Jimmy Graham has called himself a wide receiver. The NFL, for contract purposes, ruled he's a tight end. Meanwhile, defensive-minded coaches on the other side of the field are likely to simply call him the toughest one-on-one matchup in the game.

"He is like a wide receiver," said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, whose team faces Graham and the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday. "He's just tall, and we don't have a lot of tall guys. A guy with height is always a matchup problem. Especially if he can run and jump like this guy can."

Possessing the league's most athletic 6-7, 265-pound body, Graham experiences just about coverage scheme imaginable. Last Sunday in Cleveland, the Browns double-teamed him and held him without a catch for the first 27 minutes of the game. And after that? Well, all he did was catch 10 balls for 118 yards and two touchdowns in 33 minutes.

"The biggest thing," said Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, "is they started moving him around to areas where they were going to limit the ability to double him."

Since 2011, Graham ranks fourth in the NFL in receptions and first among tight ends with 288 catches for 3,707 yards and a league-high 36 TDs.

The Vikings have some intriguing coverage options for Graham. One of them is rookie ninth overall draft pick Anthony Barr, who has the height, wingspan and speed to contend, but obviously lacks the experience.

"All these guys [like Graham] are going to get some catches, no matter how much you preach, because you can't double-cover a guy every single play," Zimmer said. "So you have to pick your spots with these guys, and then sometimes you're just wrong."

Three observations

• Philip Rivers played as well last week as he's ever played. Even under heavy pressure, he was precise in his accuracy in taking down Seattle.

• Atlanta's Devin Hester is 31 years old, but he's never looked faster than he did Thursday night while breaking Deion Sanders' mark for most return touchdowns in NFL history.

• The Bucs are the worst team in the league, and it's not even close.

Two bold predictions

• Somebody will be arrested for domestic abuse next week. Yeah, we know. That's not very bold anymore.

• The Colts will start a four-game winning streak this week at Jacksonville.

MARK CRAIG