NEW ORLEANS — A savvy play Sunday by a Vikings rookie changed everything.

It happened on the kickoff coming out of halftime as linebacker Jake Golday cocked back his right arm and swung it with precision like a boxer into the football held by Jayden Price.

The result was a turnover created in the third phase and a spark that ignited Minnesota's 23-13 victory over New Orleans, which moved the Vikings to 5-0 in 2026 going into their bye.

"You ask me, it was probably the play of the game," Blake Cashman said afterward.

"Whether you believe in momentum or not, when you create a splash play like that, it gives your sideline, your whole team, a lot of juice. And guys go out there playing with confidence," he added. "They see that ball on the ground — now you've got everyone maybe throwing more punches at the ball, more opportunities for takeaways."

" 'Goldy' is one of our smartest rookies," Cashman continued about the 23-year-old second-round pick. "We put a lot on his plate and demand a lot out of him, but he's very intentional about his work. He's one of those guys, me being a vet, when he comes in, I look at him like, this guy already conducts himself as a professional, a mature football player."

Golday chalked up the top moment of his young career so far to a habit formed in practice.

"It's all about the ball, like Coach always says," Golday smiled.

"I just punched at it with everything that I've got and got it out," he shared. "I've continued to increase my ability to do that. I've always known that you need to get the ball out but now it's like every time you're about to make a tackle they coach 'Get the ball out, ball your fist up, swing at the ball,' because a tackle is great, but getting the ball out is that much better."

Golday's forced fumble was recovered by Jeshaun Jones, and the Vikings offense capitalized on it six plays later when Kyler Murray laid one up over four arms reaching toward the ceiling of the Superdome and into Louisiana native Justin Jefferson's hands.

The way Jefferson described it?

"That throw was tremendous," he said.

Jefferson put on a show for his home state, catching six passes for 79 yards, but he was especially good on Minnesota's first touchdown since one in the first half at Tampa Bay.

His body control, ball tracking, and awareness of where he was in the end zone were elite.

The receiver, who was nursing an ankle injury and was questionable to play, noted, "I can ask for no better" leaving with a touchdown, "Griddy" and win in front of family and friends.

"Man, he came home and did his thing," Byron Murphy, Jr., said. "We know what type of player he is — he's the best in the league. So, once he makes those catches — we're kind of not surprised, but it's still like, 'Oh my God, he did that?'"

The catch for points, spurred by Golday's punchout, was a breakthrough for an offense that clicked early in New Orleans but settled for a couple field goals and trailed 7-6 at halftime.

Murray started 12-for-12 and finished 24-for-30 with 229 yards passing and the score, in addition to 10 scrambles/kneel downs for 51 yards. He was helped by demons on special teams and defense, including Murphy, one of his longtime teammates (initially in Arizona).

The veteran cornerback came up clutch on the Saints possession that followed Jefferson's nifty antics, accepting what he called "a Christmas gift" in October for his second pick this season on an ill-advised pass from Tyler Shough as he attempted to make a play on the run.

Murphy's takeaway was on its way to culminating in points until Myles Price fumbled after a short catch and New Orleans ran it back for a game-tying 87-yard touchdown.

His pick was a microcosm, though, of another macro performance courtesy of Brian Flores' bunch. From the first snap when Cashman rifled into the backfield and nearly sacked Shough and Andrew Van Ginkel wrapped up Alvin Kamara for a 5-yard loss, the Saints were a shell of themselves through the air — and had as woeful a day attempting to run the rock.

Three different Saints rushers combined for 55 yards on 17 attempts and finished with a worse average, 3.2, than they brought into Sunday's game, which was a humbling 3.6 yards.

Shough went 16-for-25, camouflaging the reality that he averaged only 3.8 yards per attempt and threw for just 96. His final pass — because of course — was heaved toward Murphy and intercepted, again. Murph's third pick of the year enabled Minnesota's offense to finish in victory formation and guaranteed that the Vikings enter their off week unbeaten.

It also accentuated the lid that Minnesota's secondary put on a capable offense.

New Orleans had its fewest total yards in a game (142) since Week 2 at Carolina in 2021 (128), and its fewest net passing yards (87) since it was held to 81 in Week 16 of that slate.

"We had to come ready to play as DBs," Murphy said, pointing out the Saints were explosive over their first four games, and even mid-game the Vikings defense communicated about stepping up. "We're a defense that can be unstoppable, if we really do what we want to do."

"It's just guys being on the same page," he insisted. "Guys giving 110%."

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