Consistent production eludes New Orleans Saints in Wild Card loss to Minnesota

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John DeShazier | Senior Writer - NewOrleansSaints.com

As Coach Sean Payton is wont to say, this one won’t go down easy.

For the third consecutive postseason, the New Orleans Saints lost on the final play; this time, a 4-yard touchdown pass in overtime as sixth-seeded Minnesota ended New Orleans’ season in a 26-20 decision Sunday in their Wild Card game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints (13-4) simply couldn’t pull it all together at once against the Vikings. They couldn’t generate enough offense, couldn’t produce enough timely stops and ultimately, couldn’t make enough plays to advance to the divisional round.

OFFENSE: The Saints turned it over twice against the Vikings, an interception and lost fumble by quarterback Drew Brees, after having turned it over an NFL-record low eight times during the regular season. Minnesota turned the interception into a valuable touchdown. But, just as much, the Vikings won the battle up front; Brees was sacked three times, hit seven times and hurried as often as he had been at any point this season. ...

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