Inside The Game: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings. Kickoff is at noon Sunday at Mall of America Field

Coaches: Sean Payton (59-34 regular season; 4-2 postseason in six seasons, all with the Saints), Leslie Frazier (2-11 in first season with Vikings)

TV: Fox-8; Dick Stockton play-by-play, John Lynch color.

Radio: 870-AM, 1-5.3-FM, 830-AM (Spanish broadcast)

KEEP AN EYE ON:

THE VIKINGS’ QB

Or, more accurately, who will that Vikings quarterback be? To start, anyway, this apparently will be rookie Christian Ponder. Since the Donovan McNabb experiment yielded few positive results, Minnesota has chosen to go with its first-round selection out of Florida State. The move has produced its own mixed results. Indeed, when Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was asked about Ponder’s development last week, he steered clear of the kind of unqualified support a veteran usually offers up on such a conference call and acknowledged it has been a rocky road. Ponder has looked excellent at times — he threw for more than 300 yards against the Broncos — but more than a handful of interceptions have been sprinkled among the highlights (picks cost Minnesota that Denver game, for example). In the past two games, Ponder has been responsible for seven turnovers (five interceptions and two lost fumbles). A plethora of picks early caused Frazier to bench Ponder last week against the Lions, and his second-half replacement – no-name backup Joe Webb – nearly led the Vikings to a comeback road victory. Frazier insists Ponder remains the Man in Minneapolis, but the Saints could face a situation similar to the one that caused them some trouble in Nashville last week when the Titans had to replace starter Matt Hasselbeck with rookie Jake Locker. Locker’s athleticism allowed him to make plays, and while Webb didn’t light it up through the air in Detroit — he completed just 12 of 23 attempts for 84 yards and a touchdown — he ran for 109 yards (a club record for QBs) on just seven carries, one of them a 65-yard touchdown scamper.

SAINTS LB JO-LONN DUNBAR

Rather quietly, Dunbar has put together an outstanding year for New Orleans in his fourth season out of Boston College. Thrust into a starter’s role when Jonathan Vilma missed time because of knee surgery, Dunbar responded. In the three games Vilma was inactive, Dunbar recorded 16 solo stops and 10 assists. Last week against Tennessee, with Vilma in the lineup, Dunbar still saw lots of time and made the critical final tackle — a sack — on Locker near the goal line to salvage the win. Vilma has been limited at practice this week as the Saints try to keep his knee free of soreness, but regardless, Dunbar has earned his snaps. Should the Vikings make a move at quarterback (see above), the young and athletic Dunbar will bear scrutiny on defense.

KEY MATCHUPS

SAINTS OL vs. VIKINGS DE JARED ALLEN

Allen’s quips about New Orleans’ “Third World” appearance probably won’t motivate the Saints’ offensive line as much as the fact quarterback Drew Brees has been sacked just three times in the past five games (the last of them coming in Nashville when Brees held the ball far too long). Not coincidentally, all five of those games have been New Orleans victories. Allen will put those outstanding stats to the test. He leads the NFL with 17.5 sacks and is on a pace to beat the league record in that category held by Michael Strahan. Nor is he a flash in the pan, as his 100.5 sacks since 2004 attest. Payton said his offensive scheme will do what it can to make things tough for Allen. Brees will roll out more, for example, and the Saints will employ a variety of “launch points” for the quarterback so that neither Allen nor his colleagues on the defensive front can key on one spot. But in the end, it will come down to the Saints’ offensive linemen (with a little help from a back from time to time) making sure Brees “stays clean.” Guard Carl Nicks says he’s already fretting about the looming fight. “Basically we’ve got to double-team him, chip him with tight ends and running backs, I’m going to slide over there to help — you hate to give up all your playbook but, hey, 17.5 sacks speaks for itself. So, you’ve got to stop him. You have to. You’ve got to respect a guy like that. It’s a sin on us if we let their best guy beat us. We know he’s there, everybody knows he’s there, if we’re going to get beat, let’s have it be by somebody else, anybody but him.”

SAINTS SECONDARY vs. VIKINGS WR PERCY HARVIN

The Saints’ kicking game, in the person of punter Thomas Morstead, likely will go a long way toward neutralizing Harvin as a return man. But he still poses a threat as a receiver. Indeed, in the past month, Harvin’s 38 catches and five touchdowns lead all NFL receivers. When the Saints faced the Lions two weeks ago, they managed to neutralize Calvin Johnson, whom Payton called “the best receiver in football.” Harvin, however, presents a different problem than Johnson, who wins most battles with his size. “That’s a playmaker, that’s one of the great athletes in the NFL,” Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson said when asked the first thing that came to mind with Harvin. “Fast, strong, elusive.” Both Payton and Robinson stressed the threat Harvin presents in terms of yards after the catch. “When you’re playing a guy like that, as far as routes he’s not going to be doing post-corners or wraps or anything like that. But doing drive routes, some things to get him open, it’s his speed you’ve got to worry about.”

