Vikings' Top Five Plays Of The Year

It might be a little early for this as a "top plays" project is probably best done at the end of the season. I'll do it then as well. The two long touchdown returns by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday had me thinking about their big plays. So, here are the Vikings' Top Five Plays of the Year. So far...

1. Eric Kendricks' 77-yard interception return against the Titans
The Vikings started slow in their Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans. They were trailing 10-0 at the half. The offense got a little something going to start the second half but they had to settle for field goals. Everything changed late in the third quarter when Eric Kendicks stepped in front of a Marcus Mariota pass in the flat and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown. The play ignited the team and really ignited the defense.

2. Stefon Diggs' 25-yard touchdown catch against the Packers
The Week 2 game against the Green Bay Packers was a big game for several reasons. It was the grand opening of the spectacular, new US Bank Stadium. It was Sam Bradford's debut as the Vikings quarterback. And it's the Packers. It may have been Bradford's first game but it was Stefon Diggs that stole the show. 9 catches for 182 yards. The Packers had no answers for him. The 25-yard touchdown was a beauty. Fantastic throw by Bradford. Fantastic catch by Diggs.

3. Danielle Hunter's sack of Cam Newton for a safety
Much like the Titans game the Vikings started slow in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers. They were quickly down 10-0 and it looked the Panthers were starting to roll. The Vikings biggest play of the first ten minutes was a Jeff Locke punt that pinned the Panthers inside their own 10-yard line. Two plays later Danielle Hunter brought Cam Newton down in the end zone. The play flipped the momentum and the Vikings controlled the final three quarters of the game.

4. Adam Thielen's 36-yard touchdown catch against the Texans
The Vikings were undefeated when they hosted the Houston Texans in Week 5. Despite winning all four of their games the Vikings had a troubling tendency to start slow. They didn't start slow against the Texans. It took only 3:37 for the Vikings to score. Sam Bradford hit Adam Thielen on a 36-yard to ignite a suddenly explosive offense. The Vikings were up 24-0 before the second quarter was half done.

5. Xavier Rhodes' 100-yard interception return against the Cardinals
The Vikings entered their Week 11 game against the Arizona sliding on a four-game losing streak. Unlike the other big defensive plays on this list the Vikings actually had a lead when Xavier Rhodes intercepted Carson Palmer on the goal line. The 13-10 lead suddenly became 20-10 after Rhodes' 100-yard dash. The play was as much as a 14-point swing in a game that the Vikings absolutely had to win.

The plays are listed chronologically rather than ranked. If I were to rank them, Diggs' touchdown would be #1 simply for the historical significance of that win over the Packers. The Vikings absolutely could not lose to that team in the first game played in US Bank Stadium. That would be followed by Kendricks' interception, Rhodes' interception, Hunter's safety, and Thielen's touchdown.

Hopefully there will be a bunch of offensive plays to choose from when considering the Vikings top plays of the final six games of the season. It's great that the defense is making a lot of big plays but the offense has to make more than they have been making.