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Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints: NFL live scores, blog

11th September, 2017
Where: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN.
When: 9:10am AEST
TV: ESPN
Odds: Vikings $1.58, Saints $2.40
Last meeting: Saints 20 - 9 Vikings (2014)
Head Coaches: Mike Zimmer (Vikings) and Sean Payton (Saints)
Running back Adrian Peterson #28 of the New Orleans Saints stands on the field prior to a preseason game on August 10, 2017 against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won 20-14. (Photo by: 2017 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
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11th September, 2017
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The New Orlean Saints travel to face the Minnesota Vikings to kick off Monday Night Football for 2017. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from Tuesday 9:10am AEST.

Most of the talk before this game will centre on the return of Adrian Peterson to Minnesota. With Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara competing for carries, Peterson’s chances to shine will be limited.

Unless his passion to prove a point to his old team takes over, I wouldn’t expect a big day from the future Hall of Famer.

The real story in this game is the battle between the Saints offense and the Vikings defense.

The Saints boast a high powered offense that can jump out to a lead fast. The aforementioned trio of running backs should complement a potent passing attack featuring wide receiver Michael Thomas and quarterback Drew Brees.

The Vikings on the other hand have a stingy defense. The core of young veterans Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen are some of the best at their positions in the NFL and are helped by talent and depth across the unit. This Vikings defense could end up challenging Seattle for best in the NFC.

Minnesota’s weakness is its offensive line. If the Vikings have any chance they to need to do a better job to protect quarterback Sam Bradford, who played some good football in 2016 but took a beating behind a porous offensive front.

For the Saints it’s all about a defense that was second last in points allowed last year. The Saints made moves to address this issue in the off season and showed some promise in the preseason. Now it’s a matter of whether or not it carries into the regular season.

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Prediction
Tough call but I’m going to say the Vikings ride rookie running back Dalvin Cook to victory, 27-24.

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