Diggs can't hold on to first TD souvenir

DETROIT – Often when players score their first NFL touchdown, they tuck the ball under their arm, trot back to the sideline and have the ball stashed away for safekeeping.

That was not the case with Vikings rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs on Sunday.

Early in the third quarter, Diggs beat Detroit cornerback Rashean Mathis with a double move and made a diving catch into the end zone for his first career touchdown. It was the go-ahead score in a game the Vikings won 28-19 at Ford Field.

"All I had to do was lay it out there and he went and made the play," quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said.

Asked after the victory where the football was, Diggs said he had no idea.

"Funny story. I lost it. [Just kidding]," Diggs said. "I didn't keep it. But hopefully there's more to come."

Considering how well Diggs has played in his first three NFL games, that seems like a pretty safe bet.

Diggs, who got the start over a healthy Charles Johnson, now has 19 catches for 324 yards in his first three NFL games.

"I wouldn't say it's coming easy," Diggs said. "I just try to go out there and do what I can for my guys, have a good time, have fun and play at a high level."

Blair Walsh made all five of his field-goal attempts, including two from beyond 50 yards as the Vikings began their comeback in the second quarter.

"It was big," coach Mike Zimmer said. "We missed three kicks here last year."

After a shaky preseason, Walsh has made 14 of his 16 field-goal tries this season.

There was a reason why Walsh was so busy Sunday. The Vikings scored only one touchdown on their four red-zone trips. On two of those drives, they had the ball inside the Lions 5-yard line only to settle for a field goal.

"We tried a couple of runs in there and they were really blitzing everybody off of the edge," Zimmer said. "Then we missed the throw to [Mike] Wallace in the corner of the end zone [in the third quarter]. … We'll look at it and keep working."

Entering the game, the Vikings had scored touchdowns on only seven of their 15 red-zone trips and ranked 24th in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage.

Wide receiver Jarius Wright is going through the NFL's concussion protocol after getting knocked out of the game late in the third quarter.

Wright hit his head on the turf after dropping a pass from Bridgewater in Lions territory. When he got to his feet, he was wobbly and had to be helped off the field. He did not return.

With the Vikings backed up near their end zone after a late goal-line stand, Zimmer instructed punter Jeff Locke to take a safety instead of trying to attempt a punt from deep in the end zone. The two-point safety made the score 28-19.

"I was trying to take a little time off the clock, give us a little more breathing room," Zimmer said. "They still have to score nine points, so I wasn't worried about it."

After the ensuing free kick, the Vikings forced a turnover on downs to seal the victory.

Zimmer began his postgame news conference by offering his condolences to the family of Flip Saunders, the Timberwolves coach and executive who lost his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma on Sunday.

"I was fortunate enough to get a chance to meet him," Zimmer said. "He came down to training camp and he's a really, really good man, so I hope his family is doing OK. It's a really tough day in the Twin Cities with losing a guy like that."