Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints

Putting the INT in International Series

On Sunday 2nd October, the NFL returns to London with the first game of the International Series taking place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As ever the match up brought to the Great British NFL public on paper when first announced looked like an intriguing one, and yet as we enter Week 4 of the season the sides start to take shape in terms of narrative and you can never account for injuries.

This season brings us Minnesota Vikings (2-1) versus the New Orleans Saints (1-2) in a battle between aspirational sides trying to usurp divisional heavyweights and for some people it is the last throw of the dice.

The Vikings had a great start to the season, dominating divisional rivals Green Bay Packers with an emphatic 23-7 home victory, although truth be told the Packers were depleted with two offensive line starters absent and Allen Lazard missing for Rogers, not to mention the easy touchdown grab dropped by Christian Watson which may have shifted momentum. However, Justin Jefferson shredded a depleted defence for 180 plus receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

However, as dominant as that victory was the next game saw a reversal of fortune as a road trip to Philadelphia saw the Eagles win 24-7 with Jalen Hurts ruling the roost and forcing Kirk Cousins to endure another painful prime time outing. Cousins threw for three interceptions, two sacks, a fumble and a completion percentage of 58.7. 

Last Sunday, the Vikings held on against a resilient Lions side 28-24 with Cousins showing more maturity and less mistakes, with two TDs off of 260 yards but still a low percentage rate. Yet the side did enough to gain another divisional victory and stay atop of the NFC North.

The New Orleans Saints are entering the first season of a new regime without Sean Payton and still attempting to gain an offensive identity post-Drew Brees. They decided to go with Jameis Winston, a former overall No.1 pick in the draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015 but for whom bad luck has followed him around with mistakes aplenty in his arsenal. This season after one game it was announced that he is suffering with four separate back fractures, which naturally, is not helping with his mechanics. this worry of his health has led to a return of poor play with bad decision making.

Following the fourth quarter week one comeback on the road at Atlanta - 27-26 with 269 yards for two touchdowns with no turnovers; the next week at home versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (his former team) bad Jameis returned with a nightmare performance - 25-40 236 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, 6 sacks and a fumble as they succumbed to a stellar Tampa D who won 20-10 on the road.

On Sunday, Jameis attempted to outdo himself in Carolina but threw for two more interceptions meaning five in two games and two further fumbles to gift the Panthers there first win of the season. Yet he still threw for 300 plus yards meaning the modus operandi of the Saints is to throw when possible, and he seems to have made a good connection with rookie speedster Chris Olave who had 147 yards off of nine grabs and thirteen targets of Winston's 41 total passes, that is a third of them. Michael Thomas had 49 yards off of five targets (no drops). 

Jameis played in Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the Bucs in the last season before Brady and famously threw a pick six on his first possession in a game versus the Carolina Panthers. That was one of the first games at the Premier League stadium and that pass was greeted by a mighty roar helping cement the North London venue as a leading location for NFL games in Europe; there is for the first time this season an NFL regular season encounter in Germany when Tom Brady faces off against Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs in a repeat of SuperBowl LV when he won his 7th ring.

Yet the Vikings and Saints are both undefeated in London, both 2-0 in their history, so something is going to give on this neutral territory.

What to expect this Sunday in London, well that is sometimes the beauty and curse of the NFL. In a quarterback driven league, it is hard to say what you are going to get from either of these guys under center. Cousins (when not on Prime Time) can manage this Vikings side to the playoffs, he has an abundance of talent around him to find; while Jameis' body is the big question mark. Luckily injuries to Thomas and Jarvis Landry are not considered to be long lasting and so both will be given the opportunity to star on Sunday.

What can be certain is that there should definitely be big plays - Olave had a 49 yard grab versus Carolina in defeat, and Justin Jefferson's scored two big TDs on opening week - so the potential for big plays under the lights is there. Can Kirk and Jameis deliver excitement and chaos that we adore about the NFL, or will they put the INT into the international series?