to Stefon Diggs near the sideline; Saints safety Marcus Williams missed his attempted tackle, allowing Diggs to stay inbounds and run unchallenged into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown as time expired on a play that was later dubbed the Minneapolis Miracle. In the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings scored the first touchdown of the game, but the Eagles scored 38 unanswered points to advance to Super Bowl LII. In the offseason, Keenum left as a free agent and the Vikings signed quarterback Kirk Cousins. With Cousins under center, the Vikings managed an 8–7–1 record in 2018, though Adam Thielen posted multiple NFL receiving records throughout the season, including recording eight consecutive 100+ yard receiving games. In Cousins' second season with the Vikings, they started 2–2 but won six of their next seven games before their bye week. They then won just two of their final five games to finish 10–6 and earn the sixth seed in the playoffs. In the wild card round, the Vikings faced the Saints in the Superdome and took a 20–10 lead by the end of the third quarter, though the Saints came back in the fourth to tie the game at 20–20. The Vikings received the ball in overtime and went 75 yards in 9 plays, culminating with a touchdown catch from Kyle Rudolph in the back of the end zone. The following week, the Vikings lost 27–10 to the #1 seed San Francisco 49ers. Ahead of the 2020 season, the Vikings traded Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft; they used that pick to draft Diggs' replacement, LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The Vikings started the 2020 season at 1–5 prior to their bye week, before a 5–1 run after the bye got them back to 6–6; however, three defeats in their last four games, including a 52–33 loss to the Saints in which Alvin Kamara rushed for a league record six touchdowns, meant they were eliminated from playoff contention despite a final-day win over the Lions. Jefferson picked up 133 receiving yards in that game to finish with 1,400 yards on the season, setting a new league record for receiving yards by a rookie. The Vikings began the 2021 season with a 1–3 record in their first four games, but returned to .500 with two straight wins