There are a couple of rematches in the divisional round of the playoffs this year, including the Saints-Vikings game in Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.
Those two teams opened the season against each other in a game that the Vikings won 29-19. It’s not something that Saints quarterback Drew Brees feels has much bearing on this week’s matchup.
“It’s night and day,” Brees said, via the New Orleans Advocate. “You’re still trying to find yourself, you’re still trying to establish your identity, so that feels like ages and ages ago.”
The big storyline heading into that game was Adrian Peterson’s return to Minnesota and the fact that the running back ended the season on Arizona’s injured reserve list illustrates just how much has shifted over the last few months.
The Saints ran for 60 yards in that game and gave up 470 on defense, both of which look like outliers based on the way the rest of the season unfolded. It’s not just the Saints that have evolved, however.
Sam Bradford was the Vikings quarterback in Week One with Dalvin Cook topping the depth chart at running back. Neither one will be in the starting lineup this weekend, which only adds to the reasons to throw out that first meeting when trying to assess how things will play out this time.