Receivers feel Responsible for Loss, Zimmer Responds

The Saints were in town last night and while their players were saying all the “right” things about 2018 being a new year, last season being a long time ago, and so on, it was obvious that the narrative from last seasons ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ loomed over Sunday Night Football and that the Saints wanted revenge for the missed opportunity they felt they had last season. However, Sunday night’s game didn’t remind people, especially in Minnesota, of last seasons playoff match-up, but rather it felt a lot like another Saints/Vikings match-up from this century, the 2009 NFC Championship game, a game in which the Vikings outplayed the Saints in nearly every facet of the game but basically lost thanks to self-inflicted wounds, as well.

Kirk Cousins almost quadrupled Drew Brees in terms of passing yards, but the game ended up coming down to two incredibly damaging plays, one from each of the Vikings two-headed monster at the wide receiver position in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Thielen’s fumble occurred as the Vikings were driving into the red zone before half-time when Thielen fumbled. After the ball was returned well into Vikings territory the Saints were given another huge gift when Laquon Treadwell (who did make the touchdown saving tackle) threw his helmet and added 15 yards to the Saints return. That ended up gifting the Saints a touchdown l in what felt perhaps more devastating than it was (although it was basically a ten-point swing, as had the Vikings continued the drive and scored a touchdown they would’ve had a decent lead at half-time, and the ball to start the second half). Diggs was responsible for a pick six in the second half as he stopped short on his route, leaving Cousins out to dry as the Saints picked the ball off and returned it for a touchdown that basically ruined any chance for the Vikings to win on Sunday night. That’s three mistakes, three too many.

The two team leaders didn’t hesitate to put blame where they believed it lied (as did Treadwell), stating that they felt that they let their teammates down on Sunday Nights’ huge stage, something that we’re obviously not accustomed to as Vikings fans/writers (from Thielen and Diggs, anyway). Thielen mentioned after the game that he was disappointed in himself for the fumble, Diggs took things a step further by saying that his mistake (which he took complete blame for) will basically haunt him until “we see [The Saints] again”. It was the teams third-receiver in Laquon Treadwell that summed things up, though, stating:

“This one stings, because we left a lot of plays [out there],” Treadwell said, via the Pioneer Press. “We let the team down. We know that, and we’ve got to bounce back.”

Earlier today, though, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer put any pity parties at the wide receiver position to bed stating that the Vikings win and lose as a team. Clearly, outside of Treadwell, the Vikings wide receivers have been such a strong point for the past few seasons that you actually feel for the guys when they make mistakes like these. I typically get pretty worked up during even “meaningless” games and while I wanted the Vikings to beat the Saints more than I’ve wanted almost anything in my life last night, I can’t really blame Diggs and Thielen for blowing the game even if that’s what happened, as they’ve been so great and also because it’s not something you’d expect to happen again next week.

In fact, should the Vikings meet the Saints in the post-season (assuming they make the post-season) you’d have to think that they’d be worried about going against a Vikings receiving corps that feels like Tony Stark/Iron Man in Avengers: Infinity War (in that Thanos lived in his head for the past six years and apparently Diggs will be wracking his brain about the Saints until they meet again). Imagine those two playing with an even bigger chip on their shoulders.

Hopefully things turn out better in the rematch for the Vikings than they did for the Avengers.

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