The Vikings' miracle touchdown was made possible when a Saints defender played the pass in the worst way possible

Fox/NFL

• The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a 29-24 win over the New Orleans Saints with a touchdown catch and run from Stefon Diggs as time expired.
• The play was made possible when Saints safety Marcus Williams tried to deliver a big hit on Diggs and missed him entirely, leaving Diggs with an open field.
• Afterward, Williams reportedly cried over his blunder.

The Minnesota Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship on Sunday with a miracle pass, catch, and touchdown from Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs to secure a 29-24 win over the New Orleans Saints.

And while Keenum and Diggs' heroics are rightly being celebrated, the Saints may wish they could have that play back because of a big defensive mistake by safety Marcus Williams.

As Diggs went up to catch Keenum's deep ball along the sideline, Williams appeared to go for a big hit to keep Diggs from catching the ball or to force him to stay in-bounds.

Instead, Williams missed Diggs entirely, and Diggs pulled the ball down with nobody behind him. From there, it was off to the races.

Here was the play:

During the replay, Troy Aikman said of Williams: "I'm not sure really what he's thinking, Joe. He comes in, he's got [Diggs] dialed in, and all he's gotta do is make a play. And even if he catches it, you tackle him in-bounds, the game is over."

Aikman even remarked that Diggs likely thought he was going to get hit on the play.

From the sounds of it, Williams, who had a strong rookie season, took it hard afterward.

Several in the NFL world offered support for Williams, including for Saints safety Steve Gleason.

It will likely be a tough play for Williams to live down. But it also shows the thin line between a win and a loss - if Williams had made the tackle, the Saints would likely be in the NFC Championship.