Jamie Squire/Getty Images(MINNEAPOLIS) — When New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz drilled a 43-yard field goal with 25 seconds to go to give the Saints a 24-23 lead over the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s divisional playoff game, long-suffering Vikings fans began to feel a little déjà vu. Another loss. Another playoff disappointment. Another cold winter devoid of a Super Bowl championship that has long eluded the snake-bitten team.
But then everything changed.
The Vikings’ second-year quarterback, Case Keenum, launched a last-second bomb down the sideline to Stefon Diggs, who scampered 61 yards to the end zone as time expired, sending all 66,612 fans at US Bank Stadium into a state of delirium.
A franchise known for coming up short in the postseason had just pulled off one of the most miraculous plays in NFL history. “If there was a curse, we probably would have lost today,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said.
From Minnesota to New York and all the way to Hawaii, Vikings fans celebrated the “Miracle in Minneapolis.” Most could only scream or jump up and down. They were at a loss for words.
Fans like Millie Wall, a 99-year-old Minnesota native who witnessed her first Vikings playoff game in person after the team sent her tickets, never lost hope. After the game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave Wall tickets to the Super Bowl. And if the Vikings beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, they will become the first team in play in and host a Super Bowl.
Sunday’s game showed how sports can produce the most raw and unpredictable moments and the Vikings were finally on the winning side.
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