Sean Payton

On winning a fourth-consecutive division title:

“I think that’s the first goal. When you start a season, it certainly is not the only one and we got a good core group of players. I thought, with the injuries today, a number of guys stepped up. Obviously, the first goal is to win your division and then get your seeding as best you can for the postseason. I was proud of how they played. We played hard with a lot of different players filling in. Seven different starters out and, man, we just we just kept grinding.”

On whether he considered putting Alvin Kamara in for Taysom Hill’s touchdown:

“Obviously, his performance today was unbelievable. I was thinking about our best play there, it was fourth down, and we felt that was a play that would be tough for them because obviously, it’s a quarterback design run with an extra guy. But late in the game, I was mindful of it. A lot of these players, I’d say most of these players have no idea how good Gale Sayers was and growing up in Chicago, certainly you were familiar with his ability and I was happy. Listen, it was a big deal. He played fantastic today and Minnesota was banged up to. They had a lot of new faces playing linebacker and it’s been a little unusual year that way.”

On the gameplan against the Vikings:

“I said this in the production meeting. I felt we were fairly healthy defensively. They were fairly healthy offensively a couple players maybe each, but flipside, their defense had gone through a lot of injuries and our offense we were without two starting guards and three receivers and so when it came to that part of the game you’re going to have to look at your program and go to the third column but to your question. Yes, we wanted to try to attack maybe where the young players were playing in both in the run and the passing game but we thought running the ball was going to be important. I thought we blocked him well James Hurst made his first started guard for us all year. We were without Andrus (Peat) Of course, without Nick Easton. Without a number of guys. It helps you control the game when you’re able to do that.”

Drew Brees

On the offense line:

“Today was one of those days where I thought our scheme was really good. I thought that the guys up front did excellent job getting hat on a hat, pushing their guys back. And then our runners did a great job with just hey, man, one cut, go, get what you can. Obviously, we had a couple big runs as well. But I mean, it was really just those chunks, right? Seven, eight yards a pop. The passing game was really just a complement to the run (game) tonight. But listen, everybody played great. We knew what was at stake. Christmas Day game, in our stadium, in front of our fans, really in front of the world, right, and an opportunity to win the division tonight. And we did all those things.”

On winning a fourth-consecutive division title:

“Yeah, listen, it is significant, especially in this division where, normally, we’re sending multiple teams to the playoffs. So you’re fighting tooth and nail each and every year, especially against your divisional opponents in order to put yourself in a position where you can win one of these titles. For the longest time since we’ve been here for, since 2006, I feel like every year has been a flip flop. It’s another team winning the division. Rarely has there been a scenario where a team has won in consecutive years. Carolina did it, what, I guess ‘13, ‘14, ‘15. And then now we are ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20. So listen, that is hard to do with the quarterbacks in this division and with the teams and the fact we’re putting multiple playoff teams out there every year. There’s a lot to be said about that.”

On Alvin Kamara’s six-touchdown performance:

“You know what, it was awesome. It was awesome. I mean, six touchdowns for a running back is just astounding, right? And so, obviously, he got a few in the first half and then kept getting them. And I can remember him scoring and me being like, ‘I think that’s five.’ And then Taysom (Hill) gets a touchdown there in the fourth quarter. And then Sean (Payton) kind of mentioned to me, he said, ‘Hey, if Alvin gets one more touchdown, he ties this record with Gale Sayers.’ Obviously, you’re looking at the scoreboard, we’re up three possessions, let’s see how close it is. So they go down and score, we get the ball back, at that point it’s get a first down and we’re on a knee. Well, we had the opportunity, we felt like, hey, let’s throw it before the two minute warning and we get the big play to (Adam) Trautman that gets us down in scoring range. So man, some things had to happen there in order to have the opportunity. But then at that point, it’s like, man, we’re getting this record.”

Demario Davis

On the possibility of sweeping the division:

“It’s a tough division. A lot of good team, a lot of good quarterbacks, a lot of good defenses, a lot of talent. So it’s important to get this win because it helps us go where we’re trying to go and do what we’re trying to do and it’s the next game, but I don’t think sweeping the thing was necessarily like, oh, shoot. It’d be nice, but the mission at the end is what’s most important.”

Ryan Ramczyk

On the play of the offensive line:

“Yeah, it’s definitely kind of a mentality of imposing your will. Obviously we take a lot of pride in the run game and, obviously, protecting Drew (Brees) but like, we take a lot of pride in the run game and getting after it and that was a big key going into this week is running the ball and physicality and obviously, I think we did a good job with that.”

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