Saints 2023 Week 10 Preview

Jason Watson Jr • November 10, 2023

New Orleans and Minnesota Battle for Playoff Positioning


The Saints were the only NFC South team to win in Week 9 with a 24-17 home victory versus the Chicago Bears. In Week 10, New Orleans travels to Minnesota for a crucial game regarding playoff odds. The Vikings are now tied at 5-4 with the Saints after a 31-28 come-from-behind win against Atlanta.


The Matchup:

New Orleans has sole possession of first place in the NFC South and is facing a critical matchup before their bye week. In a muddled NFC, the Saints can’t afford to slide while it seems their only chance of seeing a playoff game will rest on a divisional title. The Saints and Vikings tied for the 6th best record in the conference, but Minnesota is on the bubble as the 7th seed, while New Orleans sits at four. That difference could leave a playoff game at the Dome come postseason time. This Week 10 contest will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, November 12, 2023, at noon CST on FOX.


Series History:

Minnesota and New Orleans have a long history with one another. They first competed in 1968. The Vikings lead the all-time history with a record of 24-13. There have been five postseason games between the two historic franchises. New Orleans is 1-4 in those games. The lone victory for the Saints came in the 2009-10 Super Bowl season. The most recent contest featured the Vikings earning a 28-25 road victory in 2022. A lot of bad blood still boils between fans and players thanks to the “Minneapolis Miracle” of 2018. This week’s contest should be a great battle on the gridiron.


Team Rankings Comparison:

Rank (Week 9) Saints Vikings
Record 5-4 (1st NFC South) 5-4 (2nd NFC North)
Scoring Avg. 21.7 (15) 22.9 (13)
Opp. Scoring Avg. 19.0 (7) 21.1 (17)
Total Off. 343.8 (13) 354.8 (8)
Rushing Off. 103.9 (18) 81.3 (29)
Passing Off. 239.9 (10) 273.4 (2)
Total Def. 304.3 (7) 328.0 (14)
Rushing Def. 112.3 (17) 102.6 (12)
Passing Def. 192.0 (7) 225.4 (18)
Turnover Margin +8 (3) -5 (28)
Penalties 55 (12) 43 (30)
Penalty Yards 518 (2) 330 (30)


Current Injury Report:


Saints-

Adam Prentice, FB, Questionable, Knee

Ty Summers, LB, Questionable, Hamstring

Kendre Miller, RB, Questionable, Ankle

Isaiah Foskey, DE, Questionable, Quadricep



Vikings-

Justin Jefferson, WR, Questionable, Hamstring

Dean Lowry, DL, Questionable, Groin

K.J. Osborn, WR, Questionable, Concussion

Brian Asamoah II, LB, Questionable, Ankle

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Questionable, Ribs



Final Thoughts/Prediction:

Although the Saints will not be facing Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs looked stout, leading his new team to a victory last week. The Saints tend to struggle with mobile quarterbacks and haven’t looked like their typical elite selves in the past couple of games. Not only will Dobbs be looking to make a statement to the fans of Minnesota, but New Orleans will also face the challenge of defending Justin Jefferson, arguably the best wideout in the league, as he returns from injured reserve. If New Orleans can force 2+ turnovers, they will win this game. The offense has got to take advantage of those and turn them into points. I’ll pick the Saints in this one, 27-23.


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By Kaden Arkeder August 19, 2026
Well, it’s official. Jordyn Tyson is expected to miss two months due to his hamstring injury he suffered during practice. What a major blow to the team and fans who have been eager to see his talent out on the field. We’ll all have to wait a while longer before we Jordyn Tyson in a game. Unfortunately you cannot say this news comes as surprise. It was well known and documented Jordyn Tyson had quite the injury history throughout his collegiate career. The Saints were hoping he’d be able to leave those injuries in the past by slow playing his recovery during the offseason and give him a slow build up. But ultimately the plan did not work and now the Saints have to begin the season without their presumed number two receiver. With Tyson being out the Saints will have to piece together his absence with the other young wide receivers who have been standing out during camp and preseason. Guys like Bryce Lance, Barion Brown, and possibly even Bub Means could help fill the void although they wouldn’t be able to completely replace Jordyn Tyson’s talent and the attention he would demand to make Olave’s job easier. When players of this stature go down it’s never one player having to pick up the slack, it’s on everyone in the huddle to take on a little extra to cover up the loss. Another caveat of the Tyson injury now is the added importance of Chris Olave himself being able to stay healthy in the absence of Jordyn Tyson. Olave himself has had his fair share of injury history and ultimately was unable to play a full season until last year although it did end on a scary note with the blood clot. The Saints can survive if one of the two are out at a time but I don’t know if they would be able to overcome if both were out given the lack of experience behind them. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and Olave and company can hold down the fort just fine until Tyson is ready to make his debut. We will all just have to continue anxiously waiting for that moment, hopefully the Saints can make it a little easier on us by winning in the meantime.
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