Vikings Do It Again

Chalk up another playoff heartbreak for the New Orleans Saints.

Two years after the “Minneapolis Miracle,” the Minnesota Vikings again stunned the Saints on Sunday in an NFC wild-card playoff game at the Superdome, putting the clamps on Drew Brees and Co., riding running back Dalvin Cook and prevailing in overtime to emerge with a 26-20 victory.

Kirk Cousins set up the game-winning score on the first series after regulation when he connected with Adam Thielen on a 43-yard throw to put Minnesota on the door step of the goal line. Three plays later, Minnesota sealed the win with a 4-yard touchdown toss to Kyle Rudolph.

And of course, controversy returned on pass interference penalty. Saints players protested for an offensive interference call after Rudolph’s catch, but the outcome was cemented.

“Tip your hats to Minnesota,” Saints coach Payton said when asked about a possible penalty. “They deserved to win. … They made more plays than we did.”

The result sends the Vikings to a NFC divisional-round clash next Saturday at the San Francisco 49ers.

And the result sends the Saints (13-4) into another offseason of wondering what might have been. New Orleans was positioned for a go-ahead touchdown at the Minnesota 20-yard line in the fourth quarter, but Danielle Hunter forced a Brees fumble, recovered by Jalyn Holmes.

The Saints forced overtime with a last-second field goal, but that drive left many scratching their heads. Head coach Sean Payton used two timeouts on the previous two series, leaving New Orleans with one for the final possession of regulation.

He didn’t use it, so even though Saints quarterback Drew Brees got them into field-goal range with ease, there was little hope of winning the game with a touchdown.

Neither Brees (26-for-33 passing, 208 yards, touchdown, interception) nor Taysom Hill (50 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards, touchdown) got a chance to see the field in overtime.

Minnesota won the toss, and Cousins’ 43-yard connection with Thielen put the offense on the doorstep. A few plays later, Rudolph pushed away from Saints DB P.J. Williams but avoided a pass interference flag, then rose for the touchdown catch.

Cousins made two huge passes in overtime — a 43-yard throw to wide receiver Adam Thielen to get down to the goal-line and a 4-yard fade to tight end Kyle Rudolph for the walk-off touchdown.