The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints were neck-and-neck Sunday night in Minneapolis, and the ultimate winner truly seemed uncertain up until the final moments.
However, Case Keenum connected with Stefon Diggs for a 61-yard touchdown in the last seconds to lift the Vikings to a thrilling, 29-24 victory in the Divisional Round game.
Minnesota will next face Philadelphia in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 on Saturday.
Not since Games 6 and 7 of the 1991 World Series — when the Twins won both in extra innings — had there been such an emotional sporting event in Minnesota.
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Diggs reportedly runs the deep corner route he did for the game-winning score all the time in practice, although he had never caught the ball before Sunday. The receiver nearly lost his balance right after he made the amazing leaping catch.
It took over 20 minutes to clear the field for the extra point. The NFL had to get the Saints back out of their locker room to block the kick, which league rules dictate is necessary even if a team has won by five or more points.
However, the Vikings decided to take a knee instead and leave the final score at 29-24.
The New England Patriots will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game after having routed the Tennessee Titans 35-14 on Saturday.
“This is the first time ever I’m out of words,” defensive end Everson Griffen said. Griffen may not have been exaggerating. He struggled to answer questions coherently after the game, but did say that he planned to watch “Remember the Titans” when he got home.
Only some of the Vikings played on the 2015 team that lost to Seattle after Blair Walsh hooked a short field goal. They now hope to win their first ever Super Bowl in the post-NFL-AFL merger era. (Minnesota’s only NFL championship came in 1969, one year before the merger).
Drew Brees had three touchdowns and led New Orleans to a go-ahead field goal with 25 seconds remaining, but it evidently wasn’t enough.
The Vikings were reportedly favored by 5.5 points on Sunday.
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