Saints vs. Vikings: NFC Divisional Round preview Published: Jan 12, 2018 at 01:37 AM Around the NFL Writer The Backstory In a game that feels like it took place eons ago, the and faced off to open the season in Minnesota. Mike Zimmer's squad pounced on New Orleans and never relented in a . The two teams at U.S. Bank Stadium as completely different teams after months of battle. The Week 1 tilt featured dicing up a secondary that J.D. Martinez Jersey had yet to find its mojo. running back galloped all over the dome, setting a team rookie record. Neither of them has seen the field since Week 5. The had yet to unleash the full force of its ascendant rookie cla s, including running back , corner and safety . After a sluggish start to the year -- and jettisoning -- the gashed opponents with the best one-two backfield punch in the NFL. and Kamara combined to lead the NFL in rushing yards (1,852), rushing TDs (20), scrimmage yards (3,094) and scrimmage TDs (25). The overpowering backfield attack aided an improved defense by milking the clock. While future r took a backseat through the regular season, the quarterback's demise was incredibly exaggerated. Compiling record-setting completion percentage, Brees and No. 1 target can pilfer opponents seemingly on the snap of a finger. As he did in last week's playoff victory, when the need a game from Brees, he delivers the goods. The , meanwhile, stormed through the NFC North behind skillful play from replacement quarterback , whose heady pocket movement and intelligent marksmanship allowed him to finish behind only Brees in completion percentage this season. Minnesota built its own potent backfield behind and . Zimmer's squad enters Sunday owning the most consistent and dominating defense in the NFL. A group that could rival the Purple People Eaters of old, Minnesota's D can stuff the run (second in rushing YPG allowed), smother the pa s (second in pa sing YPG), stiff arm scoring drives (first in points per game) and quash big plays (fewest rushes of 10-plus yards and receptions of 20-plus Blake Swihart Jersey yards allowed). When the last hosted a playoff game, Minnesota came within a chip-shot choke from pulling off an upset. Could kicker succumb to his yips and provide the latest booting nightmare for fans? Or will the most balanced team in the NFC thwart a quarterback to continue its run toward a home bid? Under Pre sure , quarterback: For five seasons, Keenum journeyed from one outfit to another, mostly losing along the way. After grabbing the reins early in 2017 following 's knee injury, Keenum has performed spectacularly. Far from a dink-and-dunk artist, the 29-year-old is fearle s maneuvering the pocket and dropping pinpoint bombs. He can find and acro s the formation against zones and man coverage. Playoff inexperience will be Keenum's biggest task to overcome. Brees has 12 career playoff starts. Keenum has zero. The last quarterback without a playoff start to beat a team sporting a QB with 10-plus playoff starts was Tim Tebow over in the 2011 wild-card round. Keenum deftly avoided turnovers this season, to sing just seven interceptions to 21 touchdowns. That trend must continue for the playoff neophyte. While Diggs likely will face Lattimore in one-on-one matchups on the outside, Keenum should find wideout Thielen with regularity out of the slot. The ' banged-up defense has given up an average of 434 total yards per game the last two weeks -- to the and (not exactly two explosive units). Keenum's receivers won't suffer the same case of the drops Carolina wideouts experienced last year. In his first playoff start, Keenum Craig Kimbrel Jersey owns the weapons to keep his dream season alive if he can keep the nerves under wraps. RBs: Was last week's struggle for Ingram and Kamara a blip on the radar or a symptom of a larger i sue behind an injured O-line facing ramped-up defensive completion? After becoming the first duo in NFL history to each earn 1,500-plus scrimmage yards, Kamara and Ingram mustered 68 total yards on 21 touches (3.2 yards per touch) in the wild-card win. Against arguably the best defense in the NFL, the running backs must be better Sunday. The allowed the fewest scrimmage yards to running backs in 2017 and just 4.1 yards per touch to RBs (second fewest in the NFL). It's not a coincidence the ' defense struggled the past two games as New Orleans' running game failed to gain traction in each contest. Without the ground game churning the clock and grinding down opponents, a banged-up defense was left exposed. Kamara will be the key Sunday indoors in Minnesota. The slippery rookie saw just 11 touches for 38 yards in the opener versus the before he morphed into an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. The two dual-threat running backs Minnesota faced this season that most closely resemble what Kamara brings to the table were and . Zimmer's defense slowed both dynamic backs to the tune of 2.9 and 3.1 yards per touch, respectively. Behind a banged-up offensive line, Kamara must find holes to slither through and bust out a few of his jaw-dropping runs. When Kamara pops off, it will help chip away at a concrete defense. Matchup to Watch Bobby Doerr Jersey vs. stud D: Seven previous times since 1990 a team with a top-two total defense faced off against a team with a top-two total offense in the playoffs. Six of those seven instances the defensive team came out victorious. Facts aside, bet against Brees at your own peril. The savvy veteran has pillaged top defenses this year. In seven games versus top-10 total defenses, Brees has thrown 10 TDs to three INTs for a 110.1 pa ser rating and 8.8 yards per attempt. When the competition rises, Brees finds another gear. The matchup within the matchup is between No. 1 wideout versus shutdown corner . Rhodes tailed opposing No. 1 receivers in 10 of 16 games this season, and allowed just one 100-yard receiver when shadowing ( ), . If Rhodes slows Thomas, look for Brees to take shots downfield to Jr. and Kamara out of the backfield. Brees' ability to spread the ball around and get it out quickly will be key for the ' aerial attack versus Zimmer's plethora of pre sure packages. One key to Brees' pa sing game will be run after the catch. Behind pinpoint pa ses that hit WRs in stride, Brees Babe Ruth Jersey ranks second in the NFL in YAC per reception, per PFF. However, the give up the fewest YAC per reception allowed. If Thomas, Ginn, and Kamara can shed tacklers, it could bend the game in Brees' advantage Prediction The gut says to trust the quarterback to make plays in crunch time. The mind argues the are too balanced on both sides of the ball to falter. The home crowd tips the scales by plucking the heartstrings. Behind a raucous crowd, lathered into a fever pitch with every Skol chant and Gjallarhorn blow, Keenum will make enough plays to pull the away against a defense whose injuries will finally be too much to overcome. 23, 17 This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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