The Vikings defensive dominance during the regular season on third downs carried over into Sunday’s Divisional game.
The Saints were just 2-for-9 on third downs and faced third-and-1 a total of five times.
New Orleans converted two of those five plays with a quarterback sneak by Drew Brees and a 5-yard pass from Brees to Willie Snead. Both conversions occurred during the Saints first drive of the second half and helped New Orleans score its first touchdown.
There were three other times where the Vikings stopped the Saints. Minnesota forced punts on the first two: a run in the first quarter by Mark Ingram, and a double-pass by Snead to Alvin Kamara that sailed beyond the running back.