The 10 biggest what-ifs in New Orleans Saints history

1. What if Marcus Williams tackled Stefon Diggs?

The Saints had two frustrating playoff exits in a row. One was the aforementioned loss to the Rams when Nickel Robey-Coleman was allowed to maul Tomylee Lewis. But the season before that, a missed hit is what ended their hopes.

In 2017, the Saints went 11-5 and knocked off the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round. They then traveled north to face the Minnesota Vikings who were one of the surprise teams with Case Keenum leading the way following an injury to San Bradford.

The two teams went back and forth but a 17-point fourth quarter gave the Saints control. Their final points came with 29 seconds to go as Will Lutz hit a 43-yard field goal to put them on top 24-23. But then, disaster struck.

Case Keenum completed a 19-yard pass to Stefon Diggs and then with only 10 seconds to play, he found Diggs once again on a deep desperation pass. Diggs pulled the ball down and New Orleans safety Marcus Williams whiffed on his tackle attempt and Diggs ran it in for a 61-yard touchdown which became dubbed the Minneapolis Miracle.

So what if the Minneapolis Miracle never happened?

Well, the Saints wouldn't have been guaranteed a win in the NFC Championship Game since the Eagles were the ones who won it all. They also had a backup quarterback as Nick Foles led them to a Super Bowl win in place of Carson Wentz, but perhaps the Saints could have stopped them.

If they did, they might have been able to knock off the Patriots. And if Robey-Coleman didn't get away with his play, they might have been looking for a second title in a row.

Of course, that's not how it all went down but it's crazy to think this team is a couple of bounces away from a couple more trophies.

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