MINNEAPOLIS largely been fueled this season by Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs Olisaemeka Udoh Jersey nfl draft , who have flourished into one of the NFL’s most productive and versatile wide receiver tandems.Kyle Rudolph has again been in mostly a supporting role, often asked to assist a vulnerable offensive line with blocking and rarely the first option while running a route from his tight end spot with more than half of the throws made by Kirk Cousins sent to either Thielen or Diggs.When the Vikings badly needed a spark for their sputtering offense on Sunday in Detroit, Rudolph took full advantage of his rare opportunity as the focal point, a little like a holiday-appropriate red-nosed reindeer tasked with pulling the sleigh through a snowstorm for Santa Claus.More Vikings coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Rookie Bradbury is central figure to Vikings’ overhauled offensive lineVikings depth at cornerback being tested, Hughes still not clearedPlayers to watch at Minnesota Vikings 2019 training campTop Tweets: Vikings WR Diggs makes push for All-NFL Style Team“Just my time,” Rudolph said after the Vikings beat the Lions 27-9 to stay in control of the second wild-card spot in the NFC . “You just prepare each and every week as best you can. We’ve got two really, really good receivers on the outside, and today when the ball came my way I just tried to catch it. I can’t tell you why or give you a reason that happened today, other than it’s almost Christmas. Christmas is usually good to me.”The leaping catch he made in the end zone on the final play of the first halfwasn’t close to his only contribution, either, as critical as that desperation catch turned out to be. Rudolph was targeted a season-high nine times, and he snagged all of those passes for a career-high 122 yards and just the third two-touchdown game out of the 115 Super Bowl Olisaemeka Udoh Jersey , including the playoffs, he’s suited up for.“I take a lot of pride in preparing myself each and every week when these opportunities do come,” Rudolph said. “I don’t always know when they’re going to come in the passing game. I have a lot of other roles that I have to do that I take advantage of them.”The Vikings (8-6-1) still need one more win to secure a second straight year in the playoffs, a feat they last accomplished in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Otherwise their fate will be in Washington’s hands, with a loss by Philadelphia in that case the only way in. NFC North champion Chicago will visit U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, with the Bears still playing for a better seed.“We’ve got to empty the bucket, and that’s the way we’ve got to play next week at home,” Rudolph said. “I’m really looking forward to that environment.”7<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Upon Further Review: Vikings at LionsRudolph had seven receptions for 63 yards in the game against Green Bay on Nov. 25 after voicing to the coaching staff a team-success-driven concern about the lack of impact he’d been able to make as a pass-catcher to that point. He had only eight catches for 68 yards combined over the three games that followed, though.With Thielen and Diggs frequently drawing double teams during the second half of the season, and undoubtedly in the playoffs as long as the Vikings continue on, Rudolph’s production is vital for an offense that has been up and down in Cousins’ first year in purple.Since Kevin Stefanski replaced John DeFilippo as offensive coordinator, the Vikings have employed more play-action passes and bootleg rollouts for Cousins Garrett Bradbury Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , concepts that can only help Rudolph thrive up and down the field.“It just adds another weapon,” coach Mike Zimmer said, adding: “The more guys we can use, the better it is.”Despite such quiet stretches during this season, Rudolph has 60 receptions for 615 yards, both the second highest of his career behind 2016. The longest-tenured player on the offense, Rudolph also has a 77.9 percent catch rate on the throws he’s been targeted on to surge past his previous best of 70.6 in 2014.“He’s a tremendous talent,” Cousins said.If the Vikings beat the Bears (11-4), the probable scenario is the No. 6 seed and an instant rematch in the wild-card round in Chicago.That would change if Seattle (9-6), which opened as 11½-point favorites against Arizona (3-12), loses at home to the Cardinals. Then the Vikings would jump the Seahawks for the No. 5 seed and travel to NFC East champion Dallas (9-6).If the Vikings lose but the Eagles also lose to send them back to the tournament, they will face the Bears unless San Francisco (4-11) Minnesota Vikings Jerseys 2019 , which began as a nine-point underdog, wins at Los Angeles (12-3).In that case, the Vikings would play the Rams next weekend with the Bears taking the No. 2 seed and the first-round bye.The NFL set the schedule up to maximize the drama, bumping the Bears-Vikings game to the late-afternoon timeslot so it will be played simultaneously with the Eagles-Redskins, Cardinals-Seahawks and 49ers-Rams games. There will be four other AFC games with postseason impact taking place at the same time, too.“I don’t think I want to get in 8-7-1,” Cousins said. “I think 9-6-1 is a better way to earn your way in, and hopefully we can get the job done.” Good Morning!It’s weekend eve, I hope you had a great work week and are looking forward to a Vikings win over the Saints on Sunday.Look on the front page and below for a link to donate through Saints punter Thomas Morstead’s foundation to raise funds to support Best Christmas Ever漏 families in Minnesota and the Greater New Orleans area to lift up families who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own by giving them a Best Christmas Ever.If you have the extra money and inclination I hope you’re able to join me in donating.While we’re waiting for the next Vikings game to start we’ll continue with our open thread full of beer recommendations, nap strategies, crock pot and smoker recipes. Have another cup of coffee and drop by for some fan wisdom and snark. With that, let’s do this.Around the DN since our last thread:Chris and Eric have a spot where you can keep up with all the Vikings vs. Saints news.From Chris Vikings CB Marcus Sherels and Saints P Thomas Morstead are teaming up for Best Christmas Ever.Saxyprince writes Tell Me Garrett Bradbury Jersey Cheap , Tell Me Kirk Cousins has been getting a lot of passes batted down lately. Is he giving something away?Eric has his weekly game article, this week Vikings vs. Saints Week 8 Preview: Recalibrated Rematch.Vikings NFC North Rivals: News and Notes, Week 8 Dan reads up on our division opponents so we don’t have to!Chris takes a brief look at Vikings vs Saints history.Vikings news from other sources:From Vikings.com Former Viking Ben Leber joins the ‘Winning Formula’ crew this week to discuss the type of game it might need to be for the Vikings to win.Expert Picks: Forecasting the Vikings-Saints rematch.Presser Points: DeFilippo on drive within great players, Edwards and Priefer on challenges presented by the Saints.HC Mike Zimmer named coach of the year by Minnesota Sports Awards.From their lunch break series: Vikings v Saints listed among the best NFL matchups in week eight.Throwin’ it back to ’98: Vikings rally in the 3rd quarter to down the Lions.At 1500espn they ponder If LT Riley Reiff returns, will Vikings start rookie Brian O’Neill at right tackle?League news: From NFL.com Everson Griffen: Off-field issues “bigger than football.”NFL announces Week 15, 16 Saturday schedules.Jags QB Blake Bortles ‘couldn’t care less’ about critics, has eyes on SBLIII.NFL fires official Hugo Cruz for performance-based reasons.Jags WR A.J. Bouye (calf) ruled out for Jaguars vs. Eagles and will not travel to London.2018 NFL trade deadline: One move for each NFC team to make.We come to today’s media selection: Filter-Hey Man Nice ShotAgain, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:-No discussion of politics or religion-No feeding of the trolls-This isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie Garrett Bradbury Jersey Womens , please use spoiler tags-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer-If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away-While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm.With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up & tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, try the venison chili and as always, Welcome Aboard and Skol Vikings!