NFC Divisional: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (U.S. Bank Stadium), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 4:40pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. New Orleans Saints traveling to Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in U.S. Bank Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
New Orleans Saints versus Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional. 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 New Orleans Saints-Minnesota Vikings 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 | 13-3 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9-7 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 13-3 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9-7 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-16 | L16 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 10-6 | L2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 9-7 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 4-12 | L6 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W4 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 9-7 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6-10 | L4 |
| Denver Broncos | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-5 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8-8 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-10 | W5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 13-3 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 3-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 13-3 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7-9 | L3 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 11-5 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 10-6 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 0072424 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 1017172929 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Jerick McKinnon 14 yard rush ( Kai Forbath kick) | 0-7 |
| Vikings | Kai Forbath 20 yard field goal | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Latavius Murray 1 yard rush ( Kai Forbath kick) | 0-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Michael Thomas 14 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) | 7-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Michael Thomas 3 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) | 14-17 |
| Vikings | Kai Forbath 49 yard field goal | 14-20 |
| Saints | Alvin Kamara 14 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) | 21-20 |
| Vikings | Kai Forbath 53 yard field goal | 21-23 |
| Saints | Wil Lutz 43 yard field goal | 24-23 |
| Vikings | Stefon Diggs 61 yard pass from Case Keenum (run failed) | 24-29 |
| Saints | Vikings | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 23 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 358 | 403 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 25/41 | 25/40 |
| Pass yards | 294 | 318 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 16 | 10 |
| Net pass yards | 278 | 308 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 29 |
| Rush yards | 80 | 95 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 97 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | |||||
| Drew Brees | 25/40 | 294 | 3 | 2 | |
| Willie Snead | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MIN | |||||
| Case Keenum | 25/40 | 318 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | ||||
| Alvin Kamara | 11 | 43 | 0 | 10 |
| Mark Ingram | 10 | 25 | 0 | 9 |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Drew Brees | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| MIN | ||||
| Latavius Murray | 19 | 50 | 1 | 14 |
| Jerick McKinnon | 8 | 34 | 1 | 14 |
| C.J. Ham | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Case Keenum | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | ||||
| Michael Thomas | 7 | 85 | 2 | 23 |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | 8 | 72 | 0 | 15 |
| Alvin Kamara | 4 | 62 | 1 | 23 |
| Josh Hill | 3 | 54 | 0 | 22 |
| Willie Snead | 2 | 18 | 0 | 13 |
| Mark Ingram | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| MIN | ||||
| Stefon Diggs | 6 | 137 | 1 | 61 |
| Adam Thielen | 6 | 74 | 0 | 24 |
| Jarius Wright | 3 | 56 | 0 | 27 |
| Kyle Rudolph | 5 | 28 | 0 | 8 |
| Latavius Murray | 2 | 17 | 0 | 13 |
| Jerick McKinnon | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
Minnesota Vikings defeated New Orleans Saints 29-24 at U.S. Bank Stadium in the NFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Vikings: Stefon Diggs 61 yard pass from Case Keenum (run failed). Top line of the day: Case Keenum: 318 pass yards on 25-of-40, 1 TD, 1 INT. Minnesota Vikings move on to the conference final.
Minnesota Vikings walked out of U.S. Bank Stadium as the team that survived an NFC Divisional New Orleans Saints will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 29-24. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Vikings: Stefon Diggs 61 yard pass from Case Keenum (run failed). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Minnesota Vikings move on to a conference championship.
Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24. Round: NFC Divisional. Attendance: 66612. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 6 scoring plays. Top performers: - Case Keenum: 318 pass yards on 25-of-40, 1 TD, 1 INT - Latavius Murray: 50 rush yards on 19 carries - Stefon Diggs: 6 catches for 137 yards
NFC Divisional, played at U.S. Bank Stadium. Final: New Orleans Saints 24, Minnesota Vikings 29, with Minnesota Vikings taking the result by 5. **First quarter**
- Vikings: Jerick McKinnon 14 yard rush ( Kai Forbath kick) - Vikings: Kai Forbath 20 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Vikings: Latavius Murray 1 yard rush ( Kai Forbath kick)
**Third quarter**
- Saints: Michael Thomas 14 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Saints: Michael Thomas 3 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) - Vikings: Kai Forbath 49 yard field goal - Saints: Alvin Kamara 14 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) - Vikings: Kai Forbath 53 yard field goal - Saints: Wil Lutz 43 yard field goal - Vikings: Stefon Diggs 61 yard pass from Case Keenum (run failed)
**Top performers**
- Case Keenum: 318 pass yards on 25-of-40, 1 TD, 1 INT - Latavius Murray: 50 rush yards on 19 carries - Stefon Diggs: 6 catches for 137 yards