The NFL season opens tonight with a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game.

The New Orleans Saints won that game, holding off the Minnesota Vikings in overtime.

My guess is tonight’s Round 2 will be a high-scoring game. Both teams have some questions marks in the secondary, and I imagine Vikings QB Brett Favre and Saints QB Drew Brees will exploit any weaknesses.

So to cut to the chase, I’ll say Saints 34, Vikings 24.

Make your picks below. The only prize you can win is my approval as a football mind. But that’s tough to earn.

Did Prince‘s song in honor of the Minnesota Vikings kill their momentum? Should Minnesota’s own singing Idol be blamed for the loss?

You be the judge.

In a game that either team seemed to win and lose multiple times Sunday, the New Orleans Saints are going to the Super Bowl after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in overtime.

The Vikings didn’t deserve to win, turning the ball over five times, plus recovering two more Adrian Peterson fumbles.

The Saints didn’t deserve to win, getting whistled for more penalties and far more yardage. The Vikings’ second TD was basically gift-wrapped thanks to repeated flags.

And of course, the Saints’ winning field goal and the drive that produced it has led to a lot of criticism of the officiating from Vikings fans.

It’s hard to believe two teams that played so incredibly well in NFC semifinal matchups could make so many mistakes in the NFC championship game.

For Brett Favre, it was a familiar finish. His final pass attempt of the season was an interception, reminiscent to his final pass attempt of his lengthy Green Bay Packers’ career, which was also an interception in the NFC championship game.

Favre took an absolute beating in the game. Those Vikings fans who were critical of Tony Romo’s play in the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to Minnesota the previous week watched Favre get a taste of what Romo was dealing with.

The Vikings beat the Cowboys because they controlled the line of scrimmage. I thought they’d have a better chance of doing that against the Saints than they did against the Cowboys, but that was not the case.

The Vikings gained over 200 yards more of offense than the Saints, so a lot of things went right. And when you think about the penalty yards the Saints got whistled for, this loss can only be blamed on the fumblitis that struck the Vikings. And, of course, the late Favre interception.

Yeah, Favre could have taken off on that play and run it. The game was tied in the final minute, and an incompletion would have left Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell in a tough spot for the winning kick. So Favre forced one.

Let’s keep in mind too that Favre may have been playing with a broken ankle after a vicious third-quarter hit. At his age, he’s not the most mobile guy to begin with. It’s safe to say with his ankle the way it was that he’s in no position to take off scrambling.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees was far more efficient, throwing for only 197 yards but tossing three TDs and no interceptions. No Saints player reached 40 yards receiving in the game, so he was spreading the rock to anyone who was open.

The question on Vikings fans minds should be: Does this team have another run in it next year? The future of Favre and some of the other aging veterans – Antoine Winfield (who was ineffective at the end of the year, but was dealing with an injury) and Pat Williams to name a couple – will play a big factor in that.

How do you pick a winner for Sunday’s NFC championship game between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings? Seriously, how do you?

Both teams slumped down the stretch during the regular season. Both teams had first-round bye weeks. Both teams dominated in their first playoff games last week.

I made a sarcastic pick in Sunday’s editions of The Forum. I’ve been so bad at making picks during this postseason, going 2-6 in the first two rounds.

I firmly believe that the Indianapolis Colts will beat the New York Jets in the early game Sunday, but I can’t pick a Saints-Vikings winner. Feel free to make your picks below, but I think I’m going to skip this one.

But if you’re going to twist my arm, I’ll take the Saints. I don’t want to ruin a good thing for Vikings fans, who should know by now that me picking a team to win is the kiss of death for that team.

How big of a loss would it be for the Minnesota Vikings to play Sunday’s NFC championship game without Percy Harvin?

Harvin’s a Pro Bowl return man, so on special teams it will be felt. But I’d argue Harvin is more valuable on offense, and if the rookie receiver ends up missing the game because of migraines, it would be a big blow to quarterback Brett Favre and the offense.

Harvin dealt with the migraine issue earlier this year, missing a Week 13 victory against Cincinnati.The Vikings won that game handily, with the defense holding the Bengals to just 210 total yards of offense.

But in it, Favre posted one of his worst games of the season. He didn’t have the swagger Vikings fans have seen time and time again this year. His numbers were ho-hum – 192 yards, 56 percent completion rate, a TD, and an interception – and he had his worst QB rating of the season.

The following week, in a 26-7 loss at Carolina, Harvin returned to the field from the migraine issue but was held to just one catch for 10 yards. Favre posted his second-worst QB rating of the season.

Harvin’s a playmaker, and his presence will be needed if the Vikings hope to march out of the Superdome with a victory.

The Minnesota Vikings sure made it look easy Sunday, setting up the matchup in the NFC championship game that most impartial fans were hoping for.

The Vikings will face the New Orleans Saints next Sunday with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line.

Both teams advanced by way of blowout, with the Saints thumping the Arizona Cardinals rather easily on Saturday.

As for the Vikings, Brett Favre may have got the headlines for throwing four touchdowns in a playoff game at the age of 40. It’s quite the accomplishment. But most people who watched Sunday’s game would say the defense is what set the Vikings apart from the Cowboys.

Minnesota tormented Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, forcing three turnovers while sacking Romo six times, which is the most times in a game Romo has ever been sacked.

They kept him on the run, and Dallas seemingly could not make the adjustments needed.

As the game went on, I was surprised the Cowboys didn’t use more shotgun and try to toss some deep balls to receiver Miles Austin. The New York Giants didn’t exploit the Vikings deep in the regular-season finale, but that’s where the Chicago Bears had a lot of success the week before that one.

Granted, a hobbled Antoine Winfield was playing in that game for the Vikings, but doesn’t Dallas at least need to try to take a shot downfield against his backup?

I suppose there wasn’t much time for that, as the Vikings’ front four posted what likely was their most dominating performance of the season.

Sidney Rice got the job done on offense, catching three of Favre’s four touchdown throws. Rice made it look way too easy. Two of the touchdowns came against single coverage, while the other one came after Rice had set a block, then broke free toward the end zone.

Next Sunday, the Saints and Vikings will play for the NFC title. The matchup boasts two franchises known for their futility in the postseason.

The Vikings haven’t been to a Super Bowl in more than 30 years, and have never won a Super Bowl. The Saints have never even been to the Super Bowl, making it to the NFC championship game just once in team history. That was a few years ago, when Chicago beat them before losing to Indianapolis in Miami.

Due to playoff positioning, the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints are taking very different approaches with their Week 17 games Sunday.

The Saints – with home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoff clinched – are going to rest starters, including quarterback Drew Brees. New Orleans has lost two straight.

The Vikings have lost two straight and three of their last four. They will be playing all of their starters since they’re still playing for a first-round bye week in the playoffs.

Either way, both teams need to snap out of their funks. That’s why I’m a little surprised that the Saints are benching some of their key starters. Can they really afford to go into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, then follow it up with no game in the first round? That’s like a month of ineffective football.

I understand why head coaches are so cautious. An injury to Brees or Colts QB Peyton Manning would send their fan bases into a frenzy.

But don’t the Saints need to avoid going a whole month without a victory?