Minnesota Vikings Keep Win Streak Alive in Week 5 at the New Orleans Saints

The Minnesota Vikings go into the bye week 5-0 after beating the New Orleans Saints 23 to 13 on the road.

It may have taken until Week 5, but it looked like the Minnesota Vikings' offense just might have a little something-something going in their 23-13 win at the New Orleans Saints. Pretty? It was not. Perfect? You must be joking. But there was a semblance of balance, with the offense finally making good on some of its promise.

Things in New Orleans started off looking similar to previous weeks with the Vikings going 56 yards on their opening drive only to settle for a field goal. And the next Minnesota possession went 13 plays. It looked so good, but then ended in an Aaron Jones fumble deep in Saints territory. Deflating as it was, the fact that the Vikings' offense was moving the ball so well, even without Week 4's hero, TJ Hockenson who left the game with a concussion, kept depression at bay.

In the second quarter the Saints' offense marched into the end zone on a 17-play drive, pounding the run and short passing game for 71 yards. Head coach Kevin O'Connell needed his offense to answer back, instead they went 8 yards in 5 plays and punted it back to New Orleans. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores dialed up the pressure on Saints' quarterback Tyler Shough and forced the punt. Did the Vikings' offense capitalize on this? Don't be ridiculous. Instead the Vikings and Saints traded short possessions ended in punts. But on their final possession of the half the Vikings did just enough in 8 plays to get Minnesota into position for a 54-yard Will Reichard special.

Minnesota, although relatively anemic on offense so far in 2026, has not played much from behind this season because of the dominance of the Flores defense. Flores continued the pressure in Week 5 with a 90.9% blitz rate. Trailing by one at the half, the Vikings kicked off to the Saints at the start of the second half and Minnesota LB Jake Golday punched the ball out, fellow special teams player Jeshaun Jones recovered it. Six plays later QB Kyler Murray throws it 15 yards to the back corner of the end zone to a triple-covered WR Justin Jefferson f

or Minnesota's first offensive touchdown in weeks.

Leading by 6, the Vikings defense squared up again against the Saints' offense. New Orleans starts a promising drive, but it stalls as a negative run, and back-to-back penalties on the Saints forced them to pass. Shough looked for WR Bryce Lance, but found Minnesota CB Byron Murphy, Jr. with a short pass to the right side. The Vikings' offense, however, failed to turn that turnover into Minnesota points. Returner and WR Myles Price fumbled the ball at the Saints' 12 yard line, New Orleans S Jonas Sanker recovered the ball for an 87-yard Saints touchdown. Old friend K Daniel Carlson's extra point missed and the game was tied at 13.

Murray, displaying his growing connection with his Vikings' receivers (he completed passes to ten different targets), started the 4th quarter with a 32-yard pass to WR Jeshaun Jones. Shouldering the bulk of the run plays in this first quarter of the season with Jordan Mason out (thumb), Aaron Jones ran with a will on the drive and capped it off with an 8-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings in the lead.

Minnesota CB Byron Murphy, Jr. has 3 INTs this season and 19 in his career after a 2-INT day in Week 5 at the New Orleans Saints.

Back in the lead, the Minnesota defense forced the Saints to punt again. Minnesota's offense drained the clock with a ten-play drive ending in another Will Reichard field goal. Eight plays later the Saints turned the ball over on downs, unable to do anything. Leading by ten with an eye on the clock, the Vikings played it conservatively with the run and punted it away again.

Desperate to chase the Vikings' lead, Shough looked for WR Chris Olave, but, yet again, he found Minnesota's Byron Murphy, Jr. After that, Minnesota's offense converted once and then knelt out the clock.

Despite looking like they did not know what they were doing on offense for most of this first stretch of the season, the Vikings are now 5-0 and sitting alone at the top of the NFC North. They go into the bye week with one of the most dominant defenses in the league, a kicker who has ice in his veins, a quarterback who is finding his footing in the offense, and a head coach who's seat, if not actually cool, is at least somewhat less hot. The Vikings and their fans can catch their breath with a well-earned bye and the realization that they are only getting better.