NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Justin Jefferson's resolve to overcome an ankle injury and take the field in his hometown produced a gratifying payoff for himself and the Minnesota Vikings.
The four-time Pro Bowl receiver out of LSU “was living in the training room just trying to make sure he could do everything he could to give himself a chance," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. “We worked him out before the game and he was ready.”
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Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, left, gestures next to Saints owner & CEO Gayle Benson while being inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime of an NFL football game between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (5) runs against Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker (7) runs toward the end zone as he returns a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a touchdown pass against New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker (7) and cornerback Quincy Riley during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Jefferson highlighted his return to the lineup with a leaping touchdown catch over multiple defenders, Aaron Jones made up for an early fumble with a pivotal, fourth-quarter touchdown and the Vikings remained unbeaten with a 23-13 victory over the slumping New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
“All of my friends and family were here,” said a beaming Jefferson, whose eagerness to speak with reporters was evident in the way he quickly emerged from the locker room — still in uniform — before even O'Connell took questions.
“A touchdown to celebrate and to get a victory here, I couldn’t ask for more,” Jefferson said.
Will Reichard made all three of his field-goal attempts from 40 or more yards for the Vikings (5-0), including a 55-yarder to put Minnesota up 10 in the fourth quarter and all but doom the Saints (1-4) to a third straight loss — all in the Superdome.
“You only get so many games at home in front of this crowd, who consistently shows up," Saints center Erik McCoy said.
Jones' first-half fumble, after which he limped off, favoring his left knee, led to New Orleans' only offensive points on Kendre Miller's 2-yard run in the second quarter. But the Vikings' leading rusher returned to finish with 113 yards rushing on 25 carries.
Jefferson, who sat out Week 4 with an ankle injury, caught six passes for 79 yards from Kyler Murray, who threw for 229 yards and a TD without a turnover and also scrambled for 51 yards.
Led by their blitz-happy defense, the Vikings came in allowing an NFL-low 12.8 points per game. In addition to allowing only one offensive TD, they forced three turnovers and held New Orleans to 142 total yards.
“When you do something like that, it's a special feeling and a special defense,” said cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who intercepted Saints QB Tyler Shough twice.
Saints safety Jonas Sanker returned a fumble 87 yards for New Orleans’ other TD, briefly tying the score at 13 in the third quarter.
Saints second-year coach Kellen Moore, who designs and calls offensive plays, said he “felt like we had a plan" for Minnesota's defensive pressure.
“Obviously, the plan wasn’t good enough,” Moore continued. "That’s on me.”
Before Shough's interceptions, New Orleans lost a fumble — and ultimately, a 7-6 halftime lead — when returner Jayden Price was stripped on the kickoff to open the second half.
“We’ve got to learn how to not lose the game before we win it,” said Shough, who was held to 96 yards passing. “We’ve got to not shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Minnesota recovered Price's fumble on the Saints 37 and cashed in when Jefferson came down with Murray's 15-yard scoring pass behind three defenders in the back of the end zone.
“It was just Kyler giving me the opportunity to go up and make a play,” Jeffersons said. “I definitely wasn’t the most open, but it was a tremendous throw.”
Jefferson, who won a national title with LSU in the Superdome, had returned only once since his NFL career began — as a rookie in 2020, with attendance restricted by social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So, it wasn’t the whole stadium; it was a couple thousand,” Jefferson noted. “To be back and feel the energy and feel the love from our fans and the Saints fans and the people who grew up watching me at LSU, it was definitely a cool moment.”
Retired Saints QB Drew Brees was honored with a ring ceremony at halftime — and also had his name unveiled in the team's Ring of Honor, which encircles the upper deck.
Brees received a rousing ovation as he was introduced on the field, wearing his gold Hall of Fame jacket, and presented his ring by Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to represent this city, this community, this fan base and our organization,” Brees said. “I will always love you, New Orleans. I will always represent you.”
Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson was helped off the field after hitting his head hard on the turf while being tackled during a 7-yard catch.
Vikings: Enter their bye week before hosting Indianapolis on Oct. 25.
Saints: Visit the New York Giants next Sunday.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, left, gestures next to Saints owner & CEO Gayle Benson while being inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime of an NFL football game between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (5) runs against Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker (7) runs toward the end zone as he returns a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a touchdown pass against New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker (7) and cornerback Quincy Riley during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — People in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama cleaned up after Hurricane Isaias swept through as the storm's remnants caused flooding in North Carolina on Sunday, while powerful Pacific Ocean waves stirred up by Rachel, a former tropical storm, battered the coast of Southern California.
In western North Carolina, rivers overflowed as heavy rainfall raised the risk of flash and urban flooding, according to the National Weather Service. It said tornadoes were possible in parts of Virginia and North Carolina as well as dangerous surf and rip current conditions along the Gulf and southeastern Atlantic coasts.
At least four deaths were linked to Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane Friday near Destin, Florida, a Gulf Coast vacation spot filled with high-rises and tourist shops. The storm then roared into Alabama with tropical-force winds before heading farther north.
