We were able to catch up with John Sigler over at Saints Wire before Sunday’s Vikings and Saints game. Here are five questions our Kyle Ratke asked before a game nobody is giving the Vikings a chance:
KR: The Vikings will be without both Mackensie Alexander and Mike Hughes for this game. Give me your Michael Thomas fantasy prediction. . . There’s no way he doesn’t feast on this Vikings’ secondary, right?
JS: We’ll see! Thomas has run wild against every secondary he’s faced this season, but there’s reason to think he doesn’t have a big day on Sunday. He’s been limited in practice with a hand injury, and ended the regular season with a dud against the Carolina Panthers, catching just 4 of 9 targets for 37 yards. The Saints still won that game by 30-plus points, however, so they might be able to survive if he has another quiet outing.
KR: Vikings fans are familiar with Saints running back Latavius Murray. How has he done in his first season?
JS: Murray has played like someone who deserves more touches. He ran for 100-plus yards twice in relief of Alvin Kamara and has accounted for most of the team’s longest gains on the ground. He’s a bruising presence in the run game and has gotten opportunities to show what he can do as a receiver, which is impressive. He isn’t Mark Ingram, but the Saints haven’t needed him to be.
KR: If I’m a coach and I’m trying to slow down Drew Brees, what should my gameplan be?
JS: Taking away Thomas is easier said than done, but that’s the key. Make the other Saints receivers win their one-on-one matchups. They’ve struggled to do that for much of the year even if things have been going well lately. Besides that, dial up blitzes and hope they get home. Every quarterback plays worse under pressure, even if Brees goes from great to just above-average. That’s tough because the Saints offensive line is one of the best at stopping four-man rushes, and nobody navigates the pocket better than Brees.
KR: What’s the strength of this New Orleans’ defense and how could that turn into a long day for Kirk Cousins?
JS: Much has been made about injuries along the defensive line, and it’s true that Sheldon Rankins and Marcus Davenport have been missed. But neither of them were full-time starters. The Saints pass rush unit is the strongest grouping of talent on the defense, led by Cameron Jordan and big free agent pickup Malcom Brown. They’ve gotten great contributions out of a second-string made up of diamonds found in the rough of undrafted free agency, and they should pressure Cousins often.
KR:Who wins this? Can the Vikings at least cover the spread?!
JS: I’ll be honest: I don’t like this matchup for Minnesota. Marshon Lattimore is well-equipped to cover Stefon Diggs, and the Saints secondary has had success against the play-action patterns Cousins leans on to create big plays. Their run defense is one of the NFL’s most consistent, which should neutralize Dalvin Cook. But I still believe that Mike Zimmer is too good of a coach to let this one get out of hand. I’m taking the Saints over the Vikings 28-20.