BY THE NUMBERS

8-18 – The Saints’ all-time record against Minnesota, the worst of any team in the NFL that New Orleans has played more than 10 times. 11/28/93 – The last time the Saints beat the Vikings in Minnesota. 2-0 – The Saints’ record against the Vikings the past two times the teams have met, including the 2009 NFC championship game. 60.3 – Ponder’s completion rate on third down, tied for 11th in the NFL. 70 – Brees’ completion rate on third down, best in the NFL.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH

“I think the numbers are real high. I think that’s one of our keys each week, and it’s an important statistic. It’s not the same as a turnover, but when you’re out on third down and punting the football, essentially you’ve turned the ball over to their offense. When you’re on the field defensively, have a chance for a stop and don’t get it, they obviously receive more plays. I think our players understand the significance of getting off the field on third down and being able to put together drives. I think it’s been something that we’ve improved at.” – Payton on the Saints’ third-down effectiveness on both sides of the ball.

Two seasons ago, the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings met for the NFC championship and a trip to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

As you might have heard, New Orleans won that game. But Minnesota? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

While the Saints finished 11-5 last season and presently sit 10-3 — and are playoff bound — the Vikings stumbled to a 6-10 mark last season and are 2-11 this season.

Minnesota brought in quarterback Donovan McNabb to replace Brett Favre, and that experiment didn’t last as long — McNabb was waived last month. In his place, the Vikings put in rookie quarterback Christian Ponder.

So while New Orleans is headed back to the playoffs and are angling for a first-round bye, Minnesota Coach Leslie Frazier is trying to keep his team together.

VIKINGS OFFENSE

Early reports said that running back Adrian Peterson will return from an ankle injury that has forced him to miss the past three games.

He needs 128 yards to reach 1,000 on the season, something he has rushed for in each of his first four seasons in the NFL. How good has Peterson been in his career? He could rush for 425 yards over his final three games and it would still be the lowest output of his career.

Ponder started in the Vikings’ 34-28 loss to Detroit last Sunday, but Frazier said Ponder will start this Sunday despite the job that Joe Webb did in relief. Ponder complete 11 of 21 passes for 115 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble.

Webb, a triple-threat-type player more in the mold of Brad Smith than Kordell Stewart, played in the second half and was a blown facemask call away from possibly leading Minnesota to a game-tying score in the final seconds. The Vikings tried converting Webb to a receiver but needed him for depth at quarterback. He rushed for 109 yards against the Lions, and Minnesota now has its own Wildcat-esque formation for Webb called “Blazer.”

Another change in the Vikings’ offense has been the role of receiver Percy Harvin, who has 26 catches in his last three games.

VIKINGS DEFENSE

NFL sack leader Jared Allen regained his form sacking Detroit’s Matthew Stafford three times.

He has 17.5 sacks this season and needs 5.5 in his last three games to top Michael Strahan’s NFL sack record. Minnesota’s Chad Greenway is fourth in the NFL in tackles with 118 and leads a rushing defense that is ninth in the league. However, the Vikings’ defense struggles against the pass.

A quarterback would be having a pretty good season using numbers put up against Minnesota. Opponents are completing 68.2 percent of their passes, have thrown for 3,505 yards and 26 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. That’s good enough for a 107.1 rating. For comparison’s sake, Drew Brees’ rating this season is 105.9 for the Saints.

Starting cornerback Antoine Winfield suffered a season-ending injury last month, and Cedric Griffin, whom Frazier said was only playing because the Vikings lacked another option, was benched last week.

VIKINGS SPECIAL TEAMS

Ryan Longwell still is kicking at a decent percentage (16 of 20, 80 percent), except the Vikings just aren’t putting him in position to kick field goals.

The 15-year veteran has four attempts in his last five games, and three of those came two weeks ago in a 35-32 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Chris Kluwe is averaging 45.4 per punt but only has a 36.3 net average because the Vikings are allowing 13.4 yards per punt return, which is 27th in the league.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Sept. 9, 2010, at the Superdome

Some Saints fans might forget that while Garrett Hartley’s legs put the Saints into Super Bowl XLIV by defeating the Vikings in overtime, New Orleans also opened the next season with Minnesota.

The Saints started their defense of the Lombardi Trophy with a 14-9 victory over Favre and the Vikings. Brees threw for 237 yards and a 29-yard touchdown to Devery Henderson, and Pierre Thomas ran for 71 yards — including a 1-yard score in the third quarter which proved to be the game winner.å

Read More: Stephen Tulloch (LB – DET), Cliff Avril (DE – DET), Phil Loadholt (OT – MIN), Toby Gerhart (RB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, Dec 11, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Once again, the Minnesota Vikings have given up an early touchdown when the defense was nowhere to be found.

After allowing one first down to the Lions on their first series, Minnesota forced a punt that was taken at the 9-yard line. On the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage, Christian Ponder faked a handoff to Toby Gerhart and dropped back to pass, and Lions’ defensive end Cliff Avril beat Phil Loadholt like a drum around the right edge. Avril got to Ponder and forced a fumble that wound up bouncing into the end zone. Stephen Tulloch jumped on the fumble in the end zone, and the Lions had an early touchdown.

This is the second game in a row that the Vikings’ offense has surrendered a touchdown early, as last week the Denver Broncos got an interception for a score for their first score in Minneapolis.

