Week 5: Minnesota at New Orleans

Adrian Peterson vs. Reggie Bush.

That’s the headline for this Monday night matchup, which features a pure runner in Peterson against a hybrid in Bush who actually is tied for the NFL lead in pass receptions with 31.

But, of course, the truth of the matchup is more complicated than the headline. The Vikings have played one excellent game to beat Carolina and three lousy ones. New Orleans has one of the best QBs in the league in Drew Brees, who leads the NFL in passing yardage, but has faltered too often on defense.

The Vikings haven’t been great on offense this year, switching from Tarvaris Jackson to Gus Frerotte at QB. Frerotte has been off-and-on — he had a key fourth-quarter interception in a 30-17 loss to Tennessee last week.

But the Vikings do have one of the most imposing front fours in the NFL, keyed by Pro Bowl DTs Pat Williams and Kevin Williams and DE Jared Allen (15.5 sacks in 2007). Deuce McAllister, who finally got the ball a good bit last week in New Orleans’ 31-17 win over San Francisco, will be hard-pressed to find much running room there.

That may leave Brees throwing the ball — a lot. Which isn’t a bad thing. He had pass plays of 33, 47, 52 and 81 yards against San Francisco and never got sacked.

The Saints played pretty good defense against San Francisco, but they are 27th in total defense for the season. So they have to outscore people (they are third in total offense). This should help you out if you’re trying not to fall asleep Monday night, or if you have one of the Saints’ stars on your fantasy team. If you’re a Saints fan, though, it can be a nightmare, because the opponent can score just as quickly. Minnesota WR Bernard Berrian, a free-agent disappointment so far, could get well in a hurry against New Orleans.

Expect the pre-game hype to mostly focus on Bush and Peterson, however. Do you remember the last time they met? It was in the 2005 Orange Bowl national championship game. Bush, a sophomore, had 149 all-purpose yards for Southern Cal. Peterson, a freshman, ran for 82 on 25 carries. The Trojans won, 55-19. Make it two in a row for Bush.

New Orleans by 4