The New Orleans Saints’ Week 10 game against the Minnesota Vikings will teach us a lot, especially since both teams are in the thick of a crowded NFC playoff picture. Both teams have a 5-4 record. If the Saints maintain their lead in the NFC South, this is the type of opponent they could face in the first round of the playoffs.
If not the 5-4 Vikings, the 5-3 Seattle Seahawks or 5-3 Dallas Cowboys could visit. A good (but not great) team with a competitive talent level that presents unique challenges. The Saints must demonstrate their ability to take care of business and rise to the occasion after falling short of expectations last week in a close win over a 2-7 Chicago Bears team.
And, crucially for the Saints, this is their chance to win their first game against a winning team this season. They’ve only recently
Take another look at that. Only one of the Saints’ opponents this season has a winning record, and New Orleans lost that game. The Jaguars are chasing the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens (both 7-2) for the AFC’s top seed. This season, they have different goals than the Saints.
To be honest, they’re a better-coached team with higher aspirations than the Saints. Jacksonville is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Saints can realistically hope for a home playoff win and a dignified exit in the second round, which would be a better finish than fans have seen in the previous three or four years. At the same time, the postseason is unpredictable. When the Saints and Vikings meet, we’ve seen it all: a Super Bowl berth, a crushing last-second loss, and a stunning upset after a 13-win season.
Minnesota is a team in a similar situation with more comparable goals. Fans should be optimistic about the Saints’ chances if they can leave town with a clean win and improve to 6-4 before their bye week. It would be very encouraging if they could demonstrate that they can compete with a winning team. And, looking ahead, only one of the seven games remaining after their bye week will be against a team with a winning record (the 6-2 Detroit Lions). This Saints team is capable of winning 10 or 11 games, but they must prove it against the Vikings on Sunday.
Week 10 NFL broadcast schedule: Will your station broadcast Saints vs. Vikings?
Bryan Bresee has a high midseason grade among 2023 first-round draft picks.
Two Saints defenders are named to PFF’s midseason All-Pro Team. The Saints make an unusual pick in this 2024 NFL mock draft.
