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.

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier

Conference Call With New Orleans Media

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

 

Who will start at quarterback on Sunday?

“Christian (Ponder) is our starting quarterback. Barring an injury, he will remain our starting quarterback.”

Can you discuss the status of Adrian Peterson?

“We will get our first chance to see him today at practice but we are optimistic that this is the week that we will get him back.”

Can you discuss how the team is dealing with being in a rebuilding mode?

“It is tough anytime you are going through the things that we have experienced this season but our guys have battled. We are definitely in a transition. They have battled each week and we are going to fight the good fight again this week.”

Can you discuss the attitude of the team this year?

“The resiliency of our players has been incredible. We are down 21-0 in the first quarter of the game last Sunday (at Detroit) and they could have easily tanked that game but they didn’t. There we are on the last play of the game on the 1-yard line with a chance to win the game. They have been very resilient throughout this season. It is a testament to our leadership. We just have some things that we will have to address this offseason to get some things corrected.”

What factors have contributed to the struggles of the team this year?

“There are a lot of different factors. You guys (New Orleans media) have been in it a long time and we are not the first team to play in the NFC Championship game and then disappear for a while – it happens in our league. It also happens where teams you didn’t expect all of a sudden jump up and are playing in the NFC Championship game. Things can change fast in our league. Especially in this age of free agency, this year particularly with so many things that happened in the offseason that had an effect on the regular season. There are a lot of factors that go into where we are now and where we were in 2009.”

Is New Orleans’ loss to the Rams something that you are looking closely at in film study?

“That’s a tape we will take a look at. The Tampa game also. The Green Bay game is a little different with them being a 3-4 team and it was the first game of the season. You are always trying to look for something that will give you some hope that will give you a chance against such a prolific offense and a very good football team. We will search through the tapes and try to find something that will hopefully give us an edge.”

Can you discuss how the defensive line continues to be a strength of the team?

“It has without question been the strength of our defense. We have had some troubles on the backend but our defensive line has consistently played hard for us and played well. Jared (Allen) has led the way and is having an MVP-type season.”

Can you discuss the comments that Jared Allen made to the cities of Detroit and New Orleans last week?

“I talked with him about those comments this morning. I am hoping that we won’t have any more comments like that going forward.”

Can you talk about the progress of Christian Ponder?

“He has had his ups and downs like most rookie quarterbacks that come into our league. He is battling through those things that every young quarterback goes through. Whether you are Peyton or Eli Manning – whoever it may be. Even Joe Montana. We think our team will be much better going forward as he goes through some of the growing pains of being an NFL quarterback. It’s difficult for him and difficult for our team at times but you have to look at the bigger picture. It’s an investment for our future and he is handling it pretty well.”

The Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints don’t have much in common this season. The Vikings are going nowhere and may record the worst record in franchise history; the Saints have already clinched a playoff spot.

But in one regard the team’s are similar: both have defenses that have thus far been much better against the run than the pass. That seems odd at first blush, given most of the top teams in the NFL – Green Bay, New England and New Orleans to name three – are built around a passing attack.

Allen conceded the game isn’t the same he grew up with, and that the battle along the line of scrimmage revolves more around the defensive line getting penetration than it does holding a wall. And Allen himself has made a name for himself by getting to the quarterback, leading the NFL with 100.5 sacks since 2004.

But that does not mean stopping the run isn’t the top priority, in his opinion. Echoing comments Saints Coach Sean Payton made last week, Allen said the goal each Sunday is making an opponent one-dimensional.

The Vikings have the league’s 18th best mark in total defense, while the Saints have slid from 25th to 27th overall in the last two weeks. But both teams have largely stifled the run, with the Saints sporting the league’s 15th best rushing defense and the Vikings the 9th.

Certainly that mix has worked for New Orleans. The Saints have surrendered fewer than 20 points the last two games and won both, while the Vikings lost their last two giving up 69 points. The teams are also tracking in different directions as the 2011 season enters the homestretch. New Orleans is riding a five-game win streak while Minnesota has lost five in a row.

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