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The 10 seconds of 'Seven Heaven'

Minnesotans have a new "Where were you when …" moment. Hearts pounded, words escaped, tears streaked — straight on into Monday.

January 16, 2018 at 2:12AM

:07 seconds left: Case Keenum lets it fly over the outstretched arms of Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. “At that point, I’m just a kid throwing a football to another big kid,” Keenum said later. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Vikings road to Minneapolis

Third down and 10. Ten seconds left in the fourth quarter. Inside the play that saved the Vikings season

As you probably know by now, the play (unbelievably so) has "Seven Heaven" in its name. Two words some of you might never forget. Case Keenum hit Stefon Diggs, and he took it the rest of the way for a 61-yard touchdown as time expired. The full name for the play, according to Mike Zimmer, is "Buffalo Right, Seven Heaven." Buffalo often refers to receivers being bunched together, as was the case on this play, on the right side. A "seven route" is often one of the deeper routes of a multiple-route package, routinely to the corner. Diggs did just that. And heaven only knows where the "heaven" came from — but it sure was fitting.

:04 left: Diggs seems to already know what his teammates, Vikings officials and other sideline stalkers were screaming: Stay in bounds, run fast and win the game. A split second before this moment, Diggs puts his left hand against the turf to steady himself. Then, off he goes. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

:01 left: A moment before reaching the goal line, Diggs begins to realize what he’s done, the history he’s made. Incredibly, as he crosses the goal line a split-second later, the clock strikes zero. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

:00 left: Diggs drops the ball from his right hand, looks up into the crowd and decides to send his helmet flying toward the middle of the end zone. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

:00 left: After the initial celebration passes and his cool, icy stare disappears, the emotions came for Diggs. “It’s a storybook ending,” he says later. Vikings 29, Saints 24. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

:05 left: Receiver Stefon Diggs, fading toward the sideline between Saints defensive backs Ken Crawley (20) and Marcus Williams (43), comes down with the ball. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

:04 left: As Williams whiffs on the hit and hammers teammate Crawley, Diggs spins toward the sideline. If he would have gone out of bounds, the Vikings could have attempted a field goal. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)