鈥?As Case Keenum convened the Minnesota huddle with 10 seconds left
Youth Thomas Rawls Jersey , the situation staring down the Vikings was as simple as it was daunting.With the go-ahead field goal by the New Orleans Saints that silenced this deafening stadium still fresh in the air, the Vikings were well beyond any moment of anxiety. All that was left for Keenum to do on that last snap was to throw the ball up like he used to do in his Texas backyards and hope for the best.Keenum completed his last-ditch heave near the sideline Sunday on the game’s final play to Stefon Diggs, who slithered away from the Saints for a 61-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 29-24 victory and a spot in the NFC championship game at Philadelphia.“At that point, I’m just a kid throwing a football to another big kid,” Keenum said with a smile, “and he just runs and scores.”One more win, against the Eagles, and the Vikings will become the first team to play in a Super Bowl on their home turf. Instead of the usual win-or-go-home stakes, they’re in a win-and-go-home situation.“It never ends that way,” Diggs said. “Usually, it’s reality. It’s life. So things go and you walk home and worry it about tomorrow.”Instead, Drew Brees and the Saints were the ones trudging off the field in defeat.“We’re still a bit shell-shocked after what happened there at the end,” said Brees
Seahawks Byron Maxwell Jersey , who steered the Saints in position for Wil Lutz’s 43-yard kick with 25 seconds remaining that punctuating a forceful rally from a 17-point deficit that stood until 1:16 was left in the third quarter.The field goal was set up by a fourth-and-10 completion by Brees to Willie Snead for 13 yards to the Minnesota 33 with 40 seconds left. Brees connected with Michael Thomas for two of his three touchdown passes in a span of 3:09 that spilled into the fourth quarter. The second score was set up at the Minnesota 40 by an interception by Marcus Williams, when an off-balance throw into traffic by Keenum served as his one costly moment of recklessness, a “bonehead play,” as he put it.Keenum settled back in. He guided the Vikings to two more field goals by Kai Forbath, including a 53-yarder with 1:29 left that was his third of the game against his former team and gave them their lead back after a blocked punt by George Johnson had set up the Saints for a touchdown pass by Brees to Alvin Kamara.Then came the play that put Keenum and Diggs in permanent rotation on the NFL’s all-time highlight reels.“We knew there was still a possibility, still some hope,” Keenum said.This wasn’t quite Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1972 playoffs, but these Vikings are on some kind of special path after turning to Keenum in the second game of the season after original starter Sam Bradford was sidelined by a knee injury.The Vikings were out of timeouts and nearly out of options when Keenum dropped back from his 39 and threw high into a crowd. Diggs jumped in front of Williams, who rolled awkwardly underneath Diggs during an ill-fated attempt at making a low tackle.Devastatingly for the Saints, nobody was behind him in the secondary, as Diggs made sure to note right before he made the break on his route during the play the Vikings, believe it or not, call “Seven Heaven.”Diggs kept his balance as he landed
Youth Cordy Glenn Jersey , kept his feet in bounds and kept on running untouched into the end zone as the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium erupted with euphoria. Keenum raced around the field, looking for anyone to hug.“I’m shocked. I don’t know what else to say. This is the first time ever I’m out of words,” Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said.Keenum, the undrafted and undersized all-time leading passer in NCAA history who was making his first career playoff start and has long looked up to Brees, was having a hard time finding the words to describe the experience. He finished with 318 yards, going 25 for 40, with Diggs catching 137 yards on six catches.“A heck of a game, wasn’t it?” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “And the good guys won.”Diggs was still in full uniform when he took the podium for his postgame interview, the ball from the winning catch resting safely in front of him on the lectern.“It’s plays like this that you dream about your whole life,” he said, “and it finally happens.”PICKED OFFBrees 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. One came on a leaping grab by safety Andrew Sendejo , the other off a tip by Griffen that landed in Anthony Barr’s arms at the Minnesota 10-yard line midway through the third quarter.FIRST-HALF FORCEThe Vikings came roaring out of their first-round bye
Cheap Customized Seattle Seahawks Jerseys , forcing punts by the Saints on their first three possessions and moving 55 yards in eight plays for a touchdown run by Jerick McKinnon on their first drive. Aided by two pass interference calls on Ken Crawley for 54 yards, the Vikings reached the 1-yard line before settling for a short field goal on the next possession. They pushed the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter when Latavius Murray plowed in from the 1-yard line.“The Vikings had a phenomenal game plan,” Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan said.The only other time the Saints went scoreless in the first half of a postseason game was five years ago. They fell behind 16-0 at Seattle in the divisional round and lost 23-15 to the eventual Super Bowl champions.SENDEJO DOWNThe first touchdown to Thomas came one play after he leveled Sendejo with a jarring blindside block, sending Sendejo to the sideline for concussion evaluation and reigniting the crowd when the flag that was initially thrown was waved off.UP NEXTSaints: head home with a 1-5 record on the road in the p Braden Holtby made a strong case for more playing time.
