With only a four point lead late in the 3rd quarter the Saints faced a crucial 3rd and 13 in their own territory. The Saints had lost their earlier rhythm and the Vikings were slowly chipping away at the lead, field goal by field goal.
But a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty called on Captain Munnerlyn, who suplexed Brees and slammed him to the ground.
Surprisingly, Brees bounced right back up and retaliated by pushing and shoving Robert Blanton, not even the player who went all WWE on Drew five seconds ago. Rarely do we see Drew so that kind of emotion on the field during a game and to be honest it was a little bit of a risky move. He could have been called for a penalty himself, perhaps even negating the unnecessary roughness penalty on Munnerlyn.
It would prove to be the absolute turning point of the game. The entire episode gave the Saints - who hadn't put points on the board since early in the first quarter - the first down and kept their drive alive. The crowd inside the Superdome sprung to life and got noticeably louder. Seven plays later, Brees would hit Colston over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown strike and the Saints would never look back.