[ad_1]
Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs were the rock star, the dynamite producers at the wide receiver for the Vikings. That's why it was a surprise when they each made a huge mistake that ended up costing the Vikings in a 30-20 loss to the Saints in New Orleans.
That does not mean they played badly – they never did. They were still two of the best players for the Vikings Sunday night. Diggs captured 10 of his 11 targets for a record 119 yards, while Thielen recorded his eighth straight game for 100 yards, matching Calvin Johnson for an NFL record. It was the third time this season that both were passing more than 100 yards in the same game, matching a Vikings record with Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Both scored touchdowns.
But football games can be changed in the blink of an eye, and that's exactly what happened against the Saints. With the two turnovers Minnesota stars took part in, they went from heroes to goats.
Adam Thielen gave the saints all the momentum just before the half
With 1m11 remaining in the first period, the Vikings were in the red zone and led the Saints 13-10. They had the chance to double their score just before half-time – and they got the ball first in the second half – but then the disaster hit. Kirk Cousins threw a small bubble screen Thielen, who missed the ball after being touched by the linebacker of Saints, Alex Anzalone.
Fumbling the Ball is bad. Tripping the ball in the red zone is even worse. Stumble the ball in the red zone and return it to 54 meters from the other direction? It's downright catastrophic.
The ball rebounded in the hands of Marshon Lattimore, who then switched the pitch. It did not help Vikings receiver Laquon Treadwell to get an unsportsmanlike penalty that gave the Saints more than 15 yards out of the 54 (69 yards in total … well) they have recovered after recovering escaped.
Two games later, Alvin Kamara scored on a 1-meter run to allow the Saints to climb 17-13 at halftime. Minnesota controlled the match until now, but after fumbling and touching, the Vikings never again took the lead. It was the turning point of the game.
Thielen's fumbling was bad, but Diggs's blunder might have been worse.
At the beginning of the third quarter, after the Saints started the match to score the game at 20-13, the Vikings had the ball and a chance to equalize. Well, they did it until the Cousins launched a mediocre six choices that put the Saints 27-1 – 13 – a two-point lead that they would not give up for the rest of the match.
Diggs was making a shallow crossing against the man blanket while Cousins was under heavy pressure from the Saints. Unexplainably, Diggs broke off and Cousins threw the ball into the spot where Diggs was Assumed to be in place of where Diggs finished.
Against the man coverage, the recipients are supposed to continue to follow the road because there are no holes to sit. Against the area coverage, Diggs would have had the opportunity to find a weak spot for Cousins.
After the match, Diggs was completely responsible for the interception. Via ESPN:
"(Cousins) was under duress and I was trying to give him some relief just because the pocket was collapsing and I was trying to show him my hands and he just did what he was trained for, thrown at the task. Bad communication and I take full responsibility. He did everything right. It was all me. "
This interception essentially put the game out of reach of the Vikings. Minnesota were not able to return to the board until they had four minutes remaining. Thielen's 1-meter pass brought the score to 30-20.
These two turnovers really hurt the Vikings against the Saints, but even the best players make mistakes. Diggs and Thielen are still at the center of the Vikings' offense and will have a much better chance of catching up throughout the season.
And, at least, Diggs will always have the miracle of Minneapolis to hang his hat.
[ad_2]
Source link
