Tag: Stefon Diggs

How to Watch Vikings vs. 49ers, NFL Playoffs Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch Vikings vs. 49ers Live Online.

The No. 6 seed Minnesota Vikings head west to take on the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFL divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday. The all-time series is tied 23-23-1, but the Vikings have won four of the last five meetings, including a 24-16 home victory back in 2018. Ironically, the only 49ers victory during that time span came in 2015 on their home turf. Can San Francisco continue its magical season or will Minnesota play spoiler for the second straight weekend?

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Vikings vs. 49ers

  • When: Saturday, January 11
  • Time: 4:35 p.m. ET
  • TV: NBC
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Minnesota advanced to the NFL divisional round after a thrilling 26-20 overtime win against the Saints in New Orleans. Drew Brees and company tied it up as time expired in the fourth quarter, but it was Kirk Cousins who stepped up for the Vikings who had the first possession in overtime. Minnesota fell short last year and there were questions as to the ability of Cousins to win the big game. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown, 129 of those yards to wide receiver Adam Thielen. Running back Dalvin Cook carried the load with 28 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns. They face the NFL’s top-ranked defense this weekend in San Francisco. Minnesota was 10 of 18 on third down and controlled the time of possession against New Orleans. It won’t be easy, but many didn’t have them winning in the first round. If they can keep that momentum on offense, they will have success. 

Defensively, The Vikings did an excellent job containing Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and a potent Saints offense. They forced two turnovers and sacked Brees three times, including a key stop by Danielle Hunter, which caused him to fumble and Jalyn Holmes to recover it on the Minnesota 36-yard line. Hunter finished the game with five tackles and one and a half sacks, while Eversen Griffin chipped in three tackles and an additional one and a half sacks. Opponents are averaging 16.9 points per game against the Vikings. If they can limit the 49ers offense, they have a chance at pulling off the upset.

Expect the 49ers on offense to pound the ball with running backs Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida. They also boast one of the best tight ends in the league in George Kittle, who has 85 catches for 1,054 yards on the season. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is an excellent game manager and should put them in a position to advance to the NFC Championship game. 

The 49ers don’t have to put up a slew of points with the defensive front seven they have. Defensive ends Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, and Dee Ford have a combined 33 sacks on the season. San Francisco has no problem pressuring the quarterback and should be in the face of Kirk Cousins all game long. 

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Vikings WR Stefon Diggs on status vs. 49ers: ‘I’m good’

Diggs missed two practices this week with the flu.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs missed two practices this week with the flu as the team prepared for Saturday’s playoff game against the 49ers.

Diggs was not listed on the team’s injury report and per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, is ‘good.’

This is especially good for the Vikings considering fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen is questionable after hurting his ankle in Wednesday’s practice.

Thielen is listed as questionable, but it appears as if he’ll play.

Both of these players will be critical for the Vikings on Saturday as they try to pull off the upset against the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen listed as questionable vs. 49ers

The wideout hurt his ankle in Wednesday’s practice.

After injuring his ankle in Wednesday’s practice, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round playoff game.

Thielen was huge in Minnesota’s win over the Saints, finishing with seven catches for 129 yards, including the 43-yard catch which set up the team’s game-winning touchdown.

It’s a tough break for the Vikings in a game in which they are already the underdogs.

We’ll give you updates as we can regarding Thielen’s status for the game. You can guess Thielen will do everything he can to get on the field, even if he’s not at 100 percent.

The good news is that fellow wideout Stefon Diggs (illness) is not on the injury report.

Cornerback Mackensie Alexander, who underwent knee surgery, is out. Safety Jayron Kearse (knee/toe) is listed as doubtful.

Zimmer on Stefon Diggs’ status vs. 49ers: ‘He’ll be fine’

Diggs has missed the last two days of practice with an illness.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs missed his second-straight day of practice on Wednesday with an illness as the team prepares to take on the 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Saturday.

