Minnesota
Vikings
1-3
27
FINAL
21
New Orleans
Saints
0-4
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a tightly contested Week 5 matchup, the Minnesota Vikings narrowly defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-21. The victory lifts the Vikings as they seek to gain momentum in the early part of the 2026 season, while the Saints fall short despite a valiant effort at home.
On the offensive front, Tyler Shough of the Saints stood tall with a commanding 295 passing yards, though he managed just one touchdown through the air. Chris Olave was his go-to target, racking up an impressive 119 receiving yards. For the Vikings, Aaron Jones Sr. led their ground attack with 41 rushing yards, contributing to a balanced offensive effort that ultimately secured the win.
Defensively, the Vikings were anchored by Jalen Redmond, who posted an imposing 2.5 sacks, disrupting the Saints' passing game at crucial moments. The game’s turning point came in the fourth quarter when the Vikings' defense held strong, preventing the Saints from capitalizing on a late drive. Despite Kaden Elliss’s six tackles for the Saints, it was Minnesota's ability to apply pressure and close out the game that sealed their victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 38 | 23 | 295 | 1 | 0 | 93.6 |
| Kyler Murray | QB | 33 | 23 | 253 | 1 | 0 | 102.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Jones Sr | HB | 11 | 41 | 3.7 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 9 | 40 | 4.4 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Kendre Miller | HB | 7 | 39 | 5.6 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Kyler Murray | QB | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough | QB | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Devin Neal | HB | 4 | 8 | 2.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason | HB | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Jordan Addison | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Trey Palmer | WR | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jauan Jennings | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Olave | WR | 7 | 119 | 17.0 | 1 | 59 | 1 |
| Jordan Addison | WR | 4 | 101 | 25.3 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 5 | 91 | 18.2 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Jauan Jennings | WR | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 5 | 37 | 7.4 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Aaron Jones Sr | HB | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Colby Parkinson | TE | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Gavin Bartholomew | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Trey Palmer | WR | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Devin Neal | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Andrew Beck | FB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason | HB | 2 | -1 | -0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Cashman | MIKE | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond | DT | 3 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Byron Murphy Jr | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pierre | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Ward | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cameron Jordan | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beanie Bishop Jr | CB | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T'Vondre Sweat | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel | REDG | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jakobe Thomas | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Metellus | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Golday | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chaz Chambliss | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bryan Bresee | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Howden | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Wilson | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dwight McGlothern | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domonique Orange | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ivan Pace Jr | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Smyth | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 38 |
| Will Reichard | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |

