They fell behind 16-0 at Seattle in the divisional round and lost 23-15 to the eventual Super Bowl champions.© 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Mike Breen exclaiming that Andre Iguodala’s layup attempt was blocked by James in. The only other time the Saints went scoreless in the first half of a postseason game was five years ago. Joe Buck yelling Diggs Sideline Touchdown as Stefon Diggs walked off the Saints in 2018 comes to mind. They pushed the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter when Latavius Murray plowed in from the 1-yard line. The shrewd play calling by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, culminating with a pitch to Jerick McKinnon for a 14-yard run after a fake jet-sweep, showed again why he was interviewed by four teams last week for head coaching vacancies.Īided by two pass interference calls on Ken Crawley for 54 yards, the Vikings reached the 1-yard line before settling for a short field goal. The Vikings came roaring out of their first-round bye, forcing punts by the Saints on their first three possessions and moving 55 yards in eight plays for a touchdown on their first drive. His best pure football call was Stefon Diggs’ 61-yard game-winning touchdown catch on the final play that sent the Vikings to the NFC Championship game with a win over the Saints in 2018. One came on a leaping grab by safety Andrew Sendejo, the other off a tip by Everson Griffen that landed in Anthony Barr's arms at the Minnesota 10-yard line midway through the third quarter. "This will take a while to get over," said Payton, who fell to 1-5 on the road in playoff games.īrees saw his 13th career postseason game end in a crushing final moment, his 25-for-40 performance for 294 yards tainted a bit by two interceptions before halftime. He finished with 318 yards, going 25 for 40, with Diggs catching 137 yards on six catches. That was more than enough time for Brees, the sure-bet Hall of Famer with a Super Bowl ring and all kinds of records.īut after Brees got Lutz in position, there were just enough seconds remaining for Keenum - the undrafted and undersized all-time leading passer in NCAA history at Houston whose first career playoff start ended in spectacular fashion. Four plays later, rookie Alvin Kamara, whose breakout was a major factor in the team's NFC South title and breakthrough from three straight 7-9 finishes, caught a 14-yard pass from Brees for a 21-20 lead with 3:01 left.įorbath's 53-yard field goal, his third make of the evening against his former team, gave the Vikings their lead back with 1:29 left. When George Johnson blocked Ryan Quigley's punt, the Saints took over at the Vikings 40. In 2021, he hauled in 103 catches for 1225 yards and 10 touchdowns. The second was set up at the Minnesota 40 by an interception by Williams after an off-balance throw by Keenum, his one costly moment of either inexperience or recklessness. Diggs has fit the bill quite nicely, developing a synergy with Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen. The first score came after a 12-play, 80-yard drive. They put them through quite the emotional finish to complete it.īrees connected with Michael Thomas for two of his three touchdown passes in a span of 3:09 of the second half. Though only defensive end Brian Robison remains from the 2009 team that lost in overtime of the NFC championship game at New Orleans, the Vikings exacted some revenge on Brees and the Saints, at least for their long-frustrated fans. 4 under the reverberating translucent roof of U.S. He caught two in his first postseason with the team. Next weekend, instead of the usual win-or-go-home stakes, they're in a win-and-go-home situation with the Super Bowl set for Feb. Diggs has now gone four playoff games for the Bills without catching a touchdown pass. Now the Vikings have spun an unprecedented scenario in NFL history.
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