Coach Mike Zimmer addressed the situation and said that Diggs will be just fine for Saturday’s game via Hobie Aritgue of Fox 9.

Diggs was Minnesota’s leading receiver this season, catching 63 passes for a career-high 1,130 yards to go with six touchdowns.

He only finished with two catches for 19 yards in Sunday’s win over the Saints,  but he’s instrumental in forcing teams to pick Diggs or Adam Thielen to focus on. While Thielen had the big day against New Orleans, Diggs was a big part of that.

We’ll get the team’s official injury report on Thursday and we’ll see what Diggs is listed as.

Diggs, Joseph among those ‘out’ of Tuesday’s Vikings’ practice

It was a walk-through practice ahead of Saturday’s game against the 49ers.

The Vikings didn’t actually have a practice on Tuesday, but with the Divisional Round game against the 49ers set for Saturday, the Vikings had to make an estimation of who would practice at a walk-through.

Those listed as “DNPs” were cornerback Mackensie Alexander (knee), wide receiver Stefon Diggs (illness), safety Jayron Kearse (toe/knee) and defensive tackle Linval Joseph (knee).

We already know that Alexander will likely miss the contest as he’s set to undergo knee surgery.

Everyone else on the team was a full participant.

We’ll know on Wednesday whether or not the injuries to Kearse and Joseph, or the illness to Diggs, is something to worry about ahead of Saturday’s game.

No, Stefon Diggs didn’t actually snub Sean Payton’s handshake in viral postgame photo

Don’t let the one photo fool you.

The Minnesota Vikings left New Orleans with a 26-20 overtime win over the Saints in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card. And for Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs, a frustrating afternoon managed to yield perhaps THE photo of the season.

As the two teams met on the field for postgame pleasantries, a photo from the Vikings team photographer Travis Ellison appeared to show Diggs mocking the Saints’ “Choppa Style” dance as Saints coach Sean Payton extended his hand to Diggs.

Payton, as many pointed out, mocked the Vikings’ Skol chant back in 2018. Obviously, the snapshot in time painted a picture of disrespect on Diggs’ part, but it was important to note that what unfolded after the photo was unclear.

After all, Diggs hugged Drew Brees after the game. Would he really snub Payton like that? It turned out that the answer was a resounding no.

The frame-by-frame look at the exchange showed that Diggs briefly busted the “Choppa Style” dance and then indeed shared a handshake and hug with Payton.

This was the most likely scenario all along. But hey, the photo was still amazing.

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Epic postgame photo shows Stefon Diggs dancing in front of Sean Payton’s handshake

Just … wow.

Stefon Diggs might’ve had himself a frustrating afternoon on the field, but no player was more thrilled about the Vikings’ 26-20 overtime win over the Saints in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card.

Diggs also played a part in one of the most disrespectfully iconic photos we’ll see this postseason.

As the Vikings and Saints players converged around midfield for the postgame handshakes, Diggs broke out into a mock “Choppa Style” dance — a celebration the Saints have used the past couple seasons.

But as that was going on, Saints head coach Sean Payton extended his hand to greet Diggs. That snapshot appeared to show Diggs celebrating in Payton’s face — though we don’t know what unfolded after the photo.

The photo, which was taken by the Minnesota Vikings’ club photographer, is real and probably should be framed in the home of every Vikings fan. It’s so good.

And again, the photo was just an out-of-context shot of the postgame scene, so we don’t know if Diggs actually snubbed Payton (but could you imagine?!). He did, after all, share a hug with Drew Brees after the game.

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

What a great photo, though.

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Stefon Diggs chucked his helmet in a sideline tantrum after no targets from Kirk Cousins

Yikes.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs hauled in one of the biggest catches in Vikings history against the Saints back in 2018. But it was a far different story for much of Sunday’s NFC Wild Card matchup against New Orleans.

Diggs wasn’t targeted at all by Kirk Cousins in the first half against New Orleans, and as that trend continued deep into the third quarter, the Vikings wide receiver let his frustrations play out for everyone to see.

