Short answer
The Minneapolis Miracle was the last drive of the Saints–Vikings divisional playoff in January 2018: Minnesota down 24–23 with 25 seconds, one timeout and 80 yards between it and the end zone. You call every snap from that exact spot and your calls are graded against Mike Zimmer's, which score in the 67th percentile in our engine.
The situation
NFC Divisional round, January 14, 2018, in Minneapolis. The Vikings led 17–0 at halftime, but Drew Brees brought New Orleans back, and Wil Lutz's 43-yard field goal put the Saints ahead 24–23 with under half a minute to play.
Minnesota made it worse on its first snap: a false start. Case Keenum starts at 1st-and-15 from his own 20 with 0:25 left and one timeout; the Saints also have one. A field goal wins it, so the target isn't the end zone, it's range for Kai Forbath, and every second matters.
How the real drive went, play by play
On 1st-and-15 Keenum hit Stefon Diggs over the middle for 19 yards to the Minnesota 39, and the Vikings used their last timeout at 0:18. A deep throw to Jarius Wright fell incomplete, New Orleans called its last timeout at 0:14, and a short pass to Jerick McKinnon fell incomplete too.
That left 3rd-and-10 at the Minnesota 39, 0:10 on the clock, no timeouts. Keenum threw to Diggs near the right sideline. Diggs went up for it, Marcus Williams missed the tackle, and Diggs stayed on his feet and in bounds and ran the rest of the way for a 61-yard touchdown as time expired. Replay confirmed he was in bounds. Minnesota won 29–24.
The calls that decided it
The big one is that last snap. With 10 seconds and no timeouts at your own 39, a 61-yard throw to the end zone is out of reach for most quarterbacks, so the realistic plan is a sideline throw: catch, step out, and kick a long field goal with a second or two left. That's what Minnesota called. The touchdown was the defense's mistake, not the plan.
Before that, the choices are about the timeout. Burn it after the first completion, as Zimmer did, or keep it so a completion in the middle of the field on the last play still leaves time to kick? The game charges you real seconds for every snap and every spike, so the order of those calls is the whole puzzle.
More Legends
- 28–3 · Super Bowl LI, down 8, 3:30 left, own 9
- 13 Seconds · AFC Divisional round, down 3, 0:13 left, own 25
- Allen's Answer · AFC Divisional round, down 4, 1:02 left, own 25
- Every Legend and Playoff Run
FAQ
What was the score of the Minneapolis Miracle game?
Minnesota beat New Orleans 29–24 in the NFC Divisional round on January 14, 2018.
Who caught the Minneapolis Miracle?
Stefon Diggs, on a pass from Case Keenum. It went for a 61-yard touchdown with no time left.
How much time was left on the Minneapolis Miracle?
Ten seconds at the snap, on 3rd-and-10 from the Minnesota 39. The clock ran out while Diggs was running.
Who missed the tackle on the Minneapolis Miracle?
Saints safety Marcus Williams missed Diggs near the sideline, which let him run untouched to the end zone.
Do I need to pay to play this?
This Legend is part of the Legends Pass, a one-time purchase that also unlocks every Playoff Run and removes ads. The daily drive, Practice and Survivor stay free, and 28–3 is a free Legend you can try first.
Sources
- nflverse play-by-play data — the real drive, snap by snap: down, distance, clock, timeouts and play descriptions
- New Orleans at Minnesota, NFC Divisional round 2018 box score — Pro Football Reference