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NEW ORLEANS — Mike Zimmer said nobody but the Vikings believed they could win Sunday. And win, they did.
The Vikings shocked the New Orleans Saints 26-20 in overtime in an NFC wild-card playoff game at the Superdome. They advanced to play the San Francisco 49ers next Saturday in a divisional playoff.
The Vikings won with 10:40 left in overtime on Kirk Cousins’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph in the left corner of the end zone. The touchdown was set up three plays earlier by a 43-yard pass from Cousins to Adam Thielen to the Saints’ 2.
New Orleans never got the ball in overtime
The Saints tied the score 20-20 on a 49-yard field goal by Will Lutz with two seconds left in regulation.
Dalvin Cook rushed for 94 yards and scored two touchdowns in his first game back after missing the final two games of the regular season because of a shoulder injury.
The Vikings used a gritty running attack and solid defense to win. The defense held the usually potent Saints offense in check after having an up-and-down season.
The Vikings entered the game as a 7 1/2-point underdog, prompting Zimmer to say beforehand that, excluding Vikings players and coaches, “I don’t think anybody thinks we can win this game.”
