How excited should Vikings defensive end Jared Allen be for this contest?
He should be thrilled because he’ll be facing Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod, a third-year veteran in his first season as a starter. Bushrod had it easy against the Cardinals because Arizona doesn’t have an elite pass-rusher. Allen will be a different story. The three-time Pro Bowler had 14.5 sacks this season, and another huge one that forced a Tony Romo fumble in the first half of Sunday’s divisional playoff win over Dallas. Let’s also not forget that Dallas outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware gave Bushrod serious trouble in the Cowboys’ regular-season win over New Orleans on Dec. 19 (Ware had two sacks and a forced fumble). The bottom line: Allen will have a field day if the Saints don’t give Bushrod some help. 5. How much of an impact will the Saints’ crowd have on this game? It will be huge. The Cardinals weren’t rattled by the Superdome din — Arizona had no false starts and no problems dealing with the snap count — but the Saints were bolstered by all those passionate fans. The
