But against a team which traditionally creates consistent pressure, Brees and the Saints were content to get his yards a little Kyle Rudolph Jersey at a time.Brees led the Saints to a 30-20 win over the Vikings by throwing underneath and moving the ball among his running backs and other short targets.He completed 18-of-23 passes for 120 yards, the 5.2-yards per attempt average which wouldn’t ordinarily scare you. But when you connect on 78.3 percent of them, it gives you a chance.Coupled with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara combining for 26 carries for 108 yards, it wasn’t the Saints’ typical game-plan by any stretch.But their defense has gotten better, and turned a pair of Vikings turnovers into touchdowns, and Brees was able to play keep-away with the lead.That moves them to 6-1 heading into next week’s game against the Rams, which will require more of an offensive output.Here are five more things we learned during Sunday Night Football:1. Not everything that happened to Kirk Cousins was Kirk Cousins’ fault.But when you pay a quarterback the way the Vikings paid Cousins, it creates a different expectation in games like this one.Cousins had a few passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, and went cold for a long stretch in the middle of the game to keep his side from having a chance.There were some stat-padding throws late, but his 359 passing yards were deceiving.Playing without left tackle Riley Reiff and left guard Tom Compton didn’t help, as the Vikings weren’t able to give Cousins the clean pockets which he needs.2. Speaking of pressure, the Saints got the kind they needed from rookie defensive end Marcus Davenport.Davenport had two sacks, doubling his total for the season.He’s still very much a work in progress, but the Saints can’t afford for him to not get that kind of production. They gave up next year’s first-rounder to move up to get him this year, and they’ve also given up their third- and fourth-rounders in other deals.Davenport has plenty of potential, and is part of a defense that has gradually become something other than the anchor that drags Brees and their offense down. In fact, they’re approaching good, with a few legitimate stars (Cameron Jordan and Marshon Lattimore) and a growing base of players who are at least solid.3. The Saints knew they needed to upgrade their secondary before they traded for cornerback Eli Apple.But it looked like they were going to give poor P.J. Williams a complex in the process.Few teams bother throwing in the direction of Lattimore anyway (other than the Vikings on a fourth down 鈥?bad idea), but now that Apple is there, it makes Williams a bit of a target. Cousins was looking his way from the start Nick Easton Color Rush Jersey , and he’s going to be picked on by more opponents.The Saints deactivated cornerback Ken Crawley, and their secondary seems like far from a settled product. But it’s clear that Apple’s considered enough of an upgrade to make a difference.Williams was fortunate that Stefon Diggs broke off his route when he did, leading to an easy interception for a touchdown, but he’s likely to get far more attention from opponents in the future.4. Part of the reason Brees can be so efficient is because he’s so protected.Left tackle Terron Armstead and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk are a very good pair of bookends, and largely did a good job.Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter entered the week tied for the league sack league with 8.0, and left the game with the same number.Coupled with guards Andrus Peat and Larry Warford, and center Max Unger, the Saints have put together the kind of line you need if you’re going to roll with a 39-year-old quarterback.5. Saints quarterback-by-name-only Taysom Hill‘s going to play a huge role in this offense moving forward, and that’s even if he never starts a game at his regular position.Saints coach Sean Payton clearly loves the matchup problems he can create with the speedy quarterback, and uses him in a myriad of ways.Hill threw a 44-yard strike to Michael Thomas early in the game, and also ran the ball, and caught it.The early snap with he was taking the snap and Brees and Teddy Bridgewater were split wide was just showing off, but it’s the kind of thing Payton can present now to complicate future opponents’ game-planning. It’s probably more useful as a distraction than for its own strategic merit, as it’s hard to see them ever putting either of the other two quarterbacks into actual pass patterns (though they have to be more of a threat than Joe Flacco). NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Darnold’s final numbers looked every bit like those of a rookie quarterback who struggled through adversity all over the field.Bad decisions, receivers’ slippery fingers, a cold, blustery wind and a swarming defense all contributed to the worst game of the Darnold’s young career. Still, the face of the New York Jets franchise refused to be flustered.