WEEK 5 · FINAL
THE READ
Vikings beat Saints, 27-20
Vikings took care of Saints, 27-20. Tyler Shough threw for Saints — 27/41, 302 yards, 2 TD — in a losing effort. Bryce Lance was the target for Saints — 9 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD. Make it 3 consecutive games past 250 for Tyler Shough. Through the air: Saints 302, Vikings 155.
The Wire · league beat
THE WIDER PICTURE
| Team | SRS | SOS | MARGIN | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | +5.8 | +2.2 | +3.6 | -5 |
| Saints | -13.2 | -4.2 | -9.0 | -12 |
SRS is how many points a side beats an
average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good
team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20.
SOS is how hard that schedule has been.
Full table.
Vikings —
in the hunt
· 4-4
Playoff picture →
IN THE BOOTH
Devon Walker
Beat reporter
Minnesota won a game where New Orleans outgained them 394 to 303 and had the ball doing what it does best—Shough hit 27 of 41 for 302 yards. The difference was giveaways: Saints turned it over twice, Vikings once, and that margin was enough.
Caleb Brooks
Beat reporter
· replying
New Orleans had this game—Shough and Lance both in form, Saints moving the ball at will—and still left with nothing. Minnesota leaned on the ground game when it mattered and didn't beat itself, which at 1-4 is the only thing NO can afford to keep losing.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers —
none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that
did not happen.
Tyler Shough
Saints
27/41, 302 yards, 2 TD
Bryce Lance
Saints
9 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD
Demond Claiborne
Vikings
11 carries, 65 yards
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
Through the air
Saints 302, Vikings 155
Saints
Total yards
Saints 394, Vikings 303
Saints
On the ground
Vikings 148, Saints 92
Vikings
Giveaways
Saints 2, Vikings 1
Vikings
THE ROOM
Final. The recap is below.
THE MATCHUP SCOUT
every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy
Pass 71% · Rush 29% · 37.0 scored, 33.4 allowed
10.9 yds/att
62.0% completions
5.8 yds/carry
393.9 yds/game
2.7 giveaways/game
4.6% sack rate
last 5: 4-1
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 68 · Aggressive
Balance 79
Ball security 24
Back usage 21%
QB runs 3.3/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 2.7 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 77
WR 82
TE 83
RB 80
OL 83
DL 80
LB 78
DB 85
Best: Christian Darrisaw LT 90
Fastest: Zachariah Branch WR 95 SPD
9 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy
Pass 76% · Rush 24% · 29.4 scored, 38.4 allowed
10.3 yds/att
54.5% completions
4.0 yds/carry
354.9 yds/game
2.0 giveaways/game
7.9% sack rate
last 5: 2-3
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 58 · Aggressive
Balance 74
Ball security 44
Back usage 20%
QB runs 1.6/game
Most exposed: one-man passing game -- Bryce Lance takes 45% of the receiving yards
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 91
WR 85
TE 74
RB 78
OL 85
DL 85
LB 78
DB 82
Best: Kevin Zeitler C 95
Fastest: Bryce Lance WR 95 SPD
8 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY
the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
Pluto
Saints · his last 8 games
Throws it
Gives it away
One back
One target
Pass / run76% / 24%
Points for / against29.4 — 38.4
Margin-9.0
Giveaways a game2.0
Sacks taken7.9% of dropbacks
Lead backBhayshul Tuten · 6.8/g
Top targetBryce Lance · 45%
QB carries1.6 a game
thecozyfiles
Vikings · his last 7 games
Throws it
Gives it away
Runs the quarterback
Pass / run71% / 29%
Points for / against37.0 — 33.4
Margin+3.6
Giveaways a game2.7
Sacks taken4.6% of dropbacks
Lead backDemond Claiborne · 7.3/g
Top targetGermie Bernard · 31%
QB carries3.3 a game
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
THE SERIES
thecozyfiles against Pluto — the men, not the teams
thecozyfiles leads it 1-0.
thecozyfiles won the last one.
1 meeting
avg 27.0 — 20.0
biggest: 7 pts to thecozyfiles
S1 · week 5
thecozyfiles 27 — 20 Pluto
THECOZYFILES
Only meetings Sapphire can attribute to both men are counted — a Madden export never says who owned a team last season, so the series starts where the record does.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES
unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Vikings receivers vs Saints secondary
82 v 82
EVEN
Saints receivers vs Vikings secondary
85 v 85
EVEN
Vikings line vs Saints front
83 v 85
EVEN
Saints line vs Vikings front
85 v 80
SAINTS
Vikings backs vs Saints run defence
80 v 83
SAINTS
Saints backs vs Vikings run defence
78 v 80
EVEN
Vikings passer vs Saints secondary
77 v 82
SAINTS
Saints passer vs Vikings secondary
91 v 85
SAINTS
TOP PERFORMERS
🎬
The Game Recapthis game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
VIKINGS
SAINTS
VIKINGS
SAINTS
VIKINGS
SAINTS
VIKINGS
SAINTS
VIKINGS
SAINTS
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.J. McCarthy QB | 20/29 | 155 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 104.8 |
SAINTS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough QB | 27/41 | 302 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 103.9 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demond Claiborne HB | 11 | 65 | 5.9 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 27 | 1 |
| J.J. McCarthy QB | 7 | 34 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Aaron Jones Sr HB | 7 | 32 | 4.6 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason HB | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Josh Oliver TE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Addison WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SAINTS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhayshul Tuten HB | 12 | 42 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Tyler Shough QB | 4 | 29 | 7.2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 18 | 1 |
| Alvin Kamara HB | 9 | 21 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Mason Tipton WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Olave WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Addison WR | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 22 |
| Germie Bernard WR | 5 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| T.J. Hockenson TE | 3 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| Demond Claiborne HB | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| Josh Oliver TE | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Jordan Mason HB | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Zachariah Branch WR | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
SAINTS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Lance WR | 9 | 110 | 12.2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 23 |
| Mason Tipton WR | 4 | 67 | 16.8 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 26 |
| Chris Olave WR | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 14 |
| Oscar Delp TE | 3 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 10 |
| Noah Fant TE | 1 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| Brandon Aiyuk WR | 1 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Bhayshul Tuten HB | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakobe Thomas SS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Eric Wilson WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Blake Cashman SAM | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Tre Hawkins III CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Josh Metellus FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jonathon Cooper DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Anthony Hill Jr. MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Levi Drake Rodriguez DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Thomas SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Adams WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domonique Orange DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SAINTS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colton Hood CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Wade Woodaz MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Davon Godchaux DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Kelvin Joseph SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Abdul Carter REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Isaiah Stalbird WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Christen Miller DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Granderson REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tyree Wilson LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Reichard K | 2/2 | 3/3 | 55 |
SAINTS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Smyth K | 2/2 | 2/2 | 56 |
RECENT FORM
Vikings
L
24–52 vs Dolphins
WK 4
W
34–31 vs Buccaneers
WK 3
L
21–31 vs Bears
WK 2
Saints
W
69–57 vs Falcons
WK 4
L
30–54 vs Raiders
WK 3
L
21–48 vs Ravens
WK 2
TEAM STATS
| Vikings | Saints | |
|---|---|---|
| 303 | TOTAL YARDS | 394 |
| 155 | PASSING YARDS | 302 |
| 148 | RUSHING YARDS | 92 |
| 1 | SACKS ALLOWED | 2 |
| 2 | SACKS MADE | 1 |
| 1 | GIVEAWAYS | 2 |
| 2 | TAKEAWAYS | 1 |
Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.
ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
1
VIKINGS
—
0
SAINTS