Sunday’s kickoff in London between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings will feature star talent on both sides of the ball, pitting two talented defenses against a couple of offenses that are just beginning to find their way this season. It’s going to be an exciting affair — here are six individual matchups we’ll be watching closely.
Saints CB Marshon Lattimore vs. Vikings CB Justin Jefferson
The premier matchup of the day for me will be Lattimore vs Jefferson. Lattimore is known for his ability to match the top talents in the league, those are usually the matchups he does the best against. Two of the best in the league at their positions going head to head will always draw eyes. — Dylan Sanders
Saints QB Andy Dalton vs. Vikings S Harrison Smith
The Vikings have been doing something interesting with their veteran safety, asking Smith to serve a role more like a lurker underneath, attacking coverage from different areas of the field. It will be a unique look that the Saints have not seen so far this season, but also are not unfamiliar with considering their own deployment of Malcolm Jenkins in the past. With Dalton likely to make his first appearance as a Saints quarterback this Sunday, these two will be a prime matchup to watch. Dalton has seen a lot in his 11-year NFL career, but he will be new to the New Orleans offensive scheme. Countering the usage of Smith with an offense he doesn’t have much experience with is an intriguing chess match. — Ross Jackson
Saints interior defensive line vs. Vikings guard Ed Ingram
Whoever is matched up with Ed Ingram should be able to win that matchup. Ingram was a highly anticipated third round draft pick, but is thrust into a starting role that he isn’t ready for yet. He’s had a rough start to the season, and looks like a weak spot that needs to be taken advantage of. — Dylan Sanders
Saints offensive tackles vs. Vikings OLB Za’Darius Smith
Ryan Ramczyk is no stranger to marquee matchups with viable pass rushers. He’s faced some of the best in the NFL on a seemingly weekly basis throughout his career. But he and James Hurst will have their hands full against Smith and his running mate defensive end Danielle Hunter. Smith, the former Green Bay Packer, is one of the NFL’s best pass rushers when he’s healthy and productive but he’s no slouch when hampered either. Smith has been navigating a knee injury throughout the practice week and is questionable for Sunday’s game. If he’s good to go, he’ll command the attention expected for a premier edge rusher. The Saints have struggled with blitz identification early on this season, expect Minnesota to gameplay Smith into favorable situations from the second level with their three-man fronts. — Ross Jackson
Saints DE Cameron Jordan vs. Vikings rushing attack
Cameron Jordan is still the best run defender on this team, and it’s not really close. Obviously his pass rush is on a similar decline right now that we saw last season, but you can’t take him out of the run game. Dalvin Cook is not going to be 100%, so add that into Jordan’s high level ability, Jordan could play a big role in taking the star RB out of the game completely. The Vikings tackles haven’t had a terrible start to this season either, so it’ll be fun to watch. — Dylan Sanders
Saints WR Chris Olave vs. Vikings CB Patrick Peterson
The September rookie of the month has been the lone bright spot of the New Orleans offense so far this season. This weekend, with veteran receivers Michael Thomas out and Jarvis Landry questionable with an ankle injury, the team’s leading receiver may be in for an even bigger role in the passing game. In order to excel in that role he’ll have to compete with one of the NFL’s most talented and experience corners in Peterson. The 12-year veteran is not who he once was in 2022, of course, but his savvy and invaluable experience should not be discounted. If Peterson is going to limit Olave when the two are matched up, he’ll have to do it by being physical off the line of scrimmage. That could work in the favor of the receiver as the Saints rookie is outstanding against press coverage. Olave should also be able to use his speed to his advantage when he draws this matchup as well. This should be a fun one to watch and could be a major win for New Orleans. — Ross Jackson
