All eyes were on the Saints and the Vikings on Sunday night, January 14th. The two teams, both equipped with stellar defenses, faced off on what turned out to be one of the most exciting playoff football games in years. The Vikings came out strong, as always. Going off to a 17-0 lead at halftime. Fans everywhere had their eyes on Drew Brees; one of the few quarterbacks in the league capable of pulling off such a comeback.
Throughout their history, the Vikings have had nothing but deflating losses in the playoffs. Fans now know well that no lead is safe in the playoffs, especially against Drew Brees. Saints came back strong in the second half, scoring the two first touchdowns before the Vikings could answer with a field goal. The score midway through the fourth quarter was Vikings 20, Saints 14. Now, fans could start to see their season slipping away. Before fans could even blink, Drew Brees drove down the field and through a beautiful fade route to the talented rookie running back Alvin Kamara. Saints now had the lead for the first time all game.
Vikings fans must have been shaking in their boots at the edge of their seats at US Bank Stadium in Minnesota. Luckily for them, Keenum led the Vikings down the field for another field goal to give the home team the lead once again with less than two minutes left. Football fans everywhere know about the two-minute drill. Now, Drew Brees is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league. He can do the two-minute drill in his sleep. Like it was nothing, they drove down the field and made what looked to be the game-clinching field goal. Viewers could see the air deflate out of the stadium as the Viking's hopes to make it to a super looked to be crushed.
However, the game is not over until the clock strikes zero... Like magic, Keenum throws up a bomb on third down, knowing their season is on the line. In what felt like an eternity, the ball finally fell right into the hands of Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs as he trotted into the end zone with 0 seconds on the clock. Vikings have won the game in an insane fashion! In what looked like an identical play to the "mile high miracle" in which Joe Flacco threw a bomb to Jacoby Jones to beat the Broncos in the Semifinals. Both plays happening at the last minute of play.
This was just another example of how exciting playoff football can be. There are so many comebacks and big plays, the game truly isn't over until it's over. The Vikings now look to defeat the Eagles and become the first team in NFL history to play in Superbowl in their own stadium. The Superbowl will be hosted at US Bank Stadium in Minnesota on February 4th.
