Stefon Diggs rescued the Vikings’ playoff hopes out of nowhere with a last-second touchdown

The Vikings had one last chance to shock the Saints on Sunday night. Stefon Diggs made it count.

Diggs hauled down a deep out from Case Keenum, made one defender miss, and then sprinted into the end zone as time expired to end one of the most memorable playoff games in NFL history.

The Saints rallied back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to remind Minnesota of the decades of postseason heartbreak that had preceded Sunday night’s game. The Vikings watched as Drew Brees piloted his team to a 21-20 advantage before rallying back thanks to some heroics from another receiver; Adam Thielen’s massive catch — while being both held and interfered with — helped set up Kai Forbath’s 53-yard yard field goal with just 1:34 to play.

But the Saints wouldn’t go away easily. Brees led his team back, converting a clutch fourth-and-10 before New Orleans kicked a 43-yard field goal with just 29 seconds to play — a kick that seemed to sentence the Vikings to another playoff loss in Minneapolis.

But one big pass from Keenum — and an embarrassing whiff from defensive back Marcus Williams gave Minnesota one last crack at the win. At first it seemed like Diggs would just gain enough yardage to set up a long field goal attempt. A split second later, it was clear he’d walk untouched into the end zone, the consequence of the biggest blown coverage of 2018.

No one may have been more surprised than Keenum himself.

But maybe he shouldn’t have been so shocked. Coach Mike Zimmer told the press after the game that the team had practiced that exact play throughout the season.

What does this mean for the Vikings: Minnesota moves on to face Philadelphia in the NFC title game next Sunday. And the Vikings get to believe they’ve got an Angels in the Outfield type influence standing somewhere in the secondary.