Pat Shurmur to Giants? 6 observations of reported coach-in-waiting from Vikings win

The Vikings got off to a strong start, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal on their first four drives to open a 17-0 lead. But the offense stalled in the second half until quarterback Case Keenum led a field goal drive to give the Vikings a 2-point lead with 1:29 remaining.

The Saints responded with a field goal to take a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds remaining. Keenum and Shurmur didn't panic despite the long odds. After a false start backed up the Vikings to their own 20-yard line, Keenum hit Stefon Diggs over the middle for 19 yards. The Vikings immediately used their final timeout with 18 seconds remaining.

Needing about 20 yards to get in range for a game-winning field goal attempt, the Vikings were down to their last shot after a pair of incompletions. Shurmur called a play with 10 seconds left that flooded the right sideline and Keenum took a shot to Diggs on a deep out about 25 yards downfield. The rest is history, as Saints safety Marcus Williams botched the tackle to allow Diggs to race for the game-winning 61-yard touchdown.

Even if Williams had made the tackle near the sideline, it's possible that Diggs could have gotten out of bounds with about five seconds left to set up a 52-yard field goal attempt. The play was well-designed and well-executed, and the Vikings were rewarded with the best possible outcome.

The variety of Shurmur's personnel groupings jumped out immediately, especially after watching former Giants coach Ben McAdoo use so much 11 personnel over the past two seasons. The Vikings used a lot of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) on Sunday. That's a package that would fit the Giants' personnel with Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison.

Shurmur constantly changed the personnel groupings, using a fullback in some packages, while going with an empty backfield on other plays. He mixed up the tempo a bit and generally seemed intent on avoiding any patterns with his play-calling.