Game recap

Vikings @ Saints

2026 Wk 5 · NO 13, MIN 23

The Saints managed 142 yards, and Will Reichard hit field goals from 54 and 55 yards.

FanIQ Research · October 11, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

New Orleans gained 142 yards, its third-lowest offensive output in any game since 1999.

Rare

Fewest Saints yards on pass and run plays in a game, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Opponent	Yards	Plays	NO pts	Opp pts
2001	17	SF	126	54	0	38
2021	2	CAR	129	42	7	26
2026	5	MIN	142	43	13	23
2021	16	MIA	164	51	3	20
2018	13	DAL	176	49	10	13
2022	10	PIT	186	45	10	20

Saints offense by game, 2026

Week	Opponent	Plays	Yards	EPA/play
1	DET	86	469	-0.031
2	BAL	64	301	+0.149
3	LV	72	381	-0.065
4	ATL	69	320	-0.073
5	MIN	43	142	-0.351

The Saints had not gained fewer than 301 yards in any of their first four games. Against Minnesota they ran 43 offensive plays, 21 fewer than in any earlier 2026 game, and finished at minus 0.351 EPA per play. Only the 2001 finale against San Francisco and Week 2 of 2021 at Carolina produced fewer yards. New Orleans still scored 13 points, but 6 of them came on a defensive fumble return.

Why it matters. This was not a slow start that the Saints recovered from. The drop from their 2026 floor of 301 yards to 142 is too large to explain by game script alone, because the game was tied at 13 early in the fourth quarter. Minnesota held the ball for 64 offensive plays to 43, so the Saints offense saw fewer snaps and did less with each one.

Will Reichard made two field goals of 54 or more yards for the second time in three weeks. Two other kickers have done that twice in one season since 1999.

Rare

Kickers with two or more regular-season games of two made 54+ yard field goals in one season, 1999 to 2026

Season	Kicker	Games	Weeks
2025	Chris Boswell	2	1, 8
2025	Chase McLaughlin	3	3, 4, 8
2026	Will Reichard	2	3, 5

Every Vikings game with two made 54+ yard field goals, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Game	Kicker	Distances
2021	5	DET @ MIN	Greg Joseph	55, 54
2026	3	MIN @ TB	Will Reichard	54, 56
2026	5	MIN @ NO	Will Reichard	54, 55

Reichard scored 11 of Minnesota's 23 points: a 40 yard field goal in the first quarter, a 54 yarder with 3 seconds left in the first half that cut the deficit to 7-6, a 55 yarder with 7:06 left that made it 23-13, and two extra points. Before this season, the Vikings had one game since 1999 with two makes from 54 yards or longer. Reichard has two in five weeks.

Why it matters. Both long kicks changed the shape of the game. The 54 yarder turned an empty end to the first half into points, and the 55 yarder moved a 7 point lead to 10, so New Orleans needed two scores with seven minutes left. The cohort is also a sign of the era: games with two 54+ yard makes went from a few per season before 2020 to 13 in 2025, but repeating it within one season is still limited to three kickers.

After halftime the Saints ran the ball four times for 8 yards, and their offense did not score.

Split

Offense by half, both teams (pass and run plays)

Team	Half	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	Success%
NO	1st	24	84	-0.072	41.7
NO	2nd	19	58	-0.702	26.3
MIN	1st	30	166	-0.201	46.7
MIN	2nd	34	201	-0.019	44.1

Saints offense by half, detail

Half	Passes (no sacks)	Comp	Net pass yds	INT	Sacks	Runs	Rush yds	First downs
1st	11	8	37	0	0	13	47	5
2nd	14	8	50	2	1	4	8	4

New Orleans led 7-6 at halftime after a 15 play Kendre Miller touchdown drive. In the second half its offense ran 19 plays at minus 0.702 EPA per play and turned the ball over twice, both on Byron Murphy interceptions of Tyler Shough. The Saints' only second-half points came from the defense: Jonas Sanker's 87 yard fumble return. Minnesota's offense got better as the game went on, from minus 0.201 to minus 0.019 EPA per play.

Why it matters. The run game going away is what made the second half one-dimensional. Thirteen first-half runs kept Shough in manageable downs; four second-half runs put all of the work on him. His two interceptions both came on second-half throws, and the second one, with 2:56 left and the Saints down 10, ended their last real chance.

Tyler Shough threw for 96 yards. His fewest passing yards in any of his first four games was 252.

