Its been 9 years since the Minnesota Vikings made it to the NFC Championship game. The last time the Vikings played in the Championship game it was on the road against the New York Giants in 2001. The game ended up 0-41 for the Vikings, a total embarrassment. With all of the talent the Vikings had with Culpepper, Moss, Cris Carter, and Robert Smith, the Vikings didn’t score a point. In a lot of ways this was the Vikings window closing. With all of their talent they couldn’t get past the NFC Championship game, losing only two years earlier to the Atlanta Falcons. After the devastating loss to the Giants the next couple of years the Vikings were forced to go into a rebuilding mode: Robert Smith retired, Cris Carter moved on, Kory Stringer passed away, and Dennis Green was fired. The Vikings did not return to the playoffs until January of 2005 and really have not accomplished much since their last NFC Championship game season.

So it is 2010 and there are but two teams remaining in the NFC, Saints and Vikings. The winner will go to the big game, the loser goes home. Again the Vikings are going to be playing on the road as they did against the New York Giants. The New Orleans Saints are the team that stands in the way of the Vikings making their 5th Super Bowl appearance. The Saints have shown to be a very explosive team on offense and strive on defense by the way of making turnovers. If the game was being played at home for the Vikings they would be favored to win this game. Again this week the Vikings are the underdog. However, there are a number of things that the Vikings can do to improve their chances of winning this game.

1. Do not turn the ball over. This is the most important thing that the Vikings can do to help their chances to pull off the upset. The Saints live and die off of turnovers. The Vikings must take care of the ball.

2. Get an early lead. With the noise in the dome at the loudest the Vikings must score early to take away some of the crowd noise. If the Vikings can weather the storm of the Saints offensive attack in the first few series their chances of winning increase.

3. Put pressure on Drew Brees. With the game being played in New Orleans do not expect the Viking defensive line to be as strong as last week. However, it is imperative that the Vikings put consistent pressure on Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints lead the league offensively with most points scored and most yards gained per game. The Saints passing game is too good and the Vikings secondary is too weak to allow Drew Brees the time to makes his reads. If Brees is given time to throw play after play the Vikings will lose this game.

4. Do not allow the big play. The Saints last week were full of big touchdown plays. They had the Reggie Bush punt return, the Reggie Bush rushing touchdown, and the flea-flicker touchdown pass. The Vikings must stop the big play. The Saints are going to take their shots downfield and the Vikings must be ready for them.

So here we are 9 years later. The window has reopened and the Minnesota Vikings are loaded with talent, as are the Saints. This is another big game for the Minnesota Vikings and a big challenge against a very talented New Orleans Saints team. The Vikings can win this game and have a great opportunity to do so. What this game comes down to is “who wants it more?”

Paul Gantner