The Saints dug themselves a hole and never could get all the way out of it in a 26-20 overtime loss to the Vikings in New Orleans Sunday.
The wildcard weekend loss ended the season and will perhaps lead to an offseason of introspection as the Saints try to figure out how to get better with an aging but still effective quarterback and a much-heralded offensive line that was pushed around for much of the game.
With the game on the line after Wil Lutz forced overtime with a 49-yard field goal, the Vikings converted with a clutch Kirk Cousins’ 43-yard pass to Adam Thielen to the 3-yard line. The Saints made a stand on the first two plays, but then Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for the game-decider.
It appeared that Rudolph pushed P.J. Williams to create separation, but the officials said it was no penalty and head coach Sean Payton said he had no complaints.
"They made a lot more plays than we did," he said, perhaps realizing the Saints had made their own mess. "Tip your caps to Minnesota. They deserved to win."
Despite the misfortune of not being able to get a bye despite a 13-3 record, the Saints were served up a home game against a Vikings team that didn’t win its division and summarily laid an egg.
The team that set a league low with only 8 turnovers all season had 2 on this day - both by Brees and both costly. The first came right before the half as the Saints were trying to maneuver into scoring position. His pickoff led to a Vikings score instead and a 13-10 lead.
A Deonte Harris kickoff return to the Vikings' 45 set up an ideal spot for a field goal try, but the mostly dependable Wil Lutz missed on a 43-yard try, which would later come back to haunt the Saints.
Brees had a miserable first half as the Vikings defensive line manhandled the Saints celebrated offensive line, keeping the Pro Bowl QB to 8 of 12 passing for 63 yards. He also threw the interception that proved so costly.
"These opportunities are few. If you aren't the one holding up the trophy at the end of the year - it's disappointing," said Brees, who pretty much deferred when asked if he would return, saying that he takes it "year to year."
In the end, the Saints were undone by:
- A Brees interception before half that led to a Vikings touchdown
- A missed FG by Lutz right before half
- A fumble by Brees late in the game that negated a fantastic Taysom Hill-led drive.
- An inability to stop the Vikings in overtime
Here are some of the updates on the Saints and Vikings from Twitter.
Another painful finish:
Lutz forced overtime...
And then... Brees fumbled
Saints cut margin to 20-17 with impressive drive to start the 4th quarter.
Desperate times?
After Drew Brees throws an interception as the Saints rush to run a play right before the two-minute warning.
After the Saints scored a touchdown following a couple of huge Taysom Hill plays.