It looked like the Vikings had taken control of Sunday’s matchup with the Saints, but New Orleans just changed the game with a turnover.
But the game remains tied after a missed extra point.
On third-and-15 from the New Orleans 19, Kyler Murray connected with Myles Price on a swing pass to the left. But Martin Emerson punched the ball out, with Jonas Sanker recovering the loose ball and running 87 yards for a touchdown.
But Daniel Carlson’s extra point was no good, with the kicker sending it wide left. That kept the score tied at 13-13.
The Saints have struggled offensively, only picking up seven first downs so far on Sunday with the game late in the third quarter. Tyler Shough has been under constant pressure, currently 10-of-14 for 57 yards with an interception.
But the Saints’ defense has kept the team in the game.
Vikings Clips
At long, long last, the Vikings have scored an offensive touchdown.
Back in his home state of Louisiana, Justin Jefferson made an outstanding catch in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 13-7 lead.
It was Jefferson’s first score since the fourth quarter of Week 1.
Minnesota hadn’t scored a touchdown since Week 3.
Jefferson now has five catches for 71 yards.
Murray is 17-of-21 for 164 yards with a TD.
Neither the Saints nor the Vikings have been able to put much together consistently on offense in the first 30 minutes on Sunday, but New Orleans has a 7-6 halftime lead.
Minnesota scored first on a Will Reichard 40-yard field goal in the first quarter.
New Orleans responded with a long drive in the second period, with Kendre Miller scoring on a 2-yard run to cap a 15-play, 66-yard drive.
Reichard then hit from 54 to cut New Orleans’ lead to one as time expired on the second quarter.
Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray started the game 12-of-12 passing, finishing the first half 15-of-18 for 143 yards.
Aaron Jones had 10 carries for 36 yards, with a critical fumble deep in the red zone that kept the Vikings off the board.
Justin Jefferson has four receptions for 56 yards.
On the other side, Tyler Shough is 8-of-11 for 37 yards. New Orleans has five first downs, 84 total yards, and is 1-of-6 on third down.
New Orleans will receive the second-half kickoff.
The Vikings are already down one key offensive contributor and now have another with an injury concern.
Running back Aaron Jones is questionable to return with a knee injury.
Jones was injured on a play late in the first quarter where he fumbled inside the 10-yard line. According to multiple reporters on the scene, Jones limped to the sideline and was then examined in the medical tent.
But tight end T.J. Hockenson has been ruled out with a concussion. He went down early in the first quarter.
While he was able to walk off the field under his own power, he was examined in the medical tent and then in the locker room where he was ruled out.
UPDATE 1:51 p.m. ET: Jones has returned to the game.
The Vikings had both of their top wide receivers listed as questionable on their final injury report of Week 5 and the gameday decisions went in different directions.
Justin Jefferson will play after missing last Sunday’s win over the Dolphins with an ankle injury, but Jordan Addison will miss the game with a hamstring injury. There was some thought that Odell Beckham Jr. would make his Vikings debut on Sunday, but he is also inactive.
Beckham signed to the practice squad this week and was elevated on Saturday, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said he’d only play if the team was missing one of the other wideouts. They are, but Beckham is still out of the lineup. Jauan Jennings, Tai Felton, Myles Price, and practice squad elevation Jeshaun Jones are the other wideouts.
Vikings at Saints
Vikings: WR Jordan Addison, WR Odell Beckham Jr., S Jakobe Thomas, QB Max Brosmer, CB Chuck Demmings, OT Christian Darrisaw, DL Elijah Williams
Saints: QB Zach Wilson, LB Anfernee Jennings, S Mike Reid, LB Kaden Elliss, G Jeremiah Wright, DL Vernon Broughton, DL Nathan Shepherd
Bears at Packers
Bears: QB Caleb Williams, RB Kyle Monangai, OL Ozzy Trapilo, LB Keyshaun Elliott, DL Jamree Kromah, DL Jayden Loving.
