Rookie Steals Stefon Diggs, Eric Kendricks Help Power Vikings Past Chiefs

An emerging rookie on each side of the football helped the Minnesota Vikings beat the visiting Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium. 

Fifth-round pick Stefon Diggs caught seven passes for a career-high 129 yards and second-rounder Eric Kendricks finished with a game-high 10 tackles as the Vikings snuck past the Chiefs by a final score of 16-10. 

Minnesota might have stars materializing in both young players. 

Diggs, the 146th overall pick in the 2015 draft, started his first career game at receiver. Just two weeks after breaking out in his first extended action in Denver, Diggs once again provided several big plays for the Vikings offense.

On Minnesota's first possession, Diggs shook loose from first-round pick Marcus Peters and made a 16-yard catch on third down. A series later, the rookie receiver had a 31-yard catch-and-run and a 14-yard reception to set up a short Blair Walsh field goal. He made his fourth catch of the afternoon when he beat veteran Sean Smith for 20 yards on Minnesota's third possession. 

After three straight series without a reception, Diggs followed a 23-yard run from Adrian Peterson with a 15-yard catch a play later. The Vikings finished the drive with another field goal, giving Minnesota a comfortable 13-0 lead early in the second half. 

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Diggs saved his best for when the Vikings' lead suddenly felt far less comfortable. 

After scoring 10 straight points in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs looked ready to get off the field after Justin Houston's sack of Teddy Bridgewater set up 3rd-and-15. Kansas City rushed just three players on third down, and when Bridgewater stepped up to buy time and elude pressure, Diggs found some space downfield and hauled in a 30-yard completion. The play moved the chains and put the rookie over 100 yards receiving for the first time in his NFL career. 

According to the official Twitter account of Vikings public relations, Diggs became the first Minnesota rookie to go over 80 yards receiving in back-to-back games since Randy Moss. 

Minnesota would eventually kick a field goal to go up, 16-10. Had Diggs not helped pick up the first down, the Chiefs likely would have had an opportunity to build on their growing momentum by getting the football back down just three points. The catch sapped some life out of the Kansas City defense and provided some breathing room for Kendricks' unit. 

The rookie linebacker used his second career start to showcase why the Vikings were comfortable trading away starter Gerald Hodges. 

Kendricks made 10 tackles, including five on plays where the Chiefs gained three or fewer yards.

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He single-handedly short-circuited one Kansas City drive in the first quarter, stopping DeAnthony Thomas for one yard on first down and sacking Alex Smith on third down. Later in the half, he knifed into the backfield to take down Knile Davis on a 3rd-and-1 play. 

According to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, Kendricks played all 62 defensive snaps—marking the first time in his professional career he stayed on the field for every play. The Vikings will have a hard time getting him off the field if he continues making so many plays. 

The Chiefs did beat him on a few passing plays, including one in the fourth quarter where tight end Travis Kelce got behind Kendricks' zone coverage for a big catch. But his positive plays vastly outnumbered the poor ones. 

The Vikings appear to have drafted steals in both players. 

Diggs was the 20th receiver taken in the 2015 draft. Somehow, a total of 44 players were drafted ahead of Kendricks, the 2014 Butkus Award winner. Just six weeks into this season, the two rookies look like they'll be key contributors on a playoff-caliber NFL team. 

The Vikings are now 3-2 after escaping Kansas City's upset bid. Diggs and Kendricks—two players taken outside April's first round—were among the best players on the field Sunday. The win wasn't exactly pretty, but Minnesota can certainly feel good about the contributions provided by its young, emerging stars on both sides of the field. 

Zach Kruse covers the Vikings for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2