It was the Minneapolis Miracle.

Sunday’s Divisional Round battle between the Saints and the Vikings ended with the name Stefon Diggs etched into playoff history. Diggs caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Case Keenum as time expired to lead the Vikings to their first NFC Championship game appearance since the 2009 season.

Diggs’ name may have not been widely known throughout the country before this game, but for us DMVers, Diggs is a household name. A native of Gaithersburg, Diggs would go onto to attend Good Counsel High School in Olney, where he recorded 1,302 receiving yards and scored 23 touchdowns. After Good Counsel, Diggs became a Maryland Terp, where he was very productive, but not enough to draw big-time attention.  

Maryland did not win much in Diggs’ time there, which is why his name wasn’t so widely known. However, the Minnesota Vikings were watching Diggs and took him in the 5th round of the 2015 draft.

In his first NFL season, Diggs did not put up the crazy numbers and plays like the Odell Beckham, Jr’s or the Julio Jones’ of the world. But in his short time in the league, he has become a solid receiver for the Vikings.

This season, Diggs accounted for 849 yards and 8 touchdowns, and the Vikings posted  a 13-3 record. Minnesota came up short of reaching the Super Bowl as they could not maintain their “Minnesota Miracle” magic and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in a 38-7 blowout in the NFC Championship game. With the loss, they missed out on becoming the first team in league history to host a Super Bowl in their home stadium as the big game will be played in U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

However, for Diggs and all Minnesota fans, the tough ending will fade and the excitement of Diggs’ huge play will live on forever.