Packers: OL Jacob Monk, OL Aaron Banks, OL Donovan Jennings, DL Anthony Campbell
Bengals at Dolphins
Bengals: S Kyle Dugger, OT Myles Hinton, TE Jack Endries, WR Colbie Young, OL Connor Lew, DT Landon Robinson
Dolphins: WR Caleb Douglas, RB Kaytron Allen, CB Reese Taylor, DE Rob Beal, OL DJ Campbell, TE Justin Joly, OL Chukwuebuka Godrick
Raiders at Patriots
Raiders: WR Jalen Nailor, S Tristin McCollum, S Dalton Johnson, C Trey Zuhn, DT J.J. Pegues, RB Roman Hemby, QB Aidan O’Connell
Patriots: QB Behren Morton, OT Dametrious Crownover, CB Christian Gonzalez, CB Carlton Davis, CB Karon Prunty, CB Channing Canada
Browns at Jets
Browns: QB Taylen Green, WR Tylan Wallace, TE Carsen Ryan, C Parker Brailsford, G Teven Jenkins, DT Mike Hall Jr., DT Mason Graham
Jets: RB Breece Hall, WR Adonai Mitchell, G Dylan Parham, LB Nate Lynn, LB Kiko Mauigoa, CB Nahshon Wright
Colts at Steelers
Colts: LB Jaylon Carlies, WR Ashton Dulin, QB Riley Leonard, WR Darius Slayton, G Dalton Tucker
Steelers: RB Rico Dowdle, QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, RB Eli Heidenreich, CB Jamel Dean, CB Terell Smith, DL Kevin Jobity
Texans at Titans
Texans: CB Collin Wright, DE Chris Braswell, DE Sabastian Harsh, LB Aiden Fisher, G Febechi Nwaiwu, OT Nate Thomas, TE Marlin Klein
Titans: RB Nick Singleton, RB Michael Carter, S Amani Hooker, CB Jaylon Jones, T Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, TE David Martin-Robinson, DT Jackie Marshall
Giants at Commanders
Giants: RB Devin Singletary, OL J.C. Davis, DL Bobby Jamison-Travis, S Jason Pinnock, CB Nikko Reed, QB Jake Haener
Commanders: WR Stefon Diggs, QB Marcus Mariota, S Tyler Owens, S Nick Cross, S Percy Butler, G Tanoa Togiai, DE Charles Omenihu
The 4-0 Vikings have turned the page back to the days of the Purple People Eaters. And the stout defense isn’t getting a ton of help from the offense.
The Vikings have had 18 straight drives without a touchdown. The last one happened in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the Buccaneers. The Week 4 victory over the Dolphins happened with five field goals.
Yes, tight end T.J. Hockenson could have scored just before the two-minute warning, but he wisely took a knee and allowed the Vikings to ensure the Dolphins wouldn’t be able to score twice and steal the game. Either way, the Vikings did not register a touchdown against the Dolphins.
As noted last Sunday, the win made the Vikings the first team in more than 100 years to start 4-0 despite not scoring a touchdown in multiple games. The 1922 and 1923 Chicago Cardinals were the only other teams to accomplish that feat.
If the Vikings do it again at any point this year, they’ll become only the fourth team in NFL history to win three or more games without scoring a touchdown. The others were the 1922 Chicago Cardinals, the 1923 Chicago Bears, and the 1993 Indianapolis Colts, per NBC Sports research.
The all-time record, held by the 1922 Cardinals, is four.
Still, there’s reason to believe the Vikings could snap out of their early-season funk. After the Dolphins scored a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut Minnesota’s lead to 12-10, the Vikings offense seemed to wake up. A 15-play, 60-yard drive consumed more than eight minutes of clock time and extended the lead to 15-10. Then, after a three-and-out effort from the Dolphins, the Vikings burned the remaining 5:41 by moving the ball 79 yards from their own 19 to the Miami two.
The next test comes today, in New Orleans. The 1-3 Saints are desperate for a win after losing their first two home games of the season — capped by Monday night’s embarrassing loss to the Falcons. New Orleans hasn’t lost its first three games at home since 1995.
While there’s a chance he’ll be inactive, Vikings receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has a chance to make his debut for Minnesota on Sunday.
The Vikings, per multiple reports, will elevate Beckham from the practice squad in advance of the Week 5 game at New Orleans.
Coach Kevin O’Connell said Friday that Beckham likely would be elevated to the active roster for the game, but that he’d also likely be inactive if both Justin Jefferson (ankle) and Jordan Addison (hamstring) aren’t able to go.
Neither has been downgraded from questionable to out. Usually, a player who is listed as questionable but who isn’t playing won’t make the trip and, in turn, be ruled out the day before the game.
Beckham, a Louisiana native who played at LSU, surely welcomes the opportunity to suit up and play in New Orleans, in his first game with the Vikings.
