Minneapolis Miracle

The Minneapolis Miracle (also known as the Minnesota Miracle) was the final play of a NFC divisional playoff game played between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 14, 2018, when Vikings player Stefon Diggs caught a game winning touchdown.

The Saints came back from a 17–0 first-half deficit and established a 24–23 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game. On the last play of the game, Vikings quarterback Case Keenum threw a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs; Saints safety Marcus Williams missed a tackle, allowing Diggs to run to the end zone to complete the 61-yard touchdown pass. This game was the first in NFL playoffs history to end in a touchdown as time expired.

In the aftermath, Keenum and Diggs were lauded for their efforts on the game-winning score, while Williams received criticism for his missed tackle. The Vikings' radio call by Paul Allen – who described the play as a "Minneapolis Miracle" – was circulated widely on the internet and in mainstream media and it became the popular appellation for both the play and the game itself. The play won multiple end-of-year awards and prompted a change to the NFL's rules.

The previous playoff meeting between the two teams was the 2009 NFC Championship game, which was notable for the excessive roughness of the Saints, later termed "Bountygate", as well as the Vikings driving close to a game-winning field goal before quarterback Brett Favre threw an interception. Some Minneapolis sportswriters have described the "Miracle" as atoning for Bountygate.

Prior to the 2016 season, Minnesota's starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury that produced a dislocated knee, torn ACL and "other structural damage". The severity of the injury nearly cost Bridgewater his leg and compelled the Vikings to trade two draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford as a replacement. The Vikings began 2016 with a 5–0 record before collapsing to finish 8–8.

The Saints, for their part, produced their third consecutive 7–9 showing in 2016, leading to rumors that they might fire or trade head coach Sean Payton during the offseason. Despite the speculation to the contrary, Payton retained his position as the Saints' head coach for 2017, although five assistant coaches lost their jobs.

Minnesota entered the 2017 campaign with Bradford as its starting quarterback, as Bridgewater was still recovering from his knee injury. Bradford suffered a knee injury of his own in a Week 1 game against the Saints, resulting in Case Keenum taking over at the quarterback position. Keenum subsequently led the Vikings to a 13–3 regular season record and the NFC North title for just the second time since 2009. Three Vikings scored eight touchdowns: running back Latavius Murray, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and tight end Kyle Rudolph. Since the Vikings were the #2 seed in the NFC, they did not have to play during the NFL's Wild Card Weekend. The Vikings' #2 seeding meant that U.S. Bank Stadium became the first Super Bowl host stadium (selected on May 20, 2014) to also host a Divisional Playoff Game in the same season; all previous times that the Super Bowl host stadium also hosted another postseason game that season were Wild Card Playoffs.

Despite an 0–2 start to 2017, New Orleans finished with an 11–5 record, thereby winning the NFC South and qualifying for the playoffs as the #4 seed. New Orleans' rookie running back Alvin Kamara won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after earning 6.1 yards-per-carry and scoring 14 total touchdowns during the regular season. Veteran running back Mark Ingram also scored double-digit touchdowns (12), while second-year wide receiver Michael Thomas caught 104 passes for 1,245 yards and five touchdowns. In their Wild Card Weekend match-up against the Carolina Panthers, the Saints won, 31–26.