The Saints–Vikings rivalry is a

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

between the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. The Vikings have dominated most of the series. However, the resurgence of the Saints under

Sean Payton Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

and

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...

made the organization competitive with the Vikings. Games between these two teams have been consequential both in the regular season and playoffs for the NFC. Due to regular playoff matches between the two teams, the rivalry has become noteworthy in the last 20 years. The Vikings lead the all-time series 24–13. The two clubs have met five times in the playoffs, with the Vikings holding a 4–1 record. The Vikings won 20 of the first 27 games (.741) through 2009, though the rivalry has been more competitive since then.

Notable moments and games

* In January 1988, the Saints made their postseason debut by hosting the Vikings in the NFC wildcard game. New Orleans scored a touchdown on its first drive, but Minnesota took a 31–10 halftime lead and won 44–10. * In January 2001, the 10–6 Saints traveled to Minnesota for a playoff game against the 11–5 Vikings. Vikings QB

Daunte Culpepper Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at UCF and was selected ...

threw for 302 yards as the Vikings defeated the Saints 34–16. * In 2002, the 4–10 Vikings played the 9–5 Saints in a must-win game for the Saints. The Saints took a seven-point lead with just over 5 minutes remaining, but the Vikings responded with a touchdown pass from Culpepper to

Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...

with five seconds left, narrowing the gap to a single point. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, the Vikings elected to go for two; Culpepper ran the ball in himself to give the Vikings a 32–31 win and the Saints went on to miss the playoffs. *In January 2010, the 12–4 Vikings traveled to New Orleans to play the 13–3 Saints in the

NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

. Despite dominating the Saints in terms of total yards, time of possession, first downs, and other key stats, the Vikings committed five costly turnovers (including three from quarterback

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...

), and the Saints managed to hold on for a 31–28 overtime win. This game was pivotal in the eventual changing of the league overtime rules, as the Vikings did not get a chance to score in overtime after the Saints. Additionally, the Saints organization was criticized for the volume and intensity of hits on Favre in

Bountygate The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, formally known as "Bountygate," was an incident in which members of the New Orleans Saints team of the National Football League (NFL) were accused of paying out bonuses, or " bounties," for injuring opposing ...

. *In 2010, the Vikings traveled to New Orleans for a rematch of the NFC Championship game in one of the most anticipated games of the season. The Saints once again prevailed over the Vikings, this time by a score of 14–9. The Vikings season spiraled out of control as they fell from 12–4 to 6–10, which included head coach

Brad Childress Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...

being fired mid-season, the

Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League' ...

collapsing mid-season, and the lackluster play from Brett Favre in what was his final season in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Saints finished 11–5 (second in the division behind the 13–3

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

), and went on to lose to the Seahawks in the

Beast Quake The Beast Quake was a National Football League (NFL) touchdown scored by Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch against the New Orleans Saints during a 2010 NFC Wild Card playoff game. Occurring in the fourth quarter while Seattle was up ...

game. *In the 2017 playoffs, the Saints traveled to Minnesota for an NFC Divisional Round Game. The Vikings jumped out to a 17–0 lead, controlling all key stats. However, the Saints mounted a second-half comeback and eventually took a 24–23 lead with under a minute to play. With ten seconds left, Vikings quarterback Case Keenum completed a pass to

Stefon Diggs Stefon Marsean Diggs (born November 29, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round ...

, who evaded a tackle attempt by Saints safety Marcus Williams and took the ball into the endzone for a walk off touchdown. This became known as the

Minneapolis Miracle The Minneapolis Miracle (also known as the Minnesota Miracle) was the National Football Conference (NFC) divisional playoff game played between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on ...

. *In 2019, the 10–6 Vikings traveled to New Orleans as heavy underdogs in an NFC Wild Card Game. Although the Saints jumped out to a quick 3–0 lead, the Saints struggled to muster the kind of offense they were known for in 2019. The Vikings at one point led 20–10 before the Saints forced overtime on a last-second field goal. In overtime, Vikings quarterback

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...

led the team on a drive that resulted in a touchdown to

Kyle Rudolph Kyle Daniel Rudolph (born November 9, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second ...

. *In 2020, the Vikings played in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

for a

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

match-up. With the score 31–27 after three quarters, the Saints scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away 52–33. This game represented the worst Vikings' defensive performance in franchise history as they gave up 583 yards of offense to the Saints and allowed Alvin Kamara to tie the NFL record for touchdowns in one game (6). This game eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention. *In 2022, the teams faced off in London in week 4. The Saints needed to make a field goal late in the fourth quarter to tie the game. A 32-yard pass from quarterback Andy Dalton to rookie receiver

Chris Olave Christian Josiah Olave ( ; born June 27, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he holds the school record of most career to ...

got the Saints to the Vikings' 43-yard line, setting up kicker

Wil Lutz William “Wil” Lutz (born July 7, 1994) is an American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia State. Early life Lutz was born in Newnan, Georgia. Both his ...

for a 61-yard field goal. He had made a 60-yard kick less than two minutes earlier, but with the game on the line, he hit the left upright and then the crossbar, and the Vikings won it 28–25.

