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Kyle Rudolph high-pointed a 4-yard pass from Kirk Cousins and landed in bounds to beat coverage by P.J. Williams and deal the Vikings a 26-20 victory.
"I'm so proud of our guys," Rudolph told FOX's Chris Myers on the field as he still held the football. "Nobody gave us a chance to win here today, except for everybody in our organization. We believed."
Adam Thielen hauled in a 43-yard reception from Cousins two plays before the decisive score that stunned the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and sent Minnesota from a massive underdog on to San Francisco for a Divisional round game against the 49ers next Saturday.
The Vikings became the second No. 6 seed to win this weekend, marking the second year in a row in which both No. 6 seeds advanced out of the Wild Card round. It was the second of three Wild Card games of the weekend to go to overtime.
It was the first road playoff win for the Vikings since January 2005.
The Vikings won the overtime coin toss and opted to receive.
New Orleans had outscored Minnesota 10-zip for the final 18:23 of regulation. Had the Saints limited the Vikings to a field goal, they would have had a shot at tying or winning.
The Vikings, however, marched 75 yards in nine plays, getting a key gain of 10 on a third-and-1 with a pass to Stefon Diggs and a run for 11 by Dalvin Cook, who finished with 94 yards and two scores on 28 carries in his first postseason appearance.
Cousins finished 19-of-31 passing for 242 yards with the touchdown and a passer rating of 96.4. He committed no turnovers.
Thielen led Minnesota with seven catches for 129 yards. Cook had 36 yards on three catches, and Rudolph added 31 yards on four receptions.
The Vikings defense mostly contained an explosive Saints attack to down the third 13-3 team to ever participate in a Wild Card game (since postseason expanded to six teams in 1990).
Drew Brees finished 26-of-33 passing for 208 yards. He was intercepted in the first half by Anthony Harris and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter during a sack by Danielle Hunter. Jalyn Holmes recovered the football.
Michael Thomas led New Orleans with seven catches for 70 yards. Taysom Hill proved to be the most problematic player for Minnesota.
He completed a 50-yard pass, caught a 20-yard touchdown and rushed four times for 50 yards.
New Orleans had a shot at a game-tying field goal at the end of the first half thanks to a 54-yard kickoff return by Deonte Harris but Wil Lutz's 43-yard attempt sailed wide right.
The Vikings limited the Saints to a season-low 25 yards of offense in the first quarter and just 137 for the first half.
Cook rushed 16 times for 84 yards and a score in his first half of postseason football, helping Minnesota total 106 rushing yards on 20 carries in the first half.
Cousins completed 10 of 16 passes for 108 yards for a passer rating of 82.3 in the first half. Adam Thielen led Minnesota with four receptions for 43 yards.
Brees completed 8 of 12 passes for 63 yards in the first half. His passer rating was 44.8 in the opening 30 minutes.
The Saints were 1-for-5 on third downs in the first half, compared to a 4-for-8 performance by the Vikings.
Scoring summary
Q1, 9:52 remaining
Saints 3, Vikings 0
Wil Lutz kicks a 29-yard field goal [8 plays, 26 yards, 4:18 time of possession]
Big stand: The Vikings defense responded to a turnover by the offense, keeping the Saints out of the end zone despite a quick goal-to-go situation. Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter shared a sack of Drew Brees on third-and-goal from the 4 to force the field goal.
Q1, 4:05 remaining
Saints 3, Vikings 3
Bailey kicks a 43-yard field goal [11 plays, 50 yards, 5:47 time of possession]
On the ground: The Vikings started the drive with a 7-yard run by Dalvin Cook, who added another 7-yard gain to pick up a third-and-1. Alexander Mattison rushed for a gain 16 yards on his first postseason carry.
Q2, 9:18 remaining
Saints 10, Vikings 3
Alvin Kamara rushes for a 4-yard touchdown (Lutz kicks PAT) [4 plays, 70 yards, 2:12 time of possession]
Uphill battle: The score was set up by a 50-yard pass from Taysom Hill to Deonte Harris. Hill also rushed for a gain of 11 out of the Wildcat formation during the drive.
Q2, 2:54 remaining
Saints 10, Vikings 6
Bailey kicks a 21-yard field goal [13 plays, 72 yards, 6:24 time of possession]
Equipment delay: Play was stopped after a 19-yard completion on swing pass from Kirk Cousins to Cook because of a repair to the Skycam that is used above the field of play. FOX's Chris Myers reported during the broadcast that Cook was out the next two snaps while undergoing a repair to his helmet. Cook was stuffed for a loss
Q2, 0:23 remaining
Vikings 13, Saints 10
Cook rushes for a 5-yard touchdown (Bailey kicks PAT) [7 plays, 45 yards, 1:40 time of possession]
Thielen it: Adam Thielen pulled in receptions of 19 yards and 13 yards, helping Minnesota take advantage of the good starting field position that resulted from Anthony Harris' 30-yard return of an interception of Brees.
Q3, 3:23 remaining
Vikings 20, Saints 10
Cook rushes for a 1-yard touchdown (Bailey kicks PAT) [8 plays, 64 yards, 3:37 time of possession]
The tandem strikes: Cousins converted a third-and-9 with a 34-yard pass to Thielen and a third-and-1 with a 9-yarder to Diggs.
Q4, 10:31 remaining
Vikings 20, Saints 17
Taysom Hill catches a 20-yard pass from Brees (Lutz kicks PAT) [8 plays, 85 yards, 4:22 time of possession]
Chunk plays: Hill's catch was one of four plays on the drive that gained at least 14 yards.
Q4, 0:02 remaining
Vikings 20, Saints 20
Lutz kicks a 49-yard field goal [7 plays, 39 yards, 1:53 time of possession]
Five in a row: Brees completed five consecutive passes for gains of 6, 8, 9, 7 and 14.
Vikings 26, Saints 20
Kyle Rudolph catches a 4-yard pass from Cousins (no PAT required) [9 plays, 75 yards, 4:20 time of possession]
