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New Orleans Saints 30, Minnesota Vikings 20 – Oct. 28, 2018

At Minnesota
8:20 p.m. ET
Dome

TEAM PLAY
CALLING
PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING
IN-GAME
ADJ
CLOCK
MGMT
HCR
NO 8 8 8 9 9 8.4
MIN 6 7 7 7 7 6.8

Key Decision #1: (MIN ball, trailing 17-13 / fourth-and-1, MIN 45 / 12:32 Q3)
• Minnesota was on its way to taking a two-score lead at the end of the first half when New Orleans recovered an Adam Thielen fumble and cashed it in for a go-ahead score.

• This must have been frustrating for Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, and perhaps that affected his decision-making on Minnesota’s opening drive of the second half. He got aggressive on this fourth-down situation, knowing that not converting would give the Saints a short field and a chance to take a two-possession lead.

• Minnesota fails, and New Orleans converts for a FG and 20-13 lead. On next Vikings possession, New Orleans gets a pick-6 and takes a 27-13 lead.

• The game turned with this fourth-down call by Zimmer; it was unnecessary. His defense was playing very well – Drew Brees had fewer than 100 yards passing at halftime.

Key Observations:

• Saints CB P.J. Williams had a pick-6, but he was victimized time and again by Minnesota WRs; it was clear that Minnesota targeted him – this bears watching going forward for the Saints.

• The Saints struggled to effectively run the ball like they normally do; the Minnesota DL did a very good job Sunday – the score is not reflective of how well they played.

• Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made a good adjustment at halftime with his run defense; New Orleans was getting gashed in the first half, but gap discipline was much better in the second half

• Zimmer challenged a first down catch by the Saints on the opening drive of the game; it was a poor challenge as the WR clearly was in-bounds. This is the second week in a row that the Saints’ opposing head coach used a challenge on the Saints’ opening drive.

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Tagged With: Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton

Total Overall HCR Rank (Year To Date)

  1. 1
    8 Rating Sean Payton
  2. T2
    7.9 Rating Andy Reid
  3. T2
    7.9 Rating Sean McVay
  4. 4
    7.8 Rating John Harbaugh
  5. 5
    7.7 Rating Matt Nagy
TOTAL OVERALL RANK (6-32)

HCR Newsletter

ABOUT HCR

Headcoachranking.com assigns a grade to the in-game performance of NFL head coaches each week.  Our knowledgeable graders analyze each head coach’s performance in 5 key areas of decision making. After determining their “HCR” (Head Coach Ranking), we rank them from best to worst. HCR rankings are posted every Tuesday of the NFL season, and fans will be able to track each coach’s performance throughout the season.

GAME POSTS

  • Indianapolis Colts 33, Tennessee Titans 17 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Los Angeles Chargers 23, Denver Broncos 9 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Detroit Lions 31, Green Bay Packers 0 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Cincinnati Bengals 13 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • New England Patriots 38, New York Jets 3 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Kansas City Chiefs 35, Oakland Raiders 3 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Baltimore Ravens 26, Cleveland Browns 24 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Chicago Bears 24, Minnesota Vikings 10 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Philadelphia Eagles 24, Washington Redskins 0 – Dec. 30, 2018

  • Los Angeles Rams 48, San Francisco 49ers 32 – Dec. 30, 2018

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