Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints

Teams meet for 3rd time in postseason (Minnesota 2-0). Vikings lead all-time regular-season series 18-7. Meeting marks 5th time in NFL history top-2 scoring teams in NFL meet in Conference Championship Game.

Vikings Participating in 26th postseason, tied for 4th most in NFL history. Have 19 playoff victories. Vikings have NFL-high 9 players named to Pro Bowl: DE Jared Allen (3rd), ST Heath Farwell (1st), QB Brett Favre (11th), rookie WR-KR Percy Harvin (1st), G STEVE HUTCHINSON (7th), T BRYANT MC KINNIE (1st), RB Adrian Peterson (3rd), WR Sidney Rice (1st) & DT Kevin Williams (5th). Team averaged 29.4 points per game, 2nd best mark in NFL behind NO... Favre was selected to 11th Pro Bowl, most ever by QB. Had career-high 107.4 rating & reached 30+ TD passes (33) for 9th time, most in NFL history. Ranks 2nd in postseason history with 453 comp., 5,545 pass yards & 43 pass TDs. Has TD pass in NFL playoff-record 19 consecutive games. Threw for postseason career-high 4 TD passes in Div. Playoff. At 40 years, 106 days old on Sunday, will become oldest QB to ever start Conference Championship Game... RB Peterson rushed for 1,383 yards & 18 TDs, joining HOFers EARL CAMPBELL & BARRY SANDERS as only players with 1,300+ yards & 10+ TDs in each of 1st 3 years. Peterson's 18 rush TDs were franchise record for season. Has 6 rush TDs in past 5 & 2 rush TDs in 2 career playoff games. Selected to start Pro Bowl in each of 1st 3 seasons, 1st RB since Sanders to accomplish feat... Club is only team in NFL history with 6 players with more than 40 receptions: Rice (83), Harvin (60), TE Visanthe Shiancoe (56), WR Bernard Berrian (55), RB Chester Taylor (44) & Peterson (43). WR Rice was 2nd in NFC with career-best 1,320 yards. Had 141 receiving yards & 3 TDs last week, tying NFL postseason record. Became 3rd player in past 25 seasons with 3 TD catches in 1st career playoff start (STERLING SHARPE, WILLIE JACKSON). WR-KR Harvin was named AP Offensive Rookie Of The Year. Tied for NFL rookie lead with 60 catches & 790 yards. Led NFC rookies with 8 TDs (6 rec., 2 KR). Set team single-season record with 2,081 combined yards (1,156 KR, 790 rec., 135 rush) & 2 KR-TDs. Shiancoe was 2nd among NFL TEs with 11 rec. TDs. Caught 11-yard TD pass in Div. Playoff. Offense was 2nd in NFC with 62.3 TD pct. in redzone... Team ranked 2nd in NFC in total defense (305.5) & rush defense (87.1). DE Allen has 3 sacks & 2 FF in last 2 playoff games. Had 14.5 sacks & is only player in NFL with 14.5 sacks in each of past 3 seasons. CB Antoine Winfield had 59-yard blocked punt TD & sack in last game vs. NO. DE Ray Edwards had 3 sacks & FF last week. LB Ben Leber had INT & FR last week.

Saints Led NFL with 510 points, 9th most points scored by team in NFL history. Topped NFL in total offense (403.8). Ranked 4th in pass offense (272.2) & 6th in rush offense (131.6). Only team in NFL to rank in top 6 in both. Club won 13 games, most in franchise history, incl. team-record 13-game winning streak. Saints have 5 players selected to Pro Bowl: QB Drew Brees (4th), G JAHRI EVANS (1st), S Darren Sharper (5th), T JON STINCHCOMB (1st) & LB Jonathan Vilma (2nd). 19 different Saints scored TD this season... QB Brees set NFL record with 70.62 comp. pct. (363 of 514). Led NFL with career-high & franchise-record 109.6 rating. Owns top 4 marks in club annals. Had 4,388 pass yards, 4th consecutive 4,000-yard season. Has only 4 4,000-yard seasons in team history. Tied own club record with 34 TD passes. In 4 playoff games, has completed 65.2 percent of passes for 1,163 pass yards (290.8 per game), with 8 TDs vs. 2 INTs for 99.5 passer rating. Has led NO to 2 NFC Champ Games in past 4 years. In last game vs. Min., threw for 330 yards & TD... RB Pierre Thomas has 10 TDs (7 rush, 3 rec.) in past 10 home games. Led team with career-high 793 rush yards. RB Reggie Bush has 333 scrimmage yards (111 per game) & 4 TDs (2 rush, 1 rec., 1 PR) in 3 career playoff games. Has scored TD in all 3 career playoff games & became 1st player in NFL history with 80+ yard TD in 2 straight postseason games. Had 46-yard rush TD & 83-yard PR-TD in Div. Playoff. Became 2nd player in postseason history with rush TD & PR-TD in same game (HOFer CHARLEY TRIPPI) & 2nd with 80+ & 40+ yard TD in same game (RICKY SANDERS). Had NFL-record tying 2 PR-TDs in last meeting vs. Min. WR Robert Meachem led team with career-best 10 TDs (9 rec., 1 FR). Averaged 16 yards per catch. WR Marques Colston led team with 70 receptions & 1,074 yards, his 3rd 1,000-yard season in career. Tied Meachem for club lead with 9 rec. TDs. In Div. Playoff, Colston had 6 catches for 83 yards & TD. WR Devery Henderson averages 24.6 yards per catch in postseason. Had 44-yard TD catch last week. TE Jeremy Shockey had 17-yard TD catch in Div. Playoff. Ranks 4th among NFL TEs with 469 catches & 5,280 yards since 2002... S Sharper tied for NFL lead with 9 INTs. Set single-season NFL record with 376 INT return yards. Had 3 INT-TDs & has 11 in career, 2nd most in NFL history. LB Vilma led team with 110 tackles. Tied career-high with 3 INTs. S Roman Harper was 2nd on team with 99 tackles. DT Sedrick Ellis had sack last week & has sack in 2 of past 3. CB Tracy Porter ranked 2nd on Saints with career-high 4 INTs & had 12 PD.