The Vikings entered Sunday night with a track record of struggling to cover underneath targets, particularly running backs. They watched as backs have broken off big plays including 56-yard catch and runs ranging from San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk to L.A.’s Todd Gurley.
One of the Saints’ primary weapons, running back Alvin Kamara, was primed to continue this trend. And he did in the first half, when Kamara took 11 touches for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
But head coach Mike Zimmer made a key adjustment for the Vikings at halftime, removing linebackers Eric Kendricks and Eric Wilson from their assignments on Kamara in favor of faster defensive backs like Jayron Kearse and Harrison Smith.