Game results

, - , , style=", Saints
20–17 ,

Tulane Stadium Tulane Stadium was an outdoor football stadium that stood in New Orleans from 1926 to 1980. It was officially the Third Tulane Stadium and replaced the "Second Tulane Stadium", which was located where the Telephone Exchange Building is now. Th ...

, Saints
1–0 , First meeting, and the only one prior to the AFL-NFL merger , - , - , , style=", Vikings
26–0 ,

Metropolitan Stadium Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the north central United States, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneap ...

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1–1 , First meeting at Metropolitan Stadium , - , , style=", Vikings
23–10 ,

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2–1 , Last meeting at Tulane Stadium , - , , style=", Vikings
37–6 ,

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3–1 , , - , , style=", Vikings
29–9 ,

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4–1 , Vikings lose

Super Bowl IX Super Bowl IX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) cha ...

, - , , style=", Vikings
20–7 ,

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

, Vikings
5–1 , First meeting at Louisiana Superdome , - , , style=", Vikings
40–9 ,

, Vikings
6–1 , Vikings lose

Super Bowl XI Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

, - , , style=", Saints
31–24 ,

, Vikings
6–2 , , - , - , , style=", Vikings
23–20 ,

, Vikings
7–2 , First game for interim Saints coach

Dick Stanfel Richard Anthony Stanfel (July 20, 1927 – June 22, 2015) was an American football player and coach with a college and professional career spanning more than 50 years from 1948 to 1999. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a pla ...

; Saints fall to 0-13 and finish 1-15 , - , , style=", Vikings
20–10 ,

, Vikings
8–2 , Last meeting at Metropolitan Stadium , - , , style=", Saints
17–16 ,

, Vikings
8–3 , , - , , style=", Saints
30–23 ,

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...

, Vikings
8–4 , First meeting at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Last game for Saints coach

Bum Phillips Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers fro ...

, - , , style=", Vikings
33–17 ,

, Vikings
9–4 , , - ! 1987 playoffs ! style=", Vikings
44–10 !

! Vikings
10–4 ! NFC Wild Card Round; first postseason meeting in the series, and the first postseason game in Saints history , - , , style=", Vikings
45–3 ,

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11–4 , , - , - , , style=", Vikings
32–3 ,

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12–4 , , - , , style=", Saints
26–0 ,

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12–5 , , - , , style=", Saints
17–14 ,

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12–6 , , - , , style=", Vikings
21–20 ,

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13–6 , , - , , style=", Vikings
43–24 ,

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14–6 , , - , , style=", Vikings
31–24 ,

, Vikings
15–6 , , - , - ! 2000 playoffs ! style=", Vikings
34–16 !

! Vikings
16–6 ! NFC Divisional Round; second postseason meeting , - , , style=", Saints
28–15 ,

, Vikings
16–7 , , - , , style=", Vikings
32–31 ,

, Vikings
17–7 , Saints wear alternate gold jersey for only time , - , , style=", Vikings
38–31 ,

, Vikings
18–7 , , - , , style=", Vikings
33–16 ,

, Vikings
19–7 , , - , , style=", Vikings
30–27 ,

, Vikings
20–7 , , - ! 2009 playoffs ! style=", Saints
!

! Vikings
20–8 ! NFC Championship Game; third postseason meeting, first overtime game in the series; Saints win

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

. , - , - , , style=", Saints
14–9 ,

, Vikings
20–9 ,

NFL Kickoff Game The National Football League Kickoff game, along with related festivities, marks the official start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the se ...

, - , , style=", Saints
42–20 ,

, Vikings
20–10 , Final meeting at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , - , , style=", Saints
20–9 ,

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, Vikings
20–11 , , - , , style=", Vikings
29–19 ,

U.S. Bank Stadium U.S. Bank Stadium is an enclosed stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the indoor stadium opened in 2016 and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Footbal ...

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21–11 , First meeting at

, - ! 2017 playoffs ! style=", Vikings
29–24 !

! Vikings
22–11 ! NFC Divisional Round; fourth postseason meeting; the

marks the first time in NFL postseason history that a game-winning touchdown is scored on the final play of regulation. , - , , style=", Saints
30–20 ,

, Vikings
22–12 , - ! 2019 playoffs ! style=", Vikings
!

! Vikings
23–12 ! NFC Wild Card Round; fifth postseason meeting; the Saints' season ends on the final play of a playoff loss for the third straight season, with two of the three against the Vikings. , - , - , , style=", Saints
52–33 ,

, Vikings
23–13 ,

game; Saints eliminate the Vikings from playoff contention. , - , - , , style=", Vikings
28–25 ,

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the home of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in north London, replacing the club's previous ground, White Hart Lane. With a seating capacity of 62,850, it is the third-largest football stadium in England and the ...

, Vikings
24–13 , Game played as part of the

NFL International Series The NFL International Series is a series of American football games during the National Football League (NFL) NFL regular season, regular season that are List of National Football League games played outside the United States, played outside th ...

, officially a Saints home game , - , - , Regular season , style=", , , , Vikings 1–0 in London (officially a Saints home game) , - , Postseason , style=", , , , NFC Wild Card Round: 1987, 2019; NFC Divisional Round: 2000, 2017; NFC Championship Game: 2009 , - , Regular and postseason , style=", , , , , -

Notable moments and games

Game results

See also

References

Further reading