NFL Wild Card weekend preview and predictions: The year of road warriors
By Ian Higgins
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, January 5th, 1:05 PM
– Key Matchup: MIN running game vs NO front-seven
– X-Factors: Dalvin Cook & Marshon Lattimore
Will Kirk Cousins finally succeed on the big stage? If Minnesota is to win in New Orleans, it will not be on the arm of their quarterback, but instead on the legs of their returning running back. Dalvin Cook has become the running back Minnesota hoped for when drafted after being held back by injury troubles.
Cousins has continued to disappoint his contract value and can not be the backbone of the Minnesota offense. Stefon Diggs should provide some aerial firepower, but matchup Marshon Lattimore should stunt much of his production.
With a known explosive offense behind Drew Brees and Michael Thomas, New Orleans needs a defensive playmaker like Marshon Lattimore to make the difference. With Cook being the prospective focal point of this Minnesota offense, loading the box and daring Cousins to pass is their path to victory, hopefully, led by the one-on-one dominance of Lattimore against Diggs.
As mentioned previously, the key matchup of this early Sunday game will be the front-seven of New Orleans against Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota offensive line. If New Orleans can similarly trust their backend to New England and put numbers in the box, Minnesota will need to clearly dominate upfront and not put the game into the hands of Cousins.