MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The walk off touchdown by the Minnesota Vikings was one memorable play. But it needs a good nickname like “The Catch,” “The Immaculate Reception,” and “The Holy Roller.” I’ve heard it called “The Miracle in Minneapolis“ but that’s too close to “The Music City Miracle.” We can do better. I’ve scoured the interwebs, interviewed thousands of witnesses, and consulted with my dog Chief to come up with the Top 5 Nicknames for the Vikings miracle victory over the Saints.
5. The Bona’ in Minnesota
Let’s face it, the play was more a result of a baffling defensive miscue than offensive heroics. Dude, use your arms.
A stunner
4. The Whiff
Marcus Williams is a rookie who surely had a lot going through his head on the pivotal play – don’t get a penalty, keep him in bounds, etc.- but that was one epic whiff. Not only did he sail right past Stefon Diggs, our hero, but he took out the next closest defender. I don’t want to imagine what it felt like for this poor bastard to walk into the locker room after the game. Brutal.
3. The Stefon Stunner
It was surprising when Diggs stepped up the field after the catch instead of toward the sideline. The nifty move caused Williams to miss and allowed Diggs to see the wide open Minnesota prairie in front of him. There were no holes in his post TD preening game either.
The Whiff
2. The Hail Minny
There really wasn’t anything spectacular about the throw, but it was a great moment for Case Keenum. Playing on his third team in five years, Keenum had the look of a career backup. But he seized the job in Minnesota and now has only former Rams’ teammate Nick Foles standing in his path to the Super Bowl. It makes me wonder how many discarded QBs could have been decent in the right system. How many capable QBs do we have to lose to the incompetent tutelage of men like Jeff Fisher before we know the answer?
1. The Prayer in the Prairie
This one has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Let’s get out there and make it stick.
Also receiving votes, The Stank at US Bank, The ‘Sota Surprise, and The Mistake in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Straight Brady Killa
Alas, the fantastic finish was merely a temporary distraction from the thunderbolt realization that the last line of defense against the Evil Triumpherate in New England consists of the following QBs; Blake Bortles, Case Keenum, and Nick Foles. Yikes. Unless all along it’s been Tom Coughlin, and not Eli Manning, who is Tom Brady’s kryptonite? Maybe the Vikings are a a team of destiny with home field advantage? Never mind, just give Kraft the damn trophy right now.
Do you have a better nickname for the wild finish? Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward, who despite his jubilation, will surely have something to complain about. You can follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram@MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
Ben Whitney comes from journalistic stock. Aside from his brothers, rumor has that his great-great grandfather was the youngest brother of Eli Whitney and covered the earliest "rounders" games. Big Ben is also another New York Rugby Club player/pal of Different Matt, Short Matt and Junoir Blaber. He likes film noir discussions, has twin girls and took up ice hockey after retiring from rugby.
