Top graded Minnesota Vikings players vs Saints in Divisional Playoffs
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings had some amazing performances during the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs against the Saints. Here are the highest graded players!
By now, some fans of the Minnesota Vikings are likely finally settling down and coming to the realization that the team will be moving ahead to the Conference Championship round of the NFL playoffs.
It took some amazing performances on the field to put away Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, including a last-second touchdown to give the Vikings an improbable yet highly exciting victory.
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As usual, the great folks at Pro Football Focus put together their list of top performances from the Minnesota Vikings game against the Saints and shared them in an article titled Refocused: Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24. Here are their top 5 graded players for Minnesota:
- Andrew Sendejo, safety – 82.8 grade
- Jerick McKinnon, running back – 81.5 grade
- Stefon Diggs, wide receiver – 81.0 grade
- Latavius Murray, running back – 80.3 grade
- Harrison Smith, safety – 78.9 grade
The fact that Sendejo is the highest graded player in the game shouldn’t be a surprise. Before a concussion knocked him out of the game, the safety was making some great plays and showing solid coverage skills.
"“He took advantage of an underthrown post route from Brees, wheeling and hauling in the interception in the first quarter. For the game, Sendejo allowed just one catch on five targets for 11 yards.”"
Of course, it wouldn’t be right not to talk about Stefon Diggs. The highlight of the night came in the final moments of the game when he caught a pass from Case Keenum and managed to stay inbounds while sprinting for the walk-off touchdown. But there was more to his game than just the one play.
"Diggs was having a nice game prior to the final play, hauling in five catches for 76 yards. But he topped it off by taking advantage of a terrible play by Williams."
Next: Top 6 plays and moments against the Saints
Which performance from the Minnesota Vikings outside of the top 5 players do you think deserves recognition for their play against the New Orleans Saints? Let us know in the comments section below.