It didn’t take long for the New Orleans Saints defense to assert itself in their wild-card round matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. In the game’s opening minutes, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins targeted wide receiver fAdam Thielen on a route down the sideline, which he caught. Thielen moved to turn upfield and was immediately struck by Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
“Jackrabbit” Jenkins had the presence of mind to put his helmet on the football as he tackled Thielen, and it flew out for a fumble. And who else would have been in position to recover it than strong safety Vonn Bell? Bell led the NFL’s defenders in fumbles recovered during the regular season (5), and he again put himself in the right spot at the right time to create a turnover early in the postseason.
Now that’s how you want to start a playoff game. Jenkins made up for an earlier holding penalty in coverage, and Bell made an impact in his first game back from a knee injury. See it for yourself:
