Saints at Vikings
THE STORY: One of the league's hottest teams and one of its most struggling squads meet Sunday in Minneapolis, as the New Orleans Saints take their five-game winning streak and division title hopes on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings, who are riding a five-game losing streak. The Saints will clinch the NFC South title with a win and an Atlanta loss or tie, or with a tie and an Atlanta loss. The Vikings have won four of the past five meetings, but the Saints won the most recent one 14-9 in 2010.
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Saints -6.5, O/U 51.5
ABOUT THE SAINTS (10-3): New Orleans QB Drew Brees remains on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards set in 1984. Brees has thrown for 4,368 yards – the most in NFL history through 13 games – and has topped 300 yards 10 times this season. The Saints have been far from dominant at times during their winning streak, though, including last week's 22-17 win at Tennessee in which they trailed 10-9 entering the fourth quarter and had to stop the Titans twice from the 5-yard line in the final seconds to preserve the win.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS (2-11): There hasn't been much good news for Minnesota this season, but the Vikings should get star RB Adrian Peterson back Sunday. Peterson (ankle) has missed the past three games but still ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns and needs only 128 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the fifth consecutive season. Rookie QB Christian Ponder has passed for 1,637 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Ponder split time last week with Joe Webb, who rushed for 109 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown, the longest by a quarterback in team history.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Brees has thrown a touchdown pass in 40 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in NFL history (Johnny Unitas, 47). He also has at least 20 completions in an NFL-record 33 games in a row.
2. Two of the most versatile players in the league will square off. Saints RB/KR Darren Sproles is the only player in the NFL with two or more rushing touchdowns, two or more receiving touchdowns and a return touchdown, and Vikings WR/KR Percy Harvin is the only player in the NFL with a rush, receiving and return touchdown in each of the past two seasons.
3. Saints TE Jimmy Graham (probable, back) leads NFL tight ends in receptions (80) and yards (1,101) and is the first tight end in Saints history with a 1,000-yard season.