In Florida’s Escambia County, Sheriff Chip Simmons said a woman was killed when a tree fell on her home and a man died of carbon monoxide fumes from a generator running in his garage.
One person died when a tree fell on a house in Birmingham, said Cory Moon, the city’s fire chief. A second storm-related death in Alabama was attributed to a motor vehicle crash involving a downed tree in Barbour County, said Josh Johnson of the state’s emergency management agency.
In Burke County, North Carolina, an unhoused male and female were camping when floodwaters from the Catawba River caught them off guard. They were rescued, along with their dog, according to a spokesperson for the county emergency management agency. Separately, a woman trapped inside her car in floodwaters was freed outside of Morganton.
In McDowell County, North Carolina, just west of Burke County, first responders said they dealt with five landslides and voluntary evacuations overnight Saturday into Sunday as they responded to flooded roads and streams overflowing their banks.
Nearly a dozen local weather stations in the western North Carolina county reported torrential 24-hour rainfall totals from about 5 inches (13 centimeters) to as much as 9.57 inches (24 centimeters) at the fire/rescue station in Enola. The weather service said rainfall was diminishing in the area but that rapid river rises and flooding remained possible.
Hurricane-force winds in the Florida Panhandle blew the roof off a Pensacola hotel. The storm flattened a boathouse in Destin and ripped away part of the facade of a high-rise in Panama City Beach.
At a church in Pensacola where the United Cajun Navy was distributing supplies Sunday morning, a line of hundreds of cars stretched around the block. Yvette Haro said she arrived at 5 a.m. after being turned away the previous day because supplies had run out.
With a 10-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter at home, she said it's hard to go to stores and wait in long lines. She was looking for water, paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning supplies.
While her home didn't suffer any damage, the loss of electricity was making things difficult, Haro said. “The biggest thing is our food going bad,” she said.
Fewer than 300,000 customers remained without power Sunday evening in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama, according to poweroutage.com. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expected nearly everyone to have it restored by Tuesday night.
Rachel became a post-tropical cyclone overnight, bringing unusually big waves to Southern California.
Waves battered a century-old wooden boardwalk on the Long Beach peninsula and forced homeowners to evacuate. The strip of multimillion-dollar oceanfront properties, along with much of the Southern California coastline, was already reeling from Hurricane Marie in September.
“This area is completely shattered and vulnerable,” Jack Gordon, a Long Beach real estate agent, said.
The Pacific Ocean is abnormally warm, about 7 to 8 degrees F warmer than normal for this time of year, due to the El Niño weather pattern, said Joe Sirard of the weather service in Oxnard, California
“When we have this warm water, it actually causes the ocean to rise above the normal predicted tide levels,” Sirard said. That's affected by Rachel's ocean swells and wind gusts. The City of Long Beach placed dozens of 3,000-pound (1,360-kilogram) sandbags along the stretch of peninsula where waves tore apart the historic boardwalk and smashed against coastal homes.
Jazmin Evers, a 37-year-old mother who runs a pottery business from her Long Beach rental home, said the community is on edge. “Every time the tide goes down everyone just kind of takes a breath — except, of course, the people whose buildings are being destroyed,” she said. “When the tide comes back up, everybody’s nerves kind of ramp back up.” Rachel dissipated over Las Vegas as it drenched deserts across the Southwest. An inch (2.4 centimeters) of rain fell in the city Sunday, leading to gushing water and flooded streets on the Las Vegas Strip.
Brumback reported from Atlanta. Walker reported from New York. Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Jack Brook in New Orleans and Josh Kelety in Phoenix also contributed.
A woman rests from cleaning up the effects of Tropical Storm Rachel along the Alamitos Peninsula, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Waves crash by homes and the boardwalk damaged by Tropical Storm Rachel along Alamitos Peninsula, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Workers pile sand along Alamitos Peninsula, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif., affected by Tropical Storm Rachel. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Waves crash by homes and the boardwalk damaged by Tropical Storm Rachel along Alamitos Peninsula, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
A woman rests from cleaning up the effects of Tropical Storm Rachel along the Alamitos Peninsula, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
People watch the waves crash along Alamitos Peninsula, brought by Tropical Storm Rachel, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Waves damage a home in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Downed trees are seen in lawns in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Instructors from the San Diego Surf School give surfing lessons to two children in San Diego on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (Denis Poroy/AP Photo)
Onlookers watch as storm driven surf batters the bluffs in the La Jolla area of San Diego on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (Denis Poroy/AP Photo)
In an aerial view, beachfront homes have damaged decks after waves crashed into them during high tide and storm surge from Tropical Storm Rachel, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
In an aerial view, waves crash into beachfront homes during high tide and storm surge from Tropical Storm Rachel, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Jeff Lundy cuts up a pine tree that fell on his father-in-law's house during Isaias on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Milton, Fla. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
Baleigh Ziglar walks around downed trees in front of her mother's home in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Curt Brown picks up debris left by Isaias around his RV home on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Milton, Fla. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
People salvage the contents of their destroyed mini mart in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
An apartment complex which had its roof ripped off is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
