Vikings Hand NFC Championship to Saints

Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson are each, arguably, the best player at the respective positions in the NFL.

But on Sunday night, both of them committed critical turnovers that enabled the New Orleans Saints to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in overtime, 31-28, in the NFC Championship Game.

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson rushed the football 25 times for 122 yards – and he had 3 touchdowns.  However, AP fumbled the ball twice – somewhat disrupting the continuity of the Vikings offense.

Legendary QB Brett Favre completed 28 passes for 310 yards – but he also threw two interceptions.  The costliest of those interceptions occurred with under 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter.  With the game tied at 28, Minnesota had moved the ball inside the New Orleans’ 40 – with a 3rd down and 15 to go.  Only needing the position the ball close enough to attempt a field goal, Minnesota designed a rollout pass to the right.  Favre, as he’s done many times throughout his career, attempted to throw a pass across his body into the middle of the field.  His attempt was intercepted by Tracy Porter and effectively sent the game into a sudden death overtime period.

The Saints won the coin toss in overtime, and systematically moved the football down the field.  They received help from a couple of Vikings’ penalties – including a defensive holding and a defensive pass interference.  New Orleans end up with a 4th down and 2 on the Minnesota 22 when they decided to send out kicker Garrett Hartley for a 40-yard field goal attempt.  Hartley split the uprights perfectly to send the Saints to their first Super Bowl.

Tracy Porter made another opportunistic play that saved the game for the Saints.

The loss was especially bitter for the Vikings.  From a statistical standpoint, they dominated the game.  Minnesota outrushed New Orleans, 165 to 68.  They outpassed them, 310 to 189.  The Vikes won the first down battle, 31 to 15.

Unfortunately, Minnesota cmmitted five turnovers – three lost fumbles and two interceptions.  Two of the fumbles and one of the interceptions occurred deep in New Orleans’ territory and, at the very least, one of them could have put the game winning points on the board for the Vikings.

Saints QB Drew Brees was efficient (17-31, 197 yards, 3 TD), but his team seemed to lack all of the offensive explosiveness that we are used to seeing from it.  Instead, it was the opportunistic New Orleans defense which turned the game in its favor.

The Saints will face AFC Champions Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl to weeks from Sunday.

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