Drew Brees' completion percentage identical to second half of 'Minneapolis Miracle'

77.3 percent.

Look familiar?

For a Vikings fan heading into a Saints game against Drew Brees, it should.

Yes, that's Brees' league-leading completion percentage in the Saints' 5-1 start this season.

But that's also his completion percentage in the second half of the Saints' 29-24 playoff loss at U.S. Bank Stadium nine months ago.

So, yeah, believe it or not, Brees hasn't cooled off by nary a percentage point since that furious rally turned a 17-0 halftime deficit into a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds left.

He completed 17 of 22 passes for 177 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions as the Saints outscored the Vikings 24-6 before the "Minneapolis Miracle" was born.

Brees had one of the worst halves of his 18-year career before that comeback. He completed 44.4 percent of his passes (8 of 18) for 117 yards, two sacks, two interceptions and a 26.6 passer rating. That's 44.4 percent for the guy who holds the NFL single-season record (72.0), owns three of the top four spots on that list and is threatening to shatter the record again.

But the Saints are back, which makes it hard to believe that they went 21-29 from Jan. 11, 2014 through Week 2 of last season.

A trip to the Big Easy to visit with Adrian Peterson before last season found some fans who weren't so laid back about coach Sean Payton and how things had gone the past three years.

And who could blame them. Since exiting the 2013 playoffs with a loss at Seattle, Payton had posted three straight 7-9 seasons with a healthy Brees. People were beginning to speculate that Sean wouldn't survive a 7-9 four-peat.

Then last season began. The Saints opened with losses to the Vikings and Patriots.

But over the next 22 games, the Saints are 17-5 and riding a five-game win streak into Sunday night's game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

During that 22-game stretch — which includes two playoff games — Brees' average completion percentage is .737. His average passer rating: 107.9.

Only five times during that 22-game stretch has he completed fewer than 70.7 percent of his passes. Only twice has it dipped below 66.7: This year's Week 4 33-18 win against the Giants at MetLife Stadium (56.3) and last year's playoff loss to the Vikings (62.5).

Only four times in those 22 games has Brees' passer rating dipped below 92.7. The only time it did during a loss was last year's playoff loss to the Vikings (89.0).

Of course, as any Vikings fan knows, Brees was one play from crafting the "Minneapolis Meltdown."