STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Vikings swept season series last year, first time since 2009. ... QB Kirk Cousins 20 of 36 for 244 yards Frederik Andersen Jersey , two TDs in Vikings debut last week. ... RB Dalvin Cook had 95 total yards in first game back since knee injury in Week 4 last year. ... WR Stefon Diggs has 18 catches for 271 yards and three TDs in last three games vs. Packers. ... WR Adam Thielen had 102 yards receiving last week, eighth career game over 100-yard mark. ... TE Kyle Rudolph has four TDs in past four road games. ... DE Everson Griffen has five sacks, two forced fumbles in past six games against Green Bay. ... S Harrison Smith has four INTs, eight pass deflections and 1 1/2 sacks in last five divisional games. ... First-round pick CB Mike Hughes had three tackles, three pass deflections and 28-yard INT returned for TD in debut. Hughes was first Vikings rookie to return INT for score since Smith in 2012. ... Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has 19 TDs, four INTs and 111.8 rating in nine career home games vs. Vikings. ... Rodgers only player to have four games with four-plus TD passes and no INTs against Minnesota. ... RB Jamaal Williams averaging 72.7 yards over past three home games. ... WR Davante Adams has TD in last four games against Vikings. ... WR Randall Cobb tied for ninth in franchise history with 22 receiving TDs at home. ... Jimmy Graham's 44 receiving TDs most among tight ends since 2013. ... DL Kenny Clark had career-high two sacks in last meeting. ... LB Nick Perry with four sacks in three career games at Lambeau against Vikings. ... S Kentrell Brice led team last week with career-high nine tackles and had first career sack. ... Fantasy tip: Rodgers threw three TD passes in fourth quarter against Bears after returning from knee injury despite being limited to pocket. Expect him to play as Packers face another formidable defense, though Rodgers is masterful running no-huddle attack with quick, precision passing.
The Minnesota Vikings have secured yet another core player with a long-term contract, signing wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a five-year extension and moving the star of the "Minneapolis Miracle" pass into the NFL's top 10 highest-paid players at his position. Diggs has yet to post a 1,000-yard or 100-catch season, but his ability was on full display when he turned a sideline catch into a 61-yard touchdown as time ran out to lift the Vikings to victory over New Orleans in last season's playoffs. He formed a prolific tandem with Adam Thielen last year, helping Case Keenum stabilize the passing game after Sam Bradford was injured, and over his first three seasons has been one of the biggest steals of the 2015 draft.
"I love it here. I truly do, and I'm just happy I'll be here for a while now," Diggs said after practice Tuesday. "That's why I want to play for them for selecting me in the fifth round. It was a bumpy road that day, and I just remember getting a call Nazem Kadri Jersey , and they gave me a chance. They believed in me, and they won, and going forward they pushed me to be where I am now."
"What I most like is he loves football and loves to come and work, because as a quarterback it can be miserable if you're out here with someone who is here to just get a paycheck and leave," Cousins said. "He wants to work."
"I've been a part of some locker rooms where by 9 o'clock, some of your guys are sleeping in the back row, not taking notes, not paying attention. They're basically checked out, texting or whatever," Cousins said. "That's not him. That's not these guys."
"He's been a good person off the field. He's been a good person on the field as far as that," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "When he messes up, he knows. One time I had him in my office Jay Beagle Jersey , and I asked him ... a question, and he said, 'Now, coach, you know you knew the answer when you asked the question.' He's a smart guy."
Since Cousins signed his fully guaranteed $84 million contract in March, the Vikings have signed linebacker Eric Kendricks, defensive end Danielle Hunter and now Diggs to multi-year deals. The Vikings now have Cousins, Diggs, Thielen, running back Dalvin Cook, left tackle Riley Reiff, right guard Mike Remmers and center Pat Elflein all under team control through at least the 2020 season. On defense, the same goes for Hunter, Kendricks, defensive end Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Linval Joseph Authentic Gustav Nyquist Jersey , cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Harrison Smith. That's a lot of star power to squeeze under the salary cap, with linebacker Anthony Barr the only prominent player with an expiring contract this year.
"Continuity, to me, is very important, and it's not a luxury we have in the NFL these days," Cousins said. "There is a lot of change year in and year out, so I've come to expect that and understand you can't use that as an excuse."
"I'm happy that I can look at my mom and smile and tell her that everything is going to be OK," Diggs said. "I'm just very thankful for everybody involved."