NFC Championship: Minnesota Vikings travel to face New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 6:45pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For New Orleans Saints, the home crowd at Louisiana Superdome is asked to be a player; for Minnesota Vikings, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Louisiana Superdome with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Minnesota Vikings versus New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7-9 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9-7 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | W4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 14-2 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 9-7 | W4 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 13-3 | W11 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-11 | L2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 10-6 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8-8 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-11 | L4 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-15 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 11-5 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | L2 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 12-4 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-14 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 13-3 | L3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-7 | W3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8-8 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-13 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1414212828 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 714212831 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Adrian Peterson 19 yard rush ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 7-0 |
| Saints | Pierre Thomas 38 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 7-7 |
| Vikings | Sidney Rice 5 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 14-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Devery Henderson 9 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 14-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Pierre Thomas 9 yard rush ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 14-21 |
| Vikings | Adrian Peterson 1 yard rush ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 21-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Reggie Bush 5 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 21-28 |
| Vikings | Adrian Peterson 2 yard rush ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 28-28 |
| OT | ||
| Saints | Garrett Hartley 40 yard field goal | 28-31 |
| Vikings | Saints | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 31 | 15 |
| Total Yards | 475 | 257 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 28/46 | 17/31 |
| Pass yards | 310 | 197 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 8 |
| Net pass yards | 310 | 189 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 36 | 23 |
| Rush yards | 165 | 68 |
| Rush TD | 3 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 6 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 32 | 88 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | |||||
| Brett Favre | 28/46 | 310 | 1 | 2 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Drew Brees | 17/31 | 197 | 3 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | ||||
| Adrian Peterson | 25 | 122 | 3 | 27 |
| Chester Taylor | 6 | 28 | 0 | 14 |
| Percy Harvin | 4 | 15 | 0 | 10 |
| Brett Favre | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NOR | ||||
| Pierre Thomas | 14 | 61 | 1 | 12 |
| Reggie Bush | 7 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Drew Brees | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lynell Hamilton | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | ||||
| Bernard Berrian | 9 | 102 | 0 | 30 |
| Visanthe Shiancoe | 4 | 83 | 0 | 26 |
| Sidney Rice | 4 | 43 | 1 | 20 |
| Percy Harvin | 5 | 38 | 0 | 20 |
| Chester Taylor | 3 | 18 | 0 | 11 |
| Adrian Peterson | 2 | 14 | 0 | 11 |
| Jim Kleinsasser | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| NOR | ||||
| Devery Henderson | 4 | 39 | 1 | 16 |
| Pierre Thomas | 2 | 38 | 1 | 38 |
| Reggie Bush | 2 | 33 | 1 | 28 |
| David Thomas | 3 | 32 | 0 | 17 |
| Marques Colston | 2 | 22 | 0 | 13 |
| Robert Meachem | 2 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| Jeremy Shockey | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Lance Moore | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
New Orleans Saints defeated Minnesota Vikings 31-28 at Louisiana Superdome in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Saints: Garrett Hartley 40 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New Orleans Saints won by 3. Top line of the day: Brett Favre: 310 pass yards on 28-of-46, 1 TD, 2 INT. New Orleans Saints advance to the Super Bowl.
New Orleans Saints walked out of Louisiana Superdome as the team that survived an NFC Championship Minnesota Vikings will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 31-28. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Saints: Garrett Hartley 40 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New Orleans Saints are bound for the Super Bowl.
New Orleans Saints 31, Minnesota Vikings 28. Round: NFC Championship. Attendance: 71276. Q1: 3 scoring plays. Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Brett Favre: 310 pass yards on 28-of-46, 1 TD, 2 INT - Adrian Peterson: 122 rush yards on 25 carries - Bernard Berrian: 9 catches for 102 yards
NFC Championship, played at Louisiana Superdome. Final: Minnesota Vikings 28, New Orleans Saints 31, with New Orleans Saints taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Vikings: Adrian Peterson 19 yard rush ( Ryan Longwell kick) - Saints: Pierre Thomas 38 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) - Vikings: Sidney Rice 5 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick)
**Second quarter**
- Saints: Devery Henderson 9 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick)
**Third quarter**
- Saints: Pierre Thomas 9 yard rush ( Garrett Hartley kick) - Vikings: Adrian Peterson 1 yard rush ( Ryan Longwell kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Saints: Reggie Bush 5 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) - Vikings: Adrian Peterson 2 yard rush ( Ryan Longwell kick)
**Overtime**
- Saints: Garrett Hartley 40 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Brett Favre: 310 pass yards on 28-of-46, 1 TD, 2 INT - Adrian Peterson: 122 rush yards on 25 carries - Bernard Berrian: 9 catches for 102 yards
A 3-point margin in NFC Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.