We have 12:56 left in the first quarter, and the Detroit Lions have already staked themselves to a 7-0 lead.

By Ali Mohamadi

– SB Nation Medical Expert

Follow , and

Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Dec 10, 2011 – Quarterbacks

Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings (hip – questionable)
MIN (2-10) @ DET (7-5), 1pm

The Vikings’ rookie QB played well overall in his team’s loss to Denver last week, but suffered a hip injury during the game and was spotted limping on the sidelines. As a result, he has missed most of the week’s practices and backup Joe Webb has taken the majority of the snaps with the first team. At this point, it appears unlikely that Ponder would get the start on Sunday against Detroit, although neither he nor Webb are likely to factor in your fantasy plans either way.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (ankle – questionable)
MIN (2-10) @ DET (7-5), 1pm

Peterson missed the Vikings’ Week 13 loss to Denver due to a high ankle sprain and has been limited in practice all week. Peterson himself has stated he wants to play and claims he’s at about 80% health after taking last week off. Although Detroit’s defense has been stout most of the year, Peterson has historically done well against the Lions, and it would be tough to sit him on your fantasy roster if he is able to play. If not, Toby Gerhart would once again get the start at running back for the Vikings.

Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions (ankle – questionable)
DET (7-5) vs. MIN (2-10), 1pm

Smith, who left last week’s loss to New Orleans after aggravating an ankle injury, has been limited in practice this week. Reports out of practice on Friday were that Smith was having difficulty cutting on running plays, and if Smith suits up on Sunday don’t be surprised if Maurice Morris gets the bulk of the carries.

Wide Receivers

Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys (hamstring – questionable)
DAL (7-5) vs. NYG (6-6), 8:20pm

Austin has missed most of the season thus far due to a nagging hamstring injury that has been an issue since the preseason, but despite being limited in practice this week it appears he will get the nod on Sunday night against the Giants. Given the emergence of Laurent Robinson at WR (himself questionable due to a shoulder injury) and the frequency with which hamstring strains tend to recur, Austin fantasy owners may want to tread lightly this week.

Linebackers

Von Miller, Denver Broncos (thumb – questionable)
DEN (7-5) vs. CHI (7-5), 1pm

Miller, who missed last week’s win over Minnesota after tearing ligaments in his right thumb the prior week, has been wearing a cast this week in his limited action in practice. It appears he will play on Sunday against the Bears, but his time may be limited to pass-rushing situations.

Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers (hamstring – questionable)
SF (10-2) @ ARI (5-7), 4:05pm

Willis suffered a right hamstring injury in the first quarter of the 49ers’ Week 13 win over the Rams and has missed practice the entire week. Although he is officially listed as questionable on the team’s injury list, his not having practiced – along with the fact that the team has already clinched the NFC West – makes it seem unlikely that he will suit up on Sunday at Arizona. LB Larry Grant is likely to get the start in Willis’ place.

Read More: Miles Austin (WR – DAL), Kevin Smith (RB – DET), Joe Webb (QB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants

Follow , and

Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are bracing for the possibility that they will be missing both quarterback Christian Ponder and running back Adrian Peterson against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Both are listed as questionable for the game, with Ponder bothered by a hip pointer and Peterson still recuperating from a high ankle sprain. Ponder missed the first two practices of the week before returning to work on Friday and Peterson practiced on a limited basis with that injured left ankle.

Coach Leslie Frazier said both would be evaluated on Saturday to see if they make improvement.

“I think I’ll be pushing for it no matter what,” Peterson said. “But I feel like coach Frazier has my best interests at hand, so we’ll see how things go. Hopefully I wake up feeling great and I’ll be able to kind of distinguish tomorrow when I run on it and things like that, see how I feel if I’ll be able to play.”

The Vikings’ leading rusher with 872 yards and 12 total touchdowns has missed two straight games.

Ponder suffered a hip pointer last weekend against Denver that noticeably limited his mobility in the game.

“It’s OK, definitely better,” Ponder said. “It was really sore on Monday and Tuesday. I felt like I was moving around not too badly out there today. It’s really gotten better the past 36 hours. So, we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and Sunday.”

Backup Joe Webb would start if Ponder isn’t ready.

Receiver Percy Harvin was limited again Friday after tearing a ligament in his finger during Wednesday’s practice. Harvin is probable for Sunday.

Peterson signed the richest contract for a running back in league history in the offseason, and at 2-10 the Vikings have little to play for. So it would make sense that the team would be extra cautious with their prized player, but Frazier said if Peterson is healthy enough to play, he’ll be in the lineup.

“He would have liked to have played the last two weeks if it were just purely his decision,” Frazier said. “But it would not have been a good thing to put him out there the last couple of weeks.”

The Vikings have more of an interest in getting Ponder back onto the field right away. The rookie, who took over the starting job in Week 7, needs all the seasoning and experience he can get to make him better prepared for next year.

“I’m confident that I’ll be able to go,” he said. “I think it’s a matter of my effectiveness. I don’t know how effective I’ll be. I would like to think that I’d be playing at 100 percent, but I don’t know if that’s 100 percent true. We’ll see.”