Note to readers: DO NOT miss another Monday Night Football game this season!

It seems like every week on Monday night, viewers get a treat from the NFL. That gift has come in the form of three incredible primetime games in the past four weeks.

Last night’s Vikings-Saints contest went down to the final minutes and was settled by Ryan Longwell’s 30-yard field goal to give Minnesota a 30-27 win. Despite the offensive futility in the first half, it took only a few plays for this game to go from sloppy to downright thrilling.

It may not have been the prettiest game for the Vikings or Saints, but it sure was exciting watching them trade both points and momentum inside the New Orleans Superdome. Fantasy owners may also have been surprised at which star running back clearly won the spotlight in the “Adrian Peterson vs. Reggie Bush” hype.

Find out who stole the spotlight in our always flashy, weekly rundown: The U’s Primetime Players:

Quarterbacks:

Drew Brees
One of the league’s best under center started furiously with a near 50-yard opening drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Devery Henderson. This proved to be the only offensive TD scored for the high-flying New Orleans attack, ranked first in the NFL in passing yards. Brees cooled off considerably, especially late in the game, where the Saints had trouble consistently moving the ball. Brees’ 330 passing yards looks good on paper, but he also threw two picks and fumbled inside his own 10-yard line to set up a Vikes score. MNF Grade: B-

Gus Frerotte
Frerotte was a statistical nightmare until the fourth quarter when he and the Vikings offense showed up. After five consecutive punts to start the second half, Frerotte led Minnesota’s offense on drives of 75 and 51 yards to score 10 points late in the game and secure the win. He finished with 222 yards and a long touchdown to Bernard Berrian, yet his late performance was helped by the lackluster Saints offense that kept their defense tired and on the field. Frerotte probably won’t be fantasy relevant anytime soon, yet he has the stuff to keep Minnesota competitive. MNF Grade: B

Running backs:

Reggie Bush
The Saints playmaker was undoubtedly the best player on the field. He may not have rushed the ball effectively, but then again, when does he ever run well between the tackles? He also had two fumbles, including one turnover that would usually ruin any running back’s night. Yet, Bush single-handedly revived both a New Orleans team and crowd that were dead up until No. 25 broke free. The dynamic special-teamer ran not one, but two punts back for touchdowns, including returns of 71 and 64 yards. Maybe the Vikings, and hopefully everyone else, will learn a lesson in NOT kicking to Bush after his huge Monday night. MNF Grade: A-

Adrian Peterson
Perhaps the biggest bust of the evening was Minnesota’s best offensive player. Of the team’s 16 total first downs in the game, only two came from rushing the ball. Peterson was contained on nearly every carry he had, and he finished with a meager 32 yards on 21 rushes. That comes out to a lousy 1.5 yards per carry average, well below the normal standards of a Pro Bowl back. His longest run went for a whole seven yards. Only one catch for nine yards, and no touchdowns for one of the highest rated fantasy players in the NFL. Let’s chalk this one up to being just a bad night for A.P.; don’t expect one of the league’s best runners to look this bad again. MNF Grade: C-

Wide receivers:

Bernard Berrian
One of the highest-paid athletes on the Vikings roster finally proved his worth on the Monday night stage. Berrian may not have been a factor in the first half, but he was certainly Frerotte’s favorite target down the stretch. A 33-yard touchdown catch with less than five minutes to go helped Minnesota tie the game at 27. Berrian also drew a key pass interference penalty on the final drive to put the Vikings in field goal range for Longwell’s game-winning kick. His six catches and 110 yards were way above his average this season, yet we’ll attribute most of his numbers to a beat-up Saints secondary that was worn down in the fourth quarter. MNF Grade: A-

Devery Henderson
Brees turned to Henderson for a couple big plays early, including the 17-yard touchdown catch to open the game, and a 52-yard bomb on the next drive that put the Saints in field goal range. He was injured after his third catch later in the game, and caught only one pass in the second half. With Colston still injured, Henderson is the Saints most desirable wideout in fantasy and a favorite for a pass-happy Brees. MNF Grade: B+

Tight Ends:

Visanthe Shiancoe
Minnesota’s tight end caught only two passes in this game: a 12-yard pass in the first quarter and a 4-yard touchdown pass from RB Chester Taylor in the second. The TD catch put the Vikings up 17-10, yet Shiancoe disappeared in the offensive game plan for the rest of the game. The tight end was overshadowed by the big plays of Berrian and receiver Bobby Wade. MNF Grade: B
Billy Miller/Mark Campbell
The Saints tight ends were two of the many targets Brees hit Monday night. Campbell hauled in three passes for 39 yards, while the more productive Miller had four catches and 61 yards. No touchdowns went to either player, yet the two combined for decent numbers considering the absence of former Pro Bowler Jeremy Shockey. While neither is fantasy worthy by themselves, together they’ve complemented New Orleans’ offense with solid receiving options. MNF Grade: B-

Defense/Special Teams:

New Orleans
Boy, did Reggie Bush ever give the Saints a huge night! Two punt return touchdowns and a near third score that failed only because Bush tripped over his own feet in the open field. Aside from the two monster returns, kick returner Pierre Thomas had several key returns into Minnesota territory, including a 56-yarder. It wasn’t all roses for New Orleans defense, though. Minnesota drove down the field and scored on the game’s final drive, and despite shutting down Peterson, the Saints allowed two passing touchdowns and three field goals. MNF Grade: A-

Minnesota
Their special teams clearly have to be disappointed after dreadful punt return coverage, which yielded two Bush touchdowns. The Vikings made up for those two huge mistakes by collecting four turnovers from one of the league’s best quarterbacks. Minnesota’s best play arguably was the blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by Antoine Winfield in the first quarter. Winfield also forced a fumble inside the New Orleans 10-yard-line and had eight tackles and one sack. MNF Grade: B+

Kickers:

Ryan Longwell
The clutch kicker booted three field goals, from 53, 33 and the game-winning 30-yarder to help the Vikings offense. Longwell was also perfect on all three extra points, and again proved to be a reliable fantasy starter among kickers; he has missed only two field goals out of 15 this season. MNF Grade: A+

Martin Gramatica
The night was not so kind to the Saints place kicker. Gramatica started his night with a low field goal that was blocked and run back for a Minnesota touchdown. While he did hit from 35 and amazingly 53, he also shanked a 46-yard kick wide left. Gramatica is still an unreliable kicker; he’s missed two game-tying field goals in two different games that may have put the Saints at 4-1 instead of 2-3. MNF Grade: C-

Keep it right here next Monday when Eli Manning the New York Giants (4-0) try to extend their undefeated streak against Derek Anderson and the Cleveland Browns (1-3).