Comparison

Tyler Shough by game, 2026

Week	Opponent	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Sacked
1	DET	35	56	410	3	2	5
2	BAL	27	34	252	1	0	3
3	LV	29	42	255	4	1	2
4	ATL	30	48	286	1	0	2
5	MIN	16	25	96	0	2	1

Shough came in averaging 300.75 passing yards a game over four starts, with at least 34 attempts in each. Against Minnesota he attempted 25 passes, completed 16, and had no touchdowns for the first time this season. Chris Olave led the Saints with 4 catches for 46 yards. On the other side, Kyler Murray went 24 of 30 for 229 yards and a touchdown to Justin Jefferson, with no interceptions.

Why it matters. The low attempt count matters as much as the yardage. Shough had thrown 34 or more passes in every game, so 25 attempts reflects how few snaps the Saints offense got, not a choice to protect him. With only 3.8 passing yards per attempt (96 on 25), even a normal volume of throws would not have reached his usual range.

A missed extra point left it tied at 13. Minnesota scored the last 10 points.

Trend

Scoring plays

Qtr	Clock	Team	Play	Score after (MIN-NO)
1	9:08	MIN	Will Reichard 40 yard field goal	3-0
2	8:26	NO	Kendre Miller 2 yard run	3-7
2	0:03	MIN	Will Reichard 54 yard field goal	6-7
3	12:13	MIN	Kyler Murray 15 yard pass to Justin Jefferson	13-7
3	2:49	NO	Jonas Sanker 87 yard fumble return (kick missed)	13-13
4	14:12	MIN	Aaron Jones 8 yard run	20-13
4	7:06	MIN	Will Reichard 55 yard field goal	23-13

Both third-quarter touchdowns started with a fumble. Minnesota recovered a kickoff fumble at the New Orleans 37 to open the half and scored on Jefferson's catch six plays later. Late in the quarter, Myles Price fumbled at the Saints 12 and Sanker returned it 87 yards, but Daniel Carlson's extra point went wide left. Minnesota answered on the next drive with Aaron Jones's touchdown, part of a 25 carry, 113 yard day.

Why it matters. The missed kick is the hinge. A made extra point gives New Orleans a 14-13 lead with the fourth quarter to play; instead the Vikings took the lead back on one drive and were never caught. Minnesota also lost two fumbles in scoring range and still won by 10, which shows how little the Saints offense produced on its own.

The Saints' 13 points were their fewest against Minnesota in 18 meetings since 1999, and the Vikings have won three straight.

Milestone

Vikings vs Saints, every meeting since 1999 (regular season and playoffs)

Season	Week	Type	Game	Score
2000	19	DIV	NO @ MIN	MIN 34, NO 16
2001	4	REG	MIN @ NO	NO 28, MIN 15
2002	15	REG	MIN @ NO	MIN 32, NO 31
2004	6	REG	MIN @ NO	MIN 38, NO 31
2005	3	REG	NO @ MIN	MIN 33, NO 16
2008	5	REG	MIN @ NO	MIN 30, NO 27
2009	20	CON	MIN @ NO	NO 31, MIN 28
2010	1	REG	MIN @ NO	NO 14, MIN 9
2011	15	REG	NO @ MIN	NO 42, MIN 20
2014	3	REG	MIN @ NO	NO 20, MIN 9
2017	1	REG	NO @ MIN	MIN 29, NO 19
2017	19	DIV	NO @ MIN	MIN 29, NO 24
2018	8	REG	NO @ MIN	NO 30, MIN 20
2019	18	WC	MIN @ NO	MIN 26, NO 20
2020	16	REG	MIN @ NO	NO 52, MIN 33
2022	4	REG	MIN @ NO	MIN 28, NO 25
2023	10	REG	NO @ MIN	MIN 27, NO 19
2026	5	REG	MIN @ NO	MIN 23, NO 13

Minnesota leads the series 11-7 across these 18 games, 14 of them regular season. The Saints' previous low in the matchup was 14, in the 2010 opener, a game they won 14-9. The 2022 meeting was played at Tottenham Stadium in London with New Orleans as the home team.

Why it matters. The Saints have scored at least 19 points in every other meeting since 2011, so 13 stands out in a series that has usually been high scoring. Three straight Minnesota wins is also the Vikings' longest run in the matchup since four straight from 2002 to 2008.

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Week	Opponent	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Sacked
1	DET	35	56	410	3	2	5
2	BAL	27	34	252	1	0	3
3	LV	29	42	255	4	1	2
4	ATL	30	48	286	1	0	2
5	MIN	16	25	96	0	2	1

Week	Opponent	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Sacked
1	DET	35	56	410	3	2	5
2	BAL	27	34	252	1	0	3
3	LV	29	42	255	4	1	2
4	ATL	30	48	286	1	0	2
5	MIN	16	25	96	0	2	1