Minnesota Vikings victorious after double-doink drama haunts New Orleans Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The Minnesota Vikings won the first NFL International Series game of 2022 in dramatic fashion, as New Orleans Saints kicker Will Lutz saw his game-tying FG attempt bounce off the goal post twice with two seconds remaining at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Minnesota, who were fortunate to be ahead in the tie after a torrid day in the red zone, won the first of three NFL games to be held across the pond in 2022, all of which will be played in front of sold-out crowds.
Dennis Allen’s New Orleans defense held a high-powered Minnesota offense to just a single touchdown for three and a half quarters of the game, before Justin Jefferson gave the Vikings a late lead following a controversial defensive pass interference penalty.
Injuries to starting quarterback Jameis Winston and running back Alvin Kamara didn’t stop the Saints’ offense from delivering their best showing of the season under veteran backup Andy Dalton, but with Lutz’s misfortune, Dennis Allen’s side were denied a trip to overtime and a chance to improve their record to 2-2.
This season’s International Series ties a record of five games held outside of the US in a single season, with two more ties played to be played in London, one in Tottenham, and another at Wembley Stadium, before the league hosts it’s first game in Germany, and returns to Mexico for the first time since 2019.
Heading into the game, Minnesota were labelled as the three-point betting favourites following the injuries suffered by Winston, Kamara, and star wide receiver Michael Thomas in their Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Kevin O’Connell’s offense, quarterbacked by Kirk Cousins, started quickly as Alexander Mattison took a screen pass 15 yards for a touchdown on third and goal to put the Vikes 7-0 in front.
New Orleans, who were assigned to be the home team in this matchup, struggled out of the gate, starting with two straight three-and-outs, but were given life at the end of the first quarter as Tyrann Mathieu pounced on a pass intended for Jefferson.
The Saints took advantage of the free possession, with a key third-down completion between Dalton and first-round rookie, Chris Olave, kickstarting a scoring drive to level the game.
With just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, the same two players combined from four yards out to level the game, after Lutz converted the extra point attempt.
50 seconds inside the first half’s two-minute warning, the Vikings reached their opponent’s 10-yard line, but a miscommunication between Cousins and tight end Johnny Mundt presented O’Connell with a decision to make, needing a yard on fourth down.
Greg Joseph was subsequently sent out to attempt a 28-yard field goal to put the Purple and Gold up by three points, leaving the Saints, who possessed two timeouts, over a minute to at least tie the game going into the half.
Their drive came to an abrupt end, however, as on the first play of the series, Dalton fumbled the football on a sack by Vikings defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, giving Minnesota the chance to extend their lead in favourable field position.
An instant red-zone opportunity was gifted to the Vikings, who started on the Saints’ 20-yard line, but they couldn’t make the most of it, instead settling for a field goal to leave the game 13-7 at halftime.
After New Orleans punted on the opening possession of the half, Minnesota looked to have a three-and-out of their own, but were gifted another trip into red-zone territory when star safety Harrison Smith recovered a loose ball as Saints kick returner Deonte Harty fumbled Ryan Wright’s punt
Cousins then found Jefferson for a 41-yard gain on the very next play, making it all the way to the four-yard line, but unfortunately, O’Connell’s offense continued to struggle within the Saints’ red area, again only coming away with three points.
In response to going down by two scores, New Orleans put together a drive that lasted over five minutes and ended with a six-yard touchdown run from Latavius Murray, leaving the score at 16-14 in the dying embers of the third quarter.
After a conservative first 43 minutes, Minnesota caught Allen’s Saints off guard with an aggressive fake punt call on 4th and 2, which saw Wright, the punter, pass to Jalen Nailor for a 13-yard gain, continuing their drive.
Cousins and the Vikings offense continued their drive into the fourth quarter and the New Orleans 23-yard line, but saw it halted by back-to-back penalties, meaning Joseph was called upon once more to extend their lead to five points.
Another long drive led by Dalton and the versatile Taysom Hill, who rushed for a score from under centre, gave the home team their first lead of the day.
After Hill went in for six, Allen, the Saints’ head coach, opted to attempt a two-point conversion to potentially extend their lead to three points. Andy Dalton subsequently found Jarvis Landry in space to put New Orleans 22-19 in front.
With just over five minutes remaining in the tie, situated at midfield, O’Connell called a deep shot between Cousins and Jefferson on third and long. The pass fell incomplete but drew a flag, with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore being penalised for defensive pass interference on the Minnesota receiver.
The controversial penalty set up the Vikings within three yards of the Saints’ end zone, where Jefferson caught everyone off guard by taking in a jet-sweep for a rushing touchdown, giving Minnesota the lead.
Joseph, who had been perfect on the day, followed the touchdown with a missed extra point, which would make his team sweat in the final few minutes due to the 25-22 scoreline, allowing New Orleans to tie the game with a field goal.
The following Saints’ drive was halted at their opponent’s 42-yard line, meaning that they could either punt or bring out Lutz to attempt a 60-yard field goal, matching his career best.
Lutz was preferred, which proved to be a smart decision, levelling the game with just under two minutes remaining.
A 39-yard deep shot to Jefferson, followed by a Joseph field goal from the 47-yard line, looked to be enough for Minnesota to win with only 25 seconds to go, and New Orleans not having any timeouts left.
Magic can happen, though, particularly in London, and after 32 32-yard grab from the rookie Olave, Lutz had a chance to take the game to overtime, this time from 61 yards out.
Lutz’s second career long attempt of the day looked to be good until the very last second, when the ball moved to the left a tad, bouncing off the left upright, onto the crossbar, and out of the goal, giving the Vikings a 28-25 victory.
“I gave it a chance, but just didn't get the right bounce - it's just so frustrating. I wanted to hit that kick for the team, we needed to win today.” - Will Lutz
Minnesota now move to 3-1 on the season, and are currently first place in the NFC North, whilst the Saints, who many saw as a playoff team, are now 1-3.