Media more outraged that the Saints beat the Vikings

quote:

---

Greatest Saints team ever, even when we aren't playing our best we STILL Win ballgames

---

quote:

---

SAINTS-VIKINGS: Yes, the Vikings had an advantage of more than 200 net yards, but they also had a lot more plays. Minnesota ended up with a smaller advantage in yards per play, 5.8 to New Orleans' 4.7. Yards per play (and DVOA) say more about a team's future performance than total yards. The difference between the Vikings' per-play performance and the Saints' per-play performance gets made up by three things:

*The Saints were much more efficient in the red zone than on the rest of the field. They ran seven plays in the red zone and three of them were touchdowns. In the third quarter, Pierre Thomas had three straight runs in the red zone and gained 6, 5, and 9 yards against the best run defense in the NFL.

*The Saints were much better on special teams, for two reasons: Courtney Roby's long kick return to start the second half, and a big day from rookie punter Thomas Morstead. Morstead averaged 52 gross yards and 48.5 net yards per punt.

*The fumbles

---

quote:

---

While the Vikings out-gained the Saints by a lot of yards, at least some of that yardage advantage was not meaningful.
First, the TD drives. The Vikings scored TDs on drives that gained 290 yards. The Saints scored their TDs on drives totalling 184 yards because they twice converted excellent field position into TDs, once after the Roby KO return to the MIN37 and once after recovering a fumble on the MIN7. The Vikings only scored once on a relatively short field (their last TD, starting at the MIN43) and blew their other short field chance at the NO10. But the NO offense did all it could with their two short-field chances - if the Vikings defense was really "dominating" (Vince's word) the Saints, they would have held on those possessions and left the Saints' with one chip shot FG and one long try; the extra 100+ yards the Vikings gained may not tell us anything about how much better they were playing than the Saints.
Second, MIN had four drives where they gained substantial yardage but did not come away with points immediately. One of those drives, early in the 4th period, gained 60+ yards before ending in Berrian's fumble. The Vikings defense held - thanks in part to Brees blowing a snap - and forced a punt from the NO14, resulting in the Vikings getting the ball at the MIN43. That drive, although it did not result in points, helped change the field position and set up the Vikings final TD, so it had some value. On three other drives, which gained about 150 yards, the Vikings did not even accrue any field position.
-After the Saints' 2nd TD, the Vikings started at their 20, drove in Saints' territory, and punted. The defense held NO w/o a 1st down, but the punt moved the Vikings back to the MIN24. Despite out-gaining the Saints by 20+ yards on that exchange of possessions, the Vikings only netted 4 yards of field position.
- Early in the 3rd period, the Vikings drove from the MIN10 over 50 yards before Favre threw his 1st pick (the play where he got hit below the knees). Again the Saints couldn't get a 1st down but the punt left the Vikings on the MIN17. Over 40+ yards of offense and a 15-yard penalty, a 30+ yard offensive advantage for the Vikings, and the net on the exchange was 7 yards. (Two plays later the Harvin fumble gave the Saints the ball at the MIN7).
- And on the Vikings' final drive, they gained over 40 yards before turning it over.
The Vikings offense generated almost 100 yards more than the Saints on those three possessions that was rendered essentially meaningless because of turnovers (their own poor play or the Saints' good play, take your pick) and excellent punting,which was the heart of Aaron's comments.
Roughly 200 yards of extra yardage gained that turned into no extra points or field position advantage. Turnovers and punts are part of the game too.

---

quote:

---

Turnovers and punts are part of the game too.

---