I’ll say one thing for the NFL; they know how to open a season.
On one hand you’ve got the defending champions New Orleans Saints (still not used to saying that), with the Brees Machine and their famous slogan that gives the English language another razor cut every time it is uttered. On the other hand you’ve got the team who they narrowly defeated in the NFC championship game last year, and who their own legions of fans practically demanding a rematch for the past nine months to show the Saints advanced just upon pure luck. Add to it being the first game of the new season and you have a decent matchup, even if it’s on a week night.
The reason for all the festivities
When it was all said and done, only the scoreboard had the same result, albeit with a lot less points for each side. Unlike the fumbled-fingered festival that was delivered to fans in these teams last match, both teams seem to have their extra-sticky gloves on in this rematch. In fact the only turnover was Brett Favre’s errant pass late in the game, which I’m sure had many Vikings fans wondering if they were seeing history repeat itself. Really though, I’d want to chalk up the difference in that regard to both games being completely different intensity wise. Unlike the NFC Championship, there’s no pressure in this game outside of pride to either show last year was a fluke, or that you can win regardless. Indeed the intensity of the play and the crowd was noticeably lower, probably due to the pre-game celebrations and events in the New Orleans area helping to divert the crowds energy.
Now that’s not to take anything away from the play on the field. Indeed for the first half both teams were showing why they are considered some of the best in the league. Brees and Favre traded touchdowns in well executed runs down the field, while each teams defense was holding their own. However in the second half, the Saints defense showed a possible preview of things to come for the season, shutting down the Vikings offense and limiting them to two first downs in the second half.
“We were right where we wanted to be at halftime, then it was three-and-out, three-and-out,” said Vikings coach Brad Childress. “There were not a lot of throws to be made downfield. They were going to hold us down and make us bleed slowly.”
Defense was the story of the same for both sides
So how did the Saints keep one of the most potent offenses from last year almost completely off the scoreboard? Well neutralizing their offensive stars is one way to do it. Adrian Peterson, one of the stars in the NFL for running backs and who tallied three touchdowns and over one hundred and twenty-two yards seven months ago, was reduced to a non-factor this time around. Star receiver Sidney Rice is out for half the season due to hip surgery, which takes away one of Favre’s more effective weapons from last year. His stand-ins Javon Walker and Greg Camarillo are pale substitutes for his performance, with Walker not even with the team anymore. And Favre looked like a player that could have really used a few weeks of preseason play. Outside of a solid drive in the second half, his play looked dis-shelved and out of sync with the team around him. Even Favre admitted that he could have played better, stating that “I just missed on some throws I should have made.”
Now what makes this game a bit of a statement that the Saints could not only be more then a one year wonder, but possibly able to repeat this year? Well first, they took a Vikings team that is not exactly a cream puff match-up (even without Sidney Rice) and effectively shut them down. The fact that a team that has Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre could be held to nine points in total, and be completely invisible for half the game could indicate that the Saints do not need to reply on Brees to win games, but can get game winning defense as well. As for a team that with their current head coach have never won a game where they have scored less then nineteen points over a span of four years (although if Garrett Hartley had better aim, the streak would still stand). Now if the Saints can get this kind of defense on average every game, combined with the offense performance that they’ve generated over the last four years, it may not be a matter of if they make it back to the big dance, but who will stop them that could be the question. And for Vikings fans, just how much tougher it could be to get to the big dance in January.
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The owner of the Sports Blog Network, Chris tells it exactly as he sees it, be it in the stands, in front of the tv, or on his semi-trusty laptop. And always with a can of trusty Dr. Pepper by his side, and spell-check working overtime. 
Ya this season is having a very familiar ring, just one we haven’t seen in a while. I’ll take last year’s team that chocked a lead away in the semi-finals over the return to the early 00′s.
That rematch really did take the wind out of this team’s sails. And we looked lackluster against Miami. This isn’t looking like last year’s team, but more like 2001.