Prior to kickoff, the New Orleans Saints figured that their home debut would be a tough one – after all, they were battling the team that they faced in the NFC Championship, the Minnesota Vikings. 

After their first possession, things appeared that they would be much easier than they anticipated.  The home team gave their fans what they were looking for, driving down the field in 2009 Saints’ fashion.  The drive totaled   plays for   yards, and ended with a shocked Viking defense yielding a touchdown on a  29-yard connection between Drew Brees and Devery Henderson.

But the Minnesota defense stiffened, stopping the Saints on their next possession.  And the Vikings began to use their All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson to take the air out of the ball.  Peterson pounded New Orleans on a long, 66-yard drive that culminated in a Ryan Longwell 41-yard field goal for the visitors. 

The Minnesota ground game slowed the pace of the battle, and actually shifted the momentum of the contest into the Vikings favor.  There weren’t any points scored, but the lack of offensive dominance gave Minnesota a chance to get back into the game – which they did.  Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre got into a bit of a rhythm with tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.  Shiancoe made two catches with his hands (the latter being a 20-yard touchdown) that sparked the Minnesota offense, temporary potting them into the lead going into the half, 9-7.

The third quarter saw New Orleans regain the advantage after an 11-play, 74-yard march down the gridiron.  The drive saw the Saints run the ball seven times, ending with Pierre Thomas crossing the goal line on a 1-yard scamper to put the Saints ahead 14-9.

Adrian Peterson was looking for some help from the Minnesota passing game.

In the fourth quarter, Drew Brees was poised to put the game on ice for the Saints.  After a 40-plus yard drive, the Saints were presented with a key third down situation.  Leading 14-9, a touchdown would have given the Vikings a tough deficit to overcome.  Brees uncorked a pass into the end zone – over a couple of Viking defenders – and into the hands wide receiver Robert Meachem.  Meachem jumped and extended for the pass (which hit him in the hands), but could not hold on to the ball as his body came into contact with the turf.  The missed opportunity turned even more dreadful when New Orleans kicker Garrett Hartley shanked a  32-yard field goal attempt, keeping the game within 5 points for the Vikings.

However, Favre and company were unable to capitalize and punted the ball back away to the Saints.  The Saints constructed a drive that took   minutes off of the game clock.  New Orleans effectively mixed up its offensive playcalling, inserting some key running plays that caught the Vikings off guard.  The home team keep churning out the first downs to keep the game clock moving, and the Vikings were unable to get another chance to score the football.

Tonight’s game was competitive, however, in a way that most did not expect.  Two of last season’s most prolific quarterbacks – Brees and Favre – were far from spectacular.  Brees completed 26 of 37 passes for 237 yards including one touchdown.  Favre never really established the Minnesota passing game (he was 15-27, 171 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), and in the end, Peterson’s first half surge could not be supported by an air attack.

Favre’s rustiness will most certainly be attributed to his abrupt decision to join Minnesota in the middle of the preseason.  The Super Bowl champion Saints were also not efficient as usual.  But the bottom line is that Favre wasn’t sharp, and the Vikings lost this game because of it.