane to Paris to face the Steelers.
Read more Patriots MVP Candidate Drake Maye Returns, Fires Near-Perfect Game to Overwhelm Raiders
More on the New Orleans Saints
- Final Injury Report for Vikings-Saints: Will Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison Play?
- 3 Reasons the Saints Will Beat the Vikings, and 2 Reasons They Won’t
- Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints NFL Prediction, Picks & Odds for Week 5
- Chris Olave vs. Vikings Week 5: Four Expectations for Saints WR After a Foot Scare
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 2:14 PM.