Holtby made 34 saves and Nicklas Backstrom started a three-goal second period as the surging Capitals beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 Monday night.
Alex Ovechkin got his league-leading 46th goal, and Alex Chiasson and Andre Burakovsky also scored to help the Capitals get their seventh win in eight games, and 11th in the last 13.
Holtby, who has been sharing the goaltending duties with Philipp Grubauer the past six weeks, won for the fourth time in his last five starts and improved to 7-0-0 in seven career starts against St. Louis.
Grubauer made 36 stops in a 3-1 win at Pittsburgh on Sunday that clinched the Capitals’ third straight Metropolitan Division title. Holby turned in a similarly strong effort 24 hours later.
”Both goalies are playing really well,” said coach Barry Trotz, who has not named a starter for the playoffs that begin next week. ”They’re pushing each other. They’ve responded every night.”
Holtby is not worried about the future. He simply focuses on the task at hand each night.
”I’ve always been a big believer in leaving those decisions to other people and focus on your job and your job only,” Holtby said. ”And that’s stopping pucks and helping this team win.”
Holtby improved to 33-16-4 on the season, while Grubauer is 15-9-3
Chiasson feels his team is in a no-lose situation entering postseason play with two solid goalies.
”Those two have been the backbone of this team all year,” Chiasson said. ”Whenever one was not playing as well as he wanted
Jim Kelly Jersey , the other was picking up the charge.”
Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrik Berglund scored for the Blues, who lost their second straight and remained one point behind Colorado for the second and final wild card in the Western Conference. The Avalanche lost 3-1 at Los Angeles later.
”There’s not a single part of me that doesn’t believe that we’re going to get there,” St. Louis coach Mike Yeo said.
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko realizes his team has its back to the wall.
”We know we’re basically in a win-out situation,” Parayko said. ”We also know what we’ve got to do to win. We’ve done it the last couple of weeks.”
Jake Allen finished with 30 saves.
Backstrom, Chiasson and Burakovsky scored in the first 7:54 of the second period to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead.
Backstrom tied it 1-1 by firing a shot past goalie Jake Allen from close range just 51 seconds into the period, giving him 20 goals in three straight seasons.
”We came off a huge win Sunday and got a lot of confidence with that,” Backstrom said. ”And we just kept going.”
Chiasson put Washington ahead with his ninth at 2:39, and Burakovsky gave the Capitals a two-goal lead with his 11th a little more than five minutes later.
”Obviously we’re not taking our foot off the gas,” Burakovsky said. ”We’re battling just as hard for every game and every point.”
Berglund pulled St. Louis within one with 8 1/2 minutes left in the second, but Ovechkin scored into an empty net with 1:31 left in the third.
NOTES: Ovechkin played in his 1,001st NHL game. … The Capitals have won six of their last nine games in back-to-back situations. … St. Louis RW Scottie Upshall is out the rest of the season with a lacerated kidney. … G Allen has started the Blues’ last 13 games. … Washington RW T.J. Oshie was held out of the contest as a precautionary measure. He is nursing a lower body injury and is listed as day-to-day.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Close the regular season with back-to-back home games against Nashville on Thursday and New Jersey on Saturday.
Blues: Host Chicago on Wednesday before closing with two road games.
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