![]() 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. 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. 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. 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. Now the Vikings have spun an unprecedented scenario in NFL history. "A heck of a game, wasn't it?" coach Mike Zimmer said. The Super Bowl is in Minnesota two weeks later. The Vikings will play at Philadelphia next weekend, after Jacksonville takes on New England for the AFC title. They finished 13-3 during the regular season, giving the career backup Keenum the keys to the offense after Sam Bradford went down with a knee injury after the opener. This wasn't quite Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception for Pittsburgh in the 1972 playoffs, but these Vikings are on some kind of special path. I don't stop playing till the clock hit zero. Diggs jumped in front of Marcus Williams, who rolled awkwardly underneath Diggs during an ill-fated attempt at a tackle.ĭiggs held his ground, kept his feet in bounds and raced untouched into the end zone as the crowd at U.S. The Vikings were out of timeouts and nearly out of options when Keenum dropped back with 10 seconds to go from his 39 and threw high into a crowd. Keenum completed a last-ditch heave near the sideline Sunday on the game's final play, and Stefon Diggs slithered away for a 61-yard touchdown to give Minnesota a 29-24 victory over New Orleans and send the Vikings to the NFC championship game, with one more win needed to become a first-time Super Bowl host.ĭrew Brees had driven the Saints in position for Wil Lutz's go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining, punctuating a steely rally from a 17-point deficit that stood until 1:16 was left in the third quarter. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - There wasn't much left for Case Keenum to do but to fling the ball deep and hope for a miracle.
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