Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints came marching in, though, not quite as dramatically as anticipated. They beat the Minnesota Vikings 14-9 Thursday night.
The Saints are 4-1 in season openers under head coach Sean Payton.
It’s now been over 14 years since Brett Favre won a meaningful game in the Superdome.
“In the second half,” Favre said after the game. “There were three or four throws that I just missed.”
On defense, the Saints picked up where they left off. Favre finished the night 15-for-27 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
“I’ll give credit to the Saints team, as I did last year, they’re a good football team,” Favre said. “They create confusion in their defense.”
This time it was the Saints offense that handled the Vikings defense with relative ease early – scoring in the first three minutes of the game. Brees connected with Devery Henderson for a 29-yard touchdown. Though, they wouldn’t score again until the third quarter.
Brees completed 75-percent of his passes for 237 yards. His early touchdown pass to Henderson was his only one on the night.
Saints running back Pierre Thomas added 71 yards on the ground.
“Big win. Really good win for our team,” coach Payton said. “We played a very good team tonight and I was proud of the way we came through.”
Unlike last year, the Saints held most of the statistical advantages. They out-gained Minnesota 308 yards to 253 and controlled the clock. They held the ball for 33:43. Minnesota only had possession for 26:17.
Notes
- Attendance: 70,051
- The pregame concert featured: Dave Matthews, Taylor Swift and a Mardi Gras-style parade through downtown in front of about 200,000 people.
- It was the lowest-scoring victory of the Sean Payton era, which began in 2006.
Favre looked awkward in the post game interview. He looked tired, disappointed, confused and he was generally inarticulate. It looked like he didn’t know why they played so poorly. I’m not expecting him to remember each snap, but as he tried to recall plays from the game, it seemed as though the game had turned into a blur for him. That doesn’t bode well for Vikings fans. Favre’s still got the rocket arm, but is it possible age has taken away all the other intangibles that make him one of the greatest QBs ever?
Favre looked awkward in the post game interview. He looked tired, disappointed, confused and he was generally inarticulate. It looked like he didn’t know why they played so poorly. I’m not expecting him to remember each snap, but as he tried to recall plays from the game, it seemed as though the game had turned into a blur for him. That doesn’t bode well for Vikings fans. Favre’s still got the rocket arm, but is it possible age has taken away all the other intangibles that make him one of the greatest QBs ever?
Short answer… Yes.
Short answer… Yes.