After Marcus Williams’ historic error, Twitter explodes for Stefon Diggs’ touchdown.
The Minnesota Vikings’ postseason record is marred by heartbreak. Stefon Diggs’ 61-yard touchdown reception as time expired gave the Vikings a 29-24 triumph over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday.
The NFL released a replay of the score, which Vikings fans will undoubtedly remember for the rest of their lives:
Among those watching the action were New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dwyane Wade:
Diggs took a break from his postgame celebration to tweet the following:
Wil Lutz’s 43-yard field goal put New Orleans ahead. That left the Vikings with 25 seconds to go 75 yards for a touchdown—or at the very least get the ball close enough to kicker Kai Forbath.
NFL writer Jason Cole attempted to put the finale in context:
The joy of one team is the agony of another. In 2017, Saints rookie safety Marcus Williams outperformed expectations, but his attempt on Diggs’ touchdown grab will be all that fans remember about him.
The game would have been over if Williams had tackled Diggs in bounds. The Vikings had used all of their timeouts, and Diggs caught the ball with five seconds remaining. That wouldn’t have been enough time to get the special teams unit on the field for a game-winning field goal.
Instead, Williams botched his tackle attempt on Diggs, giving the third-year wideout a wide-open path to the end zone.
Many people opposed Williams’ social media efforts:
Free-agent security Duke Ihenacho provided some background for what Williams was probably thinking during the play:
Based on his rookie season, Williams has a bright future in the NFL. However, Saints supporters will remember Sunday’s game for quite some time.
That won’t bother Vikings fans, who are gearing up for the team’s first participation in the NFC Championship Game since 2009.
In that game, the Saints won 31-28 in overtime over the Vikings. With 14 seconds remaining in regulation and the Vikings on the Saints’ 38-yard line, Brett Favre threw an interception. That will make Sunday’s victory much sweeter for Vikings fans.
