The Vikings’ last-second touchdown to beat the Saints immediately became one of the signature game-winning plays in Minnesota sports history.
In the midst of choking the game away, Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs managed to pull out a miracle in front of Vikings fans – allowing the crowd to go crazy as the Saints walked off the field stunned.
Was it the greatest game-winning play in Minnesota sports history? It might be.
We can think of two other serious contenders for that title: Kirby Puckett and Andrew Brunette.
POLL: What is the greatest game-winning play in Minnesota sports history?
– Diggs' #MinneapolisMiracle vs the Saints
– Kirby Puckett's '91 Game 6 World Series HR in the 11th
– Brunette's Game 7 OT goal vs Avalanche— Bring Me The News (@bringmethenews) January 15, 2018
What we’re looking for is the most impressive combination of pressure-filled stakes, improbability of the situation, and the high degree of skill needed to pull it off.
Here’s a look at our contenders, with the arguments for and against each.
Diggs’ TD vs. the Saints (aka ‘The Minneapolis Miracle’)
WHAT.
AN.
ENDING!#BringItHome pic.twitter.com/VWakbeWdcL— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 15, 2018
Arguments for:
- Carried the weight of 50-plus years of heartbreak.
- The team needed 11 players doing their jobs to make it happen.
- The leaping catch, avoiding the hit, and not falling down – impressive athleticism.
- The situation was dire: 25 seconds, one timeout, starting from the 20-yard line after a penalty, and with no Vikes TDs up to that point in the second half.
Against:
- Needed some luck – Saints played it poorly.
- It was only a Divisional Round playoff game, so stakes could be higher.
Kirby Puckett’s Game 6 World Series home run
For:
- 1991 World Series, game 6, is just about the biggest possible stage.
- Tied 3-3, in the 11th inning, and with Minnesota down 3-2 to Atlanta in the series … that is some pressure
- The play is entirely on Puckett and Puckett alone.
- He’d already made an iconic leaping catch earlier in the game.
Against:
- Um, this one is a stretch but we can’t think of another: Jack Morris’ game 7 performance might be more impressive.
Andrew Brunette’s game 7 goal vs. Avalanche
For:
- The goal came in Colorado in overtime (after playing an OT game the night before) and during game 7 of a series the Wild had trailed 3-1.
- This was a true upset, with the 6-seed Wild topping the 3-seed Avs.
- Brunette’s patience was a thing of beauty – and his goal was the final play of Patrick Roy’s Hall of Fame NHL career.
Against:
- This was only the first round of the playoffs, so lower stakes.
- The Wild, as a franchise, were brand new – they had no history to overcome.