The passing of larger-than-life NFL legend Mike Ditka has sparked a flood of great stories and clips from Ditka’s time in football. Many of them stand out. There’s one that’s particularly relevant to the Bears’ ongoing quest to vacate Soldier Field for a venue with a roof.
In December 1987, as the Bears prepared for their annual trip to the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Ditka went off on football not played in the elements.
“I just don’t like indoor domes,” Ditka said. “They weren’t meant for football. Football is meant to play it outside and on grass. . . . Indoor domes should be useful for roller rinks. That’s all they should be for. Roller skating.”
That same week, Ditka skated through the Bears’ offices in rollerblades.
“They were a gift,” Ditka said. "[Vikings G.M.] Mike Lynn sprung for them. That might refute everything I’ve heard about him from his players.”
The Bears won the “Rollerdome” game, 30-24, on a late touchdown pass from Mike Tomczak to Dennis Gentry.
“I did what I did about the dome for certain reasons,” Ditka said after the victory. “To get the pressure off the players and get it on me. And I think for that point, it worked.”
Ditka then made a point that hopefully will resonate with today’s coaches.
“If people don’t like the things I do, that’s just a point of life,” Ditka said. “There’s gotta be some levity in life, and there’s gotta be a little bit of fun had. And we take this whole thing seriously, like it’s life and death. It’s not life and death. We’re gonna go out and play as hard as we can. We’re gonna be great representatives of the city of Chicago, the Chicago Bear organization. That’s all we’re trying to do is be something that people can be proud of. But, you know, if I’m not gonna have any fun on my way there, partner, I just — they got the wrong guy, because, you know, I said a long time ago, maybe the NFL is a little bit too staid and true in its ways. Maybe it takes somebody to loosen them up a little bit. And our players do that, so why shouldn’t the coach be a little wacky?”
Current Bears coach Ben Johnson seems to already be living that message. With the first game after Ditka’s passing coming against the Packers at Lambeau Field, maybe Johnson will take it up a notch.
Back to Ditka’s point. Football really is meant to be played outside and on grass. Unfortunately, the indoor ship seems to have sailed. The Commanders, Browns, Titans, and Chiefs are currently moving toward swapping the elements for a roller rink. And the Bears inevitably will join them, whether that’s in Chicago, Arlington Heights, or Hammond, Indiana.
Whoever the coach of the Vikings is at the time should show up for the first game to be played there on roller skates, as the ultimate homage to Ditka.
The NFL has only three 4-0 teams after four weeks. Two of them — the Chiefs and Vikings — didn’t make it to the playoffs in 2025.
Via NBC Sports research, it’s the first time since 2013 that multiple teams that failed to make the playoffs in the prior season started with 4-0 records. That year, the Chiefs and Saints started 4-0. (In 2012, the Chiefs were 2-14, and the Saints went 7-9.)
The 2025 Chiefs went 6-11 after three straight Super Bowl appearances. The 2025 Vikings finished 9-8, with five straight wins.
Minnesota has the current longest active winning streak in the NFL, with nine in a row. They’ll go for 10 in a row, tying the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, on Sunday at New Orleans.
The 1975 Vikings started 10-0. The 1969 Vikings lost their first and last games of the regular season — and won all 12 in a row in between.
The Vikings may or may not have their top two receivers when they play the Saints on Sunday.
Minnesota has listed both Justin Jefferson (ankle) and Jordan Addison (hamstring) as questionable.
Jefferson was limited in practice all week, while Addison did not practice Wednesday but was limited on Thursday and Friday.
With Odell Beckham Jr. signing to the practice squad this week, the Vikings could elevate him if Jefferson and/or Addison are unavailable. But if Jefferson and Addison can play, Beckham is unlikely to see the field.
“We’re still working through kind of what that looks like,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said Friday. “Obviously with Justin and Jordan, obviously we’ll have to make that determination tomorrow based upon what it looks like for Sunday.
“But we’ve prepared really the whole receivers room — rostered guys and all of our practice squad — for just about anything.”
Additionally, offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (concussion) and cornerback Charles Demmings (hamstring) are out.
Offensive tackle Brian O’Neill (knee), center Michael Jurgens (elbow), and tight end Ben Yurosek (ankle) are questionable.
Punter Brett Thorson (hamstring) will be back, as he’s off the injury report and set to play.
