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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will try to lead his team to its first ever Super Bowl. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Two of the best offenses in the NFL will clash this Sunday when the New Orleans Saints host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game at the Superdome. Fans are sure to witness some fireworks.
In last week’s divisional round, each team’s offense fired on all cylinders. The Saints blew out the Arizona Cardinals 45–14 while the Vikings routed the Dallas Cowboys 34–3.
The Saints high-octane display was led by Saints quarterback Drew Brees who completed 23 of 32 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns.
Matching the Saints firepower in this game won’t be easy for Minnesota, but with Brett Favre at the helm, nothing is impossible.
Favre, the NFL’s oldest winning quarterback in playoff history, seemed to find the fountain of youth last week against Dallas, as he threw four touchdown passes, his best ever in the postseason.
The Vikings QB also found a favorite target in wide receiver Sidney Rice, who caught six passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Defense Makes The Difference
As both teams have the capability to score at will, the team that brings the better defense on Sunday will likely come out the winner.
Going by first glance, Minnesota appears to have the better of the two, boasting the league’s best pass rushing defense during the regular season with 48 sacks.
Anchored by All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen, who led the NFC in sacks with 14.5, the Vikings also have solid performers in massive defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield.
But the Saints are playing at home where their defense is always tough and they are also coached by one of the best defensive minds in the game—defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
With Williams’s aggressive schemes, the Saints defense became one of the most opportunistic during the regular season ranking second in turnovers with 26 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries.
Also notable is the fact that veteran safety Darren Sharper will be prowling the secondary for New Orleans and he is quite familiar with Favre as the two were teammates in Green Bay for eight seasons.
In addition to knowing Favre’s tendencies, Sharper is also a ball-hawk, having tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions during the regular season.
Speaking with www.neworleanssaints.com, Sharper commented on facing his former teammate, “When you’re playing against someone that you know or are familiar with, it is always going to be extra motivation because you want to beat them because you know the guy that is right across from you.”
The Saints will have a tall order on Sunday though, facing a Vikings offense with a prolific passing game and a dangerous ground game behind one of the NFL’s most talented running backs Adrian Peterson.
If Peterson gets off to a good start, it will force Darren Sharper and the rest of the Saints secondary to play closer to the line and open things up for Favre and the powerful Vikings offense.
