Vikings-Saints Predictions, Spread: Who Wins in London?

The Vikings are looking to win their second in a row and stay undefeated in London games.

Ready for some Sunday morning football?

The Vikings and Saints are in London for the NFL's first international series game of 2022. It'll be held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with kickoff at 8:30 a.m. central time (2:30 p.m. local time). The 2-1 Vikings are 3-point favorites as they look for their second consecutive victory. The 1-2 Saints, with backup Andy Dalton in at quarterback, are hoping to get back to .500 with a victory.

This is the Vikings' third ever game in London. They won in 2013 and 2017.

Who wins on Sunday? Let's dive into some predictions, first from myself and then from a variety of national analysts.

Will's pick: Vikings 23, Saints 20

2022 record: 3-0

There's a legitimate case to be made that the Vikings would've rather faced Jameis Winston than Dalton in this game. Whereas Winston is notorious for pushing the ball downfield and taking risks, Dalton should play much more of a game manager role. He'll look to hit short and intermediate passes and sustain drives. Then again, Dalton looked pretty washed while throwing nine interceptions in six starts for the Bears last year. The Saints are also without starters Michael Thomas, Andrus Peat, and Marcus Maye. The Vikings are more talented and should win this game, but I expect it to be close.

National predictions

SI MMQB: Four of SI's five pickers went with the Vikings in this one. Only Conor Orr is riding with the Saints.

Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Saints 23, Vikings 20

Both teams here look squarely stuck in the NFL's middle, so I'm picking them to end this game with matching 2-2 records. The Saints arrived in London early (like the Around the NFL Podcast), and I want to believe that getting over jet lag has an advantage for a squad with otherwise terrible juju. Minnesota's placid defense may not test New Orleans' communication issues up front enough, and the Saints have the cornerback (Marshon Lattimore) and the secondary depth to slow down the Vikings' passing game.

Bleacher Report Staff: Vikings 26, Saints 20

Mike Florio, PFT: Vikings 24, Lions 20

The Vikings are good enough to win the games they should, not good enough to win the games they shouldn’t. This is a game they should win.

Michael David Smith, PFT: Vikings 17, Lions 14

This season’s first London game features a Saints team that has struggled on offense and a Vikings team that has struggled on defense. I like the Vikings in a low-scoring game.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Saints 21, Vikings 17

The Saints have major problems on offense right now, which is never a good thing. The Vikings rallied to beat the Lions, but they haven't looked the same on offense either. Where is Justin Jefferson? This could be a low-scoring game, which I think the Saints will find a way to win.

Will Brinson, CBS Sports: Saints 21, Vikings 17

Early morning London football! The thing you never missed and yet somehow didn't realize you wanted. The first international game is always so jarring — it's like when there's a random 11 a.m. ET college football game and you're completely thrown for a loop. This line is extremely stinky. Minnesota is less than a three-point favorite against a Saints team that needed a miracle Week 1 rally against the Falcons to avoid 0-3 with a bad loss against Tampa Bay and a VERY bad loss against the Panthers. This feels like a situation where Andy Dalton starts and we get Spiderman Meme'd to death with him battling Kirk Cousins in not-quite-primetime. Weird feeling the Saints steal something here even though the Vikings are the better overall team. 

Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Vikings 28, Saints 21

The Saints are beat up. They don't have the Superdome crowd noise. Their quarterback situation is a mess whether Jameis Winston (unlikely) or Andy Dalton (more likely) plays. The Vikings should be able to score enough points while notching some takeaways from a defense that's spent the past two weeks making all of us question its passiveness.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Vikings 24, Saints 17

Minnesota is still trying to figure out its offensive identity under Kevin O'Connell. The Vikings can be a massive passing team with Kirk Cousins and it's good they have found some big-play pop away from Justin Jefferson. They also got on track running vs. the Lions and can still have more success on the ground with or without Dalvin Cook. The Saints are all over the place and will come in hurting more with key offensive injuries. Dennis Allen's defense can only contain so much in London.

Seth Walder, ESPN: Vikings 27, Saints 13

Eric Moody, ESPN: Vikings 23, Saints 20

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