Midway into the third quarter, Diggs approached the sideline and threw his helmet towards the bench out of frustration. He still hadn’t been targeted in the game, and teammates — including Dalvin Cook and Cousins — tried to calm him down.

Diggs was eventually targeted at the 4:36 mark in the third quarter as he hauled in a nine-yard reception to set up a touchdown. Until that point, this was the closest Diggs came to catching the football.

Even with the Vikings leading, it was that kind of day for Diggs.

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Behind Enemy Lines, wild-card round: Previewing Saints vs. Vikings

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are ready for their game against the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round of the 2019 NFL playoffs

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The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings are on the doorstep of their matchup in the wild-card round of this year’s NFL playoffs tournament, and there are plenty of questions that need answering surrounding the game.

To get the best perspective, we went behind enemy lines to ask Vikings Wire’s Kyle Ratke. Here is what we learned:

1. The Saints have played the Vikings often in recent years, both in the playoffs and the regular season. They even had a preseason game just a few months ago. What’s most different about the latest version of the Vikings we’ll see on Sunday?

KR: I think it’s probably that the defense isn’t the team’s strength these days. The defensive backs have struggled mightily this season. Now that the team will be without Mike Hughes (neck) and Mackensie Alexander (knee), it puts even more pressure on a cornerback group that has been subpar this season. That’s not great news against Michael Thomas and company.

2. Xavier Rhodes has been poorly graded by Pro Football Focus and other outlets this year. Is he dealing with age, an injury, or just missing his mojo?

KR: A lot of it has to do with the game changing so much. Rhodes was at his best when he was able to be physical with other receivers. With the NFL rule changes, he can’t get away with the things that made him thrive before. He isn’t as quick as he once was, either. It would be a huge surprise if Rhodes was a Viking in 2020.

3. Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook haven’t played together in months due to injuries. Are they going to be close to 100% when they play the Saints?

KR: Both should be 100 percent. They both practiced in full all week. The question is whether or not there will be any rust there. The Vikings will need both of these players to be at their best if the Vikings want to pull off an upset.

4. Kirk Cousins has a reputation of struggling in big games in prime time. Is there anything to do that, and how do you think he’ll respond to the pressure of just his second playoff game?

KR: While Cousins hasn’t been great in big games, he’s also been way better in Minnesota than anyone is giving him credit for. If he lays an egg in this one, he surely should get some criticism. But I think he’s going to be just fine in this game with all of his weapons back. The question will be whether he can keep up with the Saints offense.

5. Aright, who’s winning this thing? What is your final score prediction?

KR: As much as I’d love the Vikings to pull off the upset (for my fandom and website numbers), I just don’t see it happening. I don’t this one will be particularly close. Saints 34, Vikings 23.

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Stefon Diggs overthrew Kirk Cousins on a trick play, and everyone had jokes

What could have been one of the best trick plays of the season was denied by a bad throw from Stefon Diggs. Alas.

Oh Stefon Diggs, what could have been.

The Vikings had a 10-6 lead in the second quarter of their NFC North matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, and were facing third and four, when they dialed up a fantastic trick play.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins handed off to a running back on what looked like a sweep, only for him to toss the ball to Stefon Diggs on an end around. Diggs then basically appeared to have an option read to either run the ball or throw it to Kirk Cousins.

The defenders committed, leaving Cousins wide open streaking up the sideline and … Diggs overthrew him. It was heartbreaking for fans of trick plays.

This wasn’t a Tom Brady catch fail. Cousins had no shot at this ball. He even dove for it! But yeah, just not the right pass.

Anyway, a lot of people had jokes.

To his credit, Diggs said he won’t complain about overthrows anymore.

Did that play destroy the Vikings? Unclear, but they didn’t score again for the rest of the game. It ended 23-10 in favor of the Packers, which makes the NFC playoff race that much more wild.

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