“Obviously, I learned a lot from that game,” Darnold said Monday, “and learned a lot from just watching tape.”Darnold was 17 of 42 for 206 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in New York’s 37-17 loss to Minnesota on Sunday.After going 6 of 9 for 87 yards and a touchdown with a 135.0 quarterback rating in the opening quarter https://www.minnesotavikingsshop.com/Xavier-Rhodes-Jersey , Darnold finished with a dismal 34.4 rating. The second and third quarters were the worst, when Darnold was a combined 2 of 13 for minus-1 yard.New York was 2 of 13 in third-down situations, and the running game — which lost Bilal Powell to a neck injury early — couldn’t get off the ground while finishing with 71 yards.“It’s not just Sam,” coach Todd Bowles said. “It’s the offense, defense and special teams. Our team has to do better, it’s not about just Sam. It’s about us coaching better. It’s about us playing better in all three phases.”Through the first seven games of his NFL career, Darnold’s overall statistics are hardly eye-popping. And, really, they’re barely mediocre.He has thrown for 1,552 yards with 10 touchdowns and an NFL-high 10 interceptions. Darnold’s 56.1 completion percentage is near the bottom of the league, with fellow rookies Josh Rosen of Arizona (55.0) and Josh Allen of Buffalo (54.0) the only QBs with at least 100 attempts lower than his. His 74.3 quarterback rating is also among the worst.But there’s no panic in Darnold or the Jets , particularly because the No. 3 overall pick in the draft is getting a crash course in life as an NFL quarterback.“On the positive side, I thought I was on time with a lot of the routes I was throwing,” Darnold said of his performance against the Vikings. “On the two touchdown drives, I thought we played really well. I thought I was able to hit the open guy.“The negative, I think just continuing to really lock in on my progressions and really stick on one side of the field and understand what the safeties are doing and what the defense is doing a little bit better. So, just really continuing to grow that way.”Darnold insisted the conditions at MetLife Stadium — 46 degrees at kickoff, swirling 16 mph winds and a wind chill of 39 — weren’t a factor in his performance. The California kid from USC will have to get used to days like this in the Northeast, though, especially because the only other game in which he played below 50 degrees was at Utah in 2016 when it was 45.And, by the way Ben Gedeon Color Rush Jersey , Darnold’s numbers Sunday were much better when he had the wind at his back.“I think that might have been just a coincidence,” he said. “I feel like I threw the ball really well in the wind, whether we were going against it or with it. I didn’t really feel like that was much of an issue at all.”Drops, however, were. The Jets had five against the Vikings. The last of Darnold’s interceptions came late in the fourth quarter when his perfectly placed pass went off the hands of Charone Peake and right to Minnesota’s Trae Waynes.“Whether I throw it to the right guy or whether I made the wrong read,” Darnold said, “every single ball I throw I’ve got to throw it with confidence, and if I do that I think we’ll have a better chance.”The Jets were also short-handed at receiver, something the team might need to address in the next few days.Quincy Enunwa is out for a few weeks with a sprained ankle, and Terrelle Pryor was cut over the weekend while dealing with a groin injury. That left Jermaine Kearse, Robby Anderson and Andre Roberts — primarily a returner — as the only experienced players at the position, with Peake and just-promoted Deontay Burnett the others.Kearse, who led the team in receptions last season, finished with none on Sunday and had only two balls thrown his way.“Credit to them, they did a great job scheming and their players did an outstanding job executing their scheme,” Darnold said of the Vikings. “I think from that aspect, they got us. They did a great job of playing Jermaine and having a plan for him.“We will be better. We will learn from it and grow from it.”NOTES: The Jets fear S Doug Middleton has a torn pectoral muscle and could miss the rest of the season, as first reported by the New York Daily News. He was starting in place of Marcus Maye, who’s out with a broken right thumb. … C Spencer Long has been dealing with an injured finger on his right hand that has contributed to some bad snaps, but he also limped off the field late against Minnesota. Bowles declined to provide an update. … The Jets signed WR J.J. Jones and C Jon Toth to the practice squad.