NFL schedule leaks: Vikings host Saints in opener

Mike Zimmer and Sean Payton will meet for the second time in their coaching careers with Minnesota and New Orleans.

According to a report from Nick Underhill, the New Orleans Saints will kick off their 2017 regular season against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The rumored matchup between the two hasn’t happened since Week 3 of the 2014 season. In that game, the Vikings made the trip to the Mercedes Benz Superdome and were beaten soundly by the Saints, who have many of the same main characters from that afternoon.

Both the Vikings and Saints have been through a relatively quiet offseason. Aside from the Latavius Murray signing, the Vikings obtained two offensive tackles, Riley Reiff and Reid Fragel. Reiff spent his first five seasons with the Detroit Lions , but only managed to play in all 16 regular-season games twice.

Meanwhile, the Saints will have a depletion at wide receiver this season. Brandin Cooks was dealt to the New England Patriots this spring, bringing back a  first-round pick (No. 32 overall) in the upcoming draft.

With that vacancy at receiver, that opens the door for the youngsters, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas. By a combined effort, Snead and Thomas put up 2,000 reception yards, along with 13 receiving touchdowns.

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These two teams are both trying to make the postseason after missing in 2016. New Orleans faces some urgency with Brees being 38 years old. Minnesota isn’t sure who the starting quarterback is going to be, with Teddy Bridgewater still working his way back from a gruesome broken leg. If Bridgewater can’t get on the field by Week 1, look for Sam Bradford to start once more.