Vikings vs. Saints Game Preview

A closer look at some of the things we're watching for when the Saints take on the Vikings this Sunday in London.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Sep 30, 2022 8:08 AM EDT

In this story:

The Saints (1-2) and Vikings (2-1) square off in London this Sunday at Tottenham Spur Stadium. New Orleans is a team desperately looking to find themselves on offense and put together a win. Their slow starts and 'shooting themselves in the foot' have been the main culprits in each of their games in this early season. Here's a preview of what we're looking for going into the game.

What to Watch For

WINSTON'S HEALTH: There's some uncertainty regarding whether or not Jameis Winston plays in this game. He's still dealing with the back and ankle injuries, and spoke to us on Wednesday reiterating that he was going to practice on Thursday and will play in this game. However, he wasn't there on Thursday, and the rehab aspect appears to be a bit more of an emphasis this week. We'll see how Winston's game status looks after practice on Friday. Andy Dalton would start in his place, and we've also seen Taysom Hill take some reps at quarterback this week.

TIME TRAVEL: The Vikings aren't leaving for London until Friday, and after personally being here for a couple days, I can tell you that the time change makes a huge difference and needs some adjustment. This could be a subtle thing for Minnesota, but there's a method to the madness in having the Saints be here all week from their sleep studies and such. We'll see if it actually pays off, but the reality is that both are playing at 8:30 a.m. in their normal time (2:30 p.m. locally).

USATSI_19029785_168388561_lowres — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

MICHAEL THOMAS WATCH: Thomas (toe) has not been at practice this week, but did make the trip to London. Like Winston, Friday will be a big day for Thomas. It was reported that the injury was not feared to be serious earlier this week, and the good news is that other Saints wide receivers in Jarvis Landry (ankle) and Tre'Quan Smith (concussion) were back at practice. However, they don't replace a Michael Thomas, and he's desperately needed. Again, we'll have to see how this goes.

LONDON CALLING: There will undoubtedly be a good contingent of fans representing each team in this game, but you can't say that either team will have home field advantage here. Yes, this is a Saints 'home' game, but this will be a game where you'll see a lot of different jerseys out there and just football fans coming together. The players have talked about this, saying that the action interest will be something everyone will get into. It should be interesting to watch it unfold.