Top 6 plays and highlights: Minnesota Vikings vs Saints Divisional Playoffs

There were some amazing plays by the Minnesota Vikings happening in the Division Round playoff game against the New Orleans Saints. Here are the best ones!

When it was revealed that the Minnesota Vikings would be facing off against the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, fans knew this would be a hard-fought game from the first kickoff until the final moment.

The game took place on Sunday, January 14, 2018 from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and set the stage for a dramatic contest where the winner would travel to Philadelphia next week for the right to face off against the Eagles for the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 52.

The Vikings defeated the Saints 29-24 thanks to a miraculous touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs, but that wasn’t the only amazing highlight or big play from Minnesota during the contest.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest plays that Minnesota had during the Divisional Round playoff game against the Saints and countdown to the best highlight of the day!

John Randle gets the crowd hyped up!

Some things don’t have to happen after the opening kickoff or before the final whistle of a game to have an impact or get the crowd all riled up for the action that will take place on the field in the playoffs.

For many fans of the Vikings, John Randle is either their favorite player or at least in their top 5. The high energy the Hall of Fame defensive tackle was on full display when Randle sounded the Gjallarhorn.

The intensity that Randle brings to anything he does is incredible. Watching how excited he was to represent the team before the game is something that is normal for the Hall of Famer, but it was the absolutely right decision for Minnesota make before the game.

Anthony Barr gets an interception after a tip

The first half of the game was not a good one for Drew Brees. The smothering Vikings defense gave the Saints quarterback very little time in the pocket to survey the field. And even if he did get a pass off, Minnesota’s talented group of players contested the pass well.

One play in the second quarter was made by someone who wasn’t even watching the play develop as Everson Griffen held his position on the line against the Saints offensive lineman.

With his back to Brees, Griffen raised his arm in the air and deflected the pass, sending it in a completely different direction. Thankfully, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr was there to make the catch.

During the return of the interception, Saints offensive tackle Armstead grabbed Barr’s pads near the back of his neck resulting in a horsecollar penalty on New England to add 15 more yards to the play.

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The Tay Train makes a stop

A pass interference call on the New Orleans Saints while trying to stop Stefon Diggs set up the Vikings with a first and goal from the 1-yard line with a little over 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

Everyone in the stadium and on the field knew that Minnesota would be running the ball with Latavius Murray to try to pick up the score. And that is exactly what the Vikings offense did against the Saints.

While stopped before the goal line initially, Murray kept his feet moving and extended the ball past the goal line for a touchdown, extending the score to 17-0 in the second quarter.

Sendejo gets a pick on Brees

The New Orleans Saints were really struggling against the Vikings defense in the first quarter of the game, but quarterback Drew Brees is a player who you can’t ever completely shut down but hope to contain.

With 1:14 to go in the first quarter, Brees saw Ted Ginn Jr. make a move to the center of the field while safety Andrew Sendejo started moving away from the play.

As soon as Sendejo saw Brees starting to make the pass, the Vikings safety changed directions and ran toward Ginn. The underthrown ball gave Sendejo a chance and he made an impressive leap to make a play.

With a full extension of his body, Sendejo was able to get both hands on the ball and reel it in.

McKinnon gets the first score of the game

After the Vikings forced a three and out on the opening drive of the Saints, Minnesota used a combination of Latavius Murray and an efficient passing game to move the team into the red zone.

With a little over 9 minutes left in the first quarter on second down with 8 yards to go for a first down, Minnesota lined up with a little trickery. After taking the snap, Keenum faked a sweep to a receiver but tossed the ball to Jerick McKinnon.

The blocking in front of McKinnon was flawless. The offensive lineman with the addition of wide receiver Adam Thielen made a massive hole for the running back to go through, letting him make a clean run to the end zone for the first score of the game.

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Keenum and Diggs seal the deal

It took every second on the game clock and a few more for the Minnesota Vikings to put away the Saints in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, but it was the shocking conclusion of the game that is the #1 moment from the game.

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With no timeouts remaining and only 10 seconds on the clock, Minnesota found themselves outside of field goal range and 61 yards from the goal line. This is a highly improbable situation for any offense to convert, but obviously not impossible.

Keenum took the snap and dropped back, lofting a ball down the field toward receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs reeled in the catch and avoided the contact from the Saints safety. Maintaining his balance and staying inbounds, #14 turned toward the goal line and started running rather than getting out of bounds.

This chose to be a great decision, as Diggs ran all the way for a score and secured that Minnesota would be advancing to face off against the Eagles next week.

Next: Ups and Downs vs the Saints

What were your favorite moments from the game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints? And how did you react to the amazing game-winning play? Let us know in the comments below.