2018 NFC divisional playoffs: Three takeaways from Vikings' stunning win over Saints

Ron Clements

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2018 NFC divisional playoffs: Three takeaways from Vikings' stunning win over Saints image

The Vikings have the NFL's best defense, but it was a huge play by the offense that delivered the winner.

Stefon Diggs raced 61 yards on the final play of the game to lift the Vikings to a 29-24 win over the Saints in Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Saints-Vikings DAZN graphic

Saints rookie safety Marcus Williams, who had an earlier interception, lowered his head and tried to deliver a big hit on Diggs, who leapt to catch the pass from Case Keenum. Williams missed and instead hit cornerback Ken Crawley, leaving Diggs free to score untouched.

"This game was over, but I don't stop playing until the clock reaches zero," Diggs, who finished with six catches for 137 yards, told Fox Sports. 

Minnesota (14-3) secured a spot in next Sunday's NFC championship game against the Eagles (14-3) in Philadelphia. 

Minnesota's defense was dominant in the first half, holding the Saints (12-6) without a third-down conversion on four chances. The Saints finished 2 of 9 as the Vikings built a 17-0 halftime lead as the Saints were shut out in the first half of a game for the first time since Sept. 28, 2014. 

Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who set an NFL record by completing 72 percent of his passes, went 25 of 40 for 294 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked twice times by an aggressive Vikings defense, including a blitz from safety Harrison Smith.

Brees threw just eight interceptions all season, but was picked twice by the Vikings. The second interception occurred when Everson Griffen, who had Minnesota's other sack, reached his hand up to deflect the ball at the line of scrimmage despite having his back to Brees. The fluttering pass was caught by Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr to squelch the most promising New Orleans drive of the first half. 

Though the Vikings jumped out to a 17-0 lead, a Keenum interception turned the tide. After the Saints finally got on the board in the third quarter, Keenum tossed an ill-advised pass up for grabs on the first play of the ensuing drive.

The Saints capitalized on the turnover as Brees connected with Michael Thomas for a 3-yard touchdown. Thomas finished with seven catches for 85 yards and two scores. 

The Saints took their first lead following a blocked punt as former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill provided the pressure and George Johnson got a hand on Ryan Quigley's punt.

That led to the go-ahead score as Brees hit rookie running back Alvin Kamara for a 14-yard touchdown.

The Vikings retook the lead with a 53-yard field goal by Kai Forbath, but left Brees with 89 seconds and one timeout on the clock. Against the NFL's best defense, Brees moved the ball to the Minnesota 25-yard line — thanks to a fourth-and-10 conversion — to set up Wil Lutz's 43-yard field goal. 

But the Vikings had 25 seconds remaining and made the count.

Three takeaways from the Vikings' win over the Saints

1. Case Keenum is playing at a championship level  — The Vikings quarterback finished 25 of 40 for 318 yards with a touchdown and interception. He was also 9 of 12 on third down to help keep drives alive and the Saints offense on the sideline. Keenum was superb during the regular season, throwing for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He wasn't even supposed to be the starter, but took over for Sam Bradford in Week 2 and the Vikings never skipped a beat. 

Keenum was in the MVP conversation late in the season and showed why on Sunday. 

2. Injuries hurt the Vikings defense  — The Saints offense found some success in the second half and a trio of injuries to key Vikings players were a factor. Defensive tackle Shamar Stephen was lost in the first half with a knee injury, but the bigger injuries occurred in the second half.

Starting safety Andrew Sendejo, who had Minnesota's first interception, was knocked out of the game with a concussion after Thomas delivered a vicious blow that was initially penalized before the flag was picked up. 

Starting cornerback Xavier Rhodes was then injured, though he later returned, and the Saints scored two plays later on the 3-yard pass from Brees to Thomas.

3. The Vikings will play in the Super Bowl  — The Eagles have a good defense. The Vikings have a great defense and, against Philadelphia's struggling offense, Minnesota's "D" will lead the team to its first Super Bowl since 1976. The Vikings have appeared in four Super Bowls, but lost them all. A win over the Eagles will have the Vikings back in the title game, and in their own stadium. 

The Vikings are back in the NFC championship game for the first time since 2009, when they lost to the Saints. After avenging that postseason loss to the Saints, the Vikings now have a chance to beat the Eagles in the postseason for the first time ever. The Eagles have won all three postseason meetings against the Vikings, though the teams have not met in the playoffs since 2008. 

Ron Clements