The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to announce their presence as a legitimate playoff contender in their Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints.

After a brutal 0-3 start, the Vikings have built significant momentum with 5 wins in their last 6 games. The season seriously started to turn around with their Week 7 Monday night victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Beating an elite team gave head coach Kevin O'Connell and his team confidence and that continued with a road win over the archrival Green Bay Packers.

Cousins injury did not stop Vikings

However, the season could have been derailed in that game when quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and the team's most important and dependable player went down and out for the season.

The injury took place days before the NFL's trade deadline, and general manager Kwesi Adof0-Mensah acquired former Arizona Cardinals starter Josh Dobbs to fill the need at quarterback. The Vikings were hoping that Dobbs would have at least a full week to learn the system before he was inserted into the lineup, but he had no such luxury.

Instead, Dobbs was thrust into the lineup in the first quarter of their Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons when rookie quarterback Jaren Hall suffered a concussion. It appeared that Dobbs might succumb to the pressure of the moment and Atlanta's defense, but he responded with 2 TD passes and a TD run and the Vikings secured a last-minute 31-28 victory.

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Dobbs and the Vikings had time for a deep breath after the game and now prepare for the Saints. Dobbs needs to follow up on his memorable first game, and the Vikings defense must continue to show improvement. Defensive end Danielle Hunter is defensive coordinator Brian Flores' go-to guy on the defense.

Dobbs must produce once again against the Saints with 225 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and 2 TD passes

The Vikings regularly start their home games before a large and adoring group of fans who continue to hope this is the year they can bring a championship home.

Minnesota was victorious in its last home game against the Niners, but it fell in its previous 3 games at U.S. Bank Stadium. After the win in Atlanta, expect the ovation for the Vikings and Dobbs to be loud and long, and that could lead to a positive start against the Saints.

This assignment will likely be as difficult as the previous game against the Falcons because the Saints have the NFL's seventh-ranked defense. Defensive end Carl Granderson has 5.5 sacks while cornerback Paulson Adebo is a burgeoning star with 4 interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

The Vikings running game has been a struggle this year, and it doesn't figure to get much better here after Cam Akers tore his Achilles against Atlanta.

Dobbs runs extremely well and can get away from the pass rush. He may also do well on designed running plays. If he gets some help from the offensive line and Alexander Mattison can deliver some key yards between the tackles, it could take some of the pressure off.

However, the passing game figures to produce the key plays. Rookie Jordan Addison (7 TD receptions) has stepped up in a big way and tight end T.J. Hockenson (team-high 60 receptions) is an excellent 3rd-down weapon as well as a threat in the red zone. K.J. Osborn (32-377-2) is a blue-collar worker with guts, excellent hands and the ability to get open

Superstar Justin Jefferson came off Injured Reserve this week and has practiced, but he may not be ready to play in this game. It would be a huge bonus if he can return to the lineup.

Danielle Hunter needs to lead the defense with at least 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

Hunter is having a sensational year both from a statistical point of view as well as from a leadership perspective. He has an NFL-best 10.0 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles and 2 passes defensed. Flores said Hunter's performance against the Falcons was his best game of the year, even though he did not have a sack in the game.

In addition to Hunter, Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Cam Bynum, D.J. Wonnum, Jordan Hicks and Byron Murphy have all been big-play makers in the Flores defense.

The Vikings had one of the worst defenses in the league for the last 3 seasons, but there has been dramatic improvement this year. After finishing 31st in yards allowed in 2022, they are 14th this season. They have given up just 17 points per game in their last 4, and that kind of effort must continue here if the Vikings are going to emerge victorious against the Saints.