FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 28th, 2018

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA REVISITS “MINNEAPOLIS MIRACLE”

Michele Tafoya Interviews Vikings WR Stefon Diggs & TE Kyle Rudolph, & Former Vikings QB Case Keenum for Feature to Air on Football Night in America

“That was a miracle, and should be called that. That’s what it was.” – Former Minnesota head coach Bud Grant

Football Night Coverage Begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 28, 2018 – Ahead of Saints-Vikings on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, Football Night in America revisits the “Minneapolis Miracle” with interviews and insights by Vikings WR Stefon Diggs and TE Kyle Rudolph, former Vikings QB Case Keenum and former head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

Sideline reporter Michele Tafoya re-examines last year’s New Orleans-Minnesota NFC Divisional Playoff game, including the “Minneapolis Miracle,” the game-deciding play in which Diggs’ scored an improbable 61-yard touchdown as time expired to advance the Vikings to the NFC Championship game. The feature includes interviews with Keenum, Diggs and Rudolph, and commentary from Vikings fans and the team’s radio announcers, Paul Allen and Pete Bercich.

In a separate feature, Grant – who coached Minnesota for 18 seasons and is now 91 years old – provides insight into one of the most storied games in Vikings history. Both features are interspersed with social media videos of fans reacting to the historic play.

Mike Tirico will host Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC alongside Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, NFL insider Mike Florio and PFT Live co-host Chris Simms from NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Liam McHugh will co-host Football Night in America on-site from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

NBC Sports’ Week 8 edition of FNIA will also include highlights, analysis, and news from around the league.

Below are excerpts from Tafoya’s interview with Diggs, Rudolph, and Keenum. If used, please note the mandatory credit: “In an exclusive interview airing on Football Night in America.”

TAFOYA’S INTERVIEW WITH KEENUM, DIGGS & RUDOLPH

Diggs on what Keenum told him prior to the snap: “It actually was the same play we ran prior. So, it was a repeat. I definitely didn’t think I was getting the ball.”

Rudolph added: “It was a play we had run numerous times in that situation. And that guy never gets the ball. Never gets the ball.”

Diggs on tossing his helmet after scoring the game-winning touchdown: “I got a flag for that, too. A nice little fine.”

Keenum following Diggs’ touchdown: “I remember running around trying to find somebody in purple and just, like, scream at them. There were no intelligent words coming out of my mouth.”

Diggs on what the moment meant to Vikings fans: “They say in the past things have been pretty rough coming down to the wire. To have something good happen, to put them in a good place, hopefully we’ll share that for a very long time.”

BUD GRANT

Grant on life and his football career: “I’m 91-and-a-half, and when you get to be this age you count them in half years. I’ve been involved in football all my life. And having coached many, many games, you experience a lot of strange things in football games, strange things that you’re not prepared for.”

Grant on the “Minnesota Miracle”: “Those are memories you don’t get rid of. That was a miracle, and should be called that. That’s what it was.”

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA