Minnesota rolls behind Keenum to 5th win in row
LANDOVER, Md. — Members of the Vikings’ offense leapfrogged over each other, then did the same to Washington.
Case Keenum threw touchdowns to four different receivers to build a big lead, and NFC North-leading Minnesota won its fifth in a row by beating Washington 38-30 Sunday despite two second-half interceptions. With Teddy Bridgewater active for the first time since January 2016 after a devastating knee injury, Keenum was 21-for-29 for 304 yards and TD passes to Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, David Morgan and Jarius Wright.
Mixing the good with the bad, Keenum was intercepted on consecutive throws by D.J. Swearinger.
“Case played outstanding,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “I wish the two throws he had in the second half he would have not made. He’s an excitable guy and he needs to understand (the difference between) the good plays and bad plays sometimes.”
Thielen had eight catches for a season-high 166 yards, and the Vikings celebrated his TD by kneeling in a line in the end zone while he and Diggs leapfrogged over them.
“We were just playing a little leapfrog, just taking it back to the playground,” Thielen said.
Latavius Murray also ran for a score as five players got into the end zone for Minnesota (7-2), which was 8-for-12 on third downs. The Vikings won their first game out of the bye week for the second time in eight seasons as they try to avoid a repeat of the swoon that cost them a playoff spot last season.
“This time around, we just want to show that we’re a different team,” said Diggs, who had four receptions for 78 yards. “We came back with a chip on our shoulders, and we still got a lot to prove.”
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins had three TDs — two rushing and one passing — and went 26-for-45 for 327 yards with an interception. Washington (4-5) failed to build off an upset victory at Seattle and now finds itself on an uphill climb in the wildcard race.
“It seems like we’ve got this roller-coaster right now, where we’re up, down,” cornerback Josh Norman said after Washington allowed 406 yards and gained 394. “We’ve just got to get over that mark. And we will do that.”