The Minnesota Vikings held off the New Orleans Saints for a crucial 27-19 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings ended up holding off a fiery comeback attempt after starting quarterback Derek Carr went down and backup Jameis Winston lit a spark under the Saints offense.
While he also helped extinguish the flame with two late turnovers, the Vikings showed some issues that may have seen some stocks drop.
On the flip side of the coin, the explosive first half that allowed the Vikings to jump out to a 24-3 halftime lead helped some stocks rise.
In this exercise, we outline both sides of this proverbial coin, as we see whose stocks fell and whose stocks rose after this vital victory.
Stock up: QB Josh Dobbs
The fast start for the Vikings started because of a borderline-flawless first half from quarterback Josh Dobbs.
Dobbs ended the game 23-of-34 for 268 yards, but he had 18-of-22 for 220 yards and his lone passing touchdown at the end of the first half.
His fast start gave Minnesota enough firepower to hold off New Orleans amid a much slower second half.
They will have to play a more complete game down the stretch of the season. Dobbs’ fast start is a good sign of what life with him as a starter could look like.
Stock down: Alexander Mattison
Mattison left the game early in the third quarter with a concussion.
Yet another injury to the running back room that has already lost Cam Akers this season and Dalvin Cook in the off-season.
The position is starting to get thin as only Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu are the only healthy players on the depth chart.
Also, Chandler showed some explosion that Mattison did not against New Orleans. Some late-game conservative play gave Chandler some extra attempts with not a lot of yards to show for it, but there was a difference when Chandler had the ball against Mattison.
Something to monitor this week as the Vikings game plan for the Denver Broncos.
Stock up: T.J. Hockenson
Hockenson was one of the players that had to have a big game if the Vikings wanted to win this game.
He did not disappoint.
Hockenson ended the game with 11 receptions, 134 yards and a beautiful 26-yard touchdown to end the half. His performance in the first half set an NFL record.
When Hockenson was on, this offense was on. Battling through an apparent rib injury, Hockenson continuously beat New Orleans down the field and found ways to get open past cornerback Alontae Taylor.
His production slowed in the second half, like the rest of the Vikings offense but his historic first-half outburst gave the Vikings just enough juice to get the win.
Stock down: Byron Murphy Jr.
It was a relatively rough day for cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., despite his interception to help ice the game late for Minnesota.
On both touchdowns, he was the main person in coverage.
In Murphy’s defense, both touchdowns were out of the ordinary.
Chris Olave pulled down an insane grab that only few receivers in the league have the body control to land in bounds with. While Jameis Winston’s second touchdown throw went against all logic as a quarterback at every level.
He rolled to the left, launched it across his body to the back pylon on the right, where rookie A.T. Perry fought mightily for his first career touchdown. Murphy played just a bit too far inside (apparently), as he was not expecting Winston to go against everything a quarterback was taught when it came to throwing the ball in the red zone.
Eventually, these hijinks from Winston caught up with him in the form of two baffling interceptions, but as the primary corner, Murphy can’t let up two touchdowns when Minnesota is trying to salt the game away.
No matter how absurd they may be.
Stock up: NaJee Thompson
One player that can’t be overlooked is cornerback NaJee Thompson.
Making the team mostly because of his special teams prowess, Thompson has not disappointed.
He has been an embodiment of the “never say die” attitude that this team has shown over the first ten weeks of the season. Thompson has consistently been the first guy down on punt or kickoff coverage.
If you’re ever looking for him on special teams, he’s the guy with the bright yellow shoes forcing a fair catch, and he did that a lot today with a dangerous returner in Rashid Shaheed taking the punts today.
Shaheed’s speed is a game-changer in special teams that can easily flip the field and given New Orleans a spark, but he never got a chance to, due to Thompson.
When Shaheed did return it, Thompson was still there on the first one and limited it to only ten yards after a 45-yard punt by Ryan Wright. The second one, Shaheed avoided Thompson and went out of bounds for just 12 yards.
On six opportunities for the dangerous Shaheed, Thompson helped force four straight fair catches.
Not a bad day at the office.
Stock up: Mekhi Blackmon
Mekhi Blackmon took 36 snaps (54%) today on defense when Evans left the game for a calf injury. These are the most that he’s taken since week five against the Chiefs, when Akayleb Evans left the game with a knee issue.
Blackmon has filled in well while Evans continues to battle lower-body injuries, and his ability to hold his own in coverage signifies the depth that Minnesota has at the position.
Blackmon got his first interception on an errant throw from Winston intended for Olave and showed his appreciation for the moment.
THANK GOD. https://t.co/J5xYQmFyEX
— Candace Son. (@MekhiBlackmon) November 12, 2023
The first of hopefully many in a Vikings uniform for the USC product.
