New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara, standouts from Week 8 vs. Vikings
On Sunday night in the Twin Cities, the New Orleans Saints stayed hot with a win over the Vikings. Who were the key performers in the victory?
A season ago, the New Orleans Saints lost their first two games, reeled off eight straight wins and went onto capture their first NFC South title since 2011. This season, Sean Payton’s club was stunned at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-40, in Week 1. The reigning division champions haven’t lost since.
Over the past two weeks, Drew Brees and company have posted road wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings. The Saints are 4-0 away from home this season. The team is extremely balanced on offense and the defense is showing signs of progress after a rough September.
On Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, Payton’s club parlayed a big-play defensive unit and a solid pass rush, along with the versatile talents of running back Alvin Kamara, into a sixth consecutive victory. The Saints now own a 6-1 record and prepare to host the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in an epic showdown for NFC supremacy (at least for now).
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But back to the team’s 30-20 win over the Vikings. Payton’s company lost the total yardage battle, 423-270, and had 10 fewer first downs (17) than their hosts (27). And quarterback Drew Brees was limited to only 120 yards through the air. But the Saints turned over the Vikings twice and both proved to be huge plays in the victory.
So which three players stood out for New Orleans in their latest win? The answers may surprise you considering Brees is not among them.