Vikings stay up late to watch replays of Diggs' miraculous catch

So, what was on tap the day after the big game? Watching game film at Winter Park, of course.

The Vikings defeated New Orleans 29-24 on Sunday, Jan. 14, stunning everyone with Case Keenum's 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs as time expired. The divisional-round victory at U.S. Bank Stadium moves Minnesota into the NFC championship game at Philadelphia on Sunday, Jan. 21.

"A lot of the guys were watching it over and over again and saying they didn't get to bed until 3 or 3:30 in the morning," tackle Rashod Hill said. "I watched it about 15 times (Sunday) night and then about five more times (Monday) morning. I must have watched it at least 20 times."

Wide receiver Adam Thielen said he saw it way more times than that.

"Hundreds," he said. "People are tweeting at you and on Instagram and Facebook. You see it on people's posts. The Vikings fans were pretty excited about that one, as were we. So I've seen that play quite a bit, and I have a feeling we're going to be seeing that play for a long time."

All-pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes claims to have watched the play more than anyone.

"I went home and watched it on ESPN and I kept rewinding it about a thousand times, like it was crazy," he said. "Unbelievable."

Now, the Vikings, the No. 2 seed in the NFC, must come down from their emotional high and get ready to face No. 1 Philadelphia. The Eagles, who defeated Atlanta 15-10 on Saturday, have had an extra day of rest.

Philadelphia is much more vulnerable since backup quarterback Nick Foles replaced Pro Bowl star Carson Wentz when he was lost for the season Dec. 10 with a knee injury. Still, the Vikings are 1-4 in NFC championship games on the road, losing the past four.

Diggs said after Sunday's game he planned to celebrate "a couple of hours" and then turn his attention to the Eagles. He didn't speak to the media Monday with the exception of saying about his celebrating, "I'm over that."

So is Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.

"That's done and gone with, and we're moving on to Philadelphia now," Zimmer said.

Zimmer stressed that message to his players Monday and in a meeting he had with the six team captains. He showed the players game film, and there was an emphasis on Vikings mistakes.

The Vikings blew a 17-0 lead at halftime and trailed 21-20 and then 24-23 late in the fourth quarter before the miraculous final play. Among the breakdowns in the second half were a Keenum interception and a blocked punt.

"We can't make these mistakes in playoff games or we'll be going home," Zimmer said. "There's always good and always bad in some of the games. But we made some critical errors in that game that could have got us beat."

Zimmer replayed the Diggs touchdown to both offensive and defensive players. With Saints safety Marcus Williams whiffing on a tackle and falling down, Zimmer said it was shown to the defense to illustrate "what (a team) should be doing."

A day after Diggs' dramatic touchdown, some Vikings players still had a hard time fathoming what transpired.

"We still can't believe it in the locker room," Thielen said. "I woke up this morning and made sure it wasn't a dream."

Thielen said he had trouble sleeping Sunday night. So did Rhodes.

"That game, that play to Diggs, is just going in my mind like a thousand million times; just couldn't believe it," Rhodes said.

Now, though, the Vikings must get ready for the Eagles. The celebrating is over.

"Yeah, it's the 24-hour rule," said linebacker Eric Kendricks. "You know, you enjoy the win, you work hard for these kind of things. Enjoy it, know what it takes to get there to be where are now and just keep doing what we do to what got us in this position."