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Two of the league's best QB's will battle it out for the NFC title.
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
Sunday, January 24th 6:40 pm EST
Louisiana Superdome (Metairie, LA)
The Saints (14-3) return to the NFC Championship for the first time since they lost to the Bears 3 years ago, while the Vikings (13-4) will make their first appearance since 2000 when they lost to the Giants, 41-0. Both quarterbacks have their offenses clicking on all cylinders and this game has all the makings of a classic battle. Drew Brees, who led the NFL in 2009 with 34 touchdown passes, threw for 247 yards and 3 scores in last Saturday’s 45-14 win over Arizona. There was also a Reggie Bush sighting, as the 4th year back had one of his best games as a pro. Bush managed to gain 84 yards on 5 carries, including a brilliant 46 yard TD run late in the 1st quarter. He also caught 4 passes for 24 yards and returned a punt for a touchdown early in the 2nd half. In addition to Bush, Drew Brees has plenty of other weapons at his disposal including WR’s Marques Colston and Robert Meachem, as well as TE Jeremy Shockey. But as unstoppable as the Saints can be on offense, they will have their work cut out for them up against the NFL’s best pass rush.
The Vikings defense, led by Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen, produced a league best 48 sacks this season while allowing an average of 218.4 passing yards per game. They also possess a stout run defense that ranked 2nd in the NFL, allowing just 87.1 yards per game on the ground. On the other side of the ball, the Vikes are led by no other than 40 year old future Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre. Favre was at his best in last Sunday’s 34-3 rout of Dallas. He threw for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns, including 3 scores to his favorite target and emerging star, Sidney Rice. Rice’s 3 touchdown grabs tied an NFL post season record and he finished the game with 6 receptions for 141 yards in total. The Vikings also have one of the best running backs in football on their team in Adrian Peterson, who led the NFL this past year with 18 rushing touchdowns. AP managed just 63 yards on 26 carries against a strong Cowboys defense last week, but he should be a lot better against the Saints. The Saints will try to contain the Vikes offensive stars with a defense that ranked just 25th in the NFL during the regular season. They did manage to force 26 interceptions, however, so Brett Favre will need to careful with his throws downfield, especially when throwing in the direction of ex-teammate Darren Sharper (9 INT’s).
Bottom Line:
If the Vikings defense can get pressure on Drew Brees, which is a lot easier said than done, it will go a long way towards them winning the game. I expect Adrian Peterson to have a very productive game on the ground, which will not only wear down a suspect Saints defense, but also keep the Saints offense off the field. Brett Favre will need to avoid the big turnover, which is something he’s pretty much been able to do all year long. Look for Drew Brees to finish with at least 300 yards passing, as the Saints will struggle to run the ball all game long.  With two potent offenses matched up in this one, I think it will come down to which defense plays better and which team can control the clock.  While the Saints are definitely capable of winning those battles, I have to give the edge to the Vikings in this one.
Prediction: Vikings 31 Saints 26
