Biggest Takeaways from Minnesota Vikings' Week 6 Win

The Minnesota Vikings came out of the bye and improved their record to 3-2 on Sunday, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 16-10 at TCF Bank Stadium. 

Now three home games in, the Vikings still haven't trailed at their borrowed residence on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The Chiefs fell behind 10-0 at the half on Sunday before losing by six, giving the Vikings a 33-point advantage over three home wins to start 2015. 

In the following slides, we'll highlight the biggest takeaways from Minnesota's Week 6 win over Kansas City. 

Stefon Diggs Might Be the Vikings' Best WR

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The Vikings traded for Mike Wallace, fed Charles Johnson targets all preseason and gave Jarius Wright a decent contract extension, but it's still possible a rookie fifth-round pick will end 2015 as the club's best receiver. 

Stefon Diggs—the 2015 draft's 146th overall selection—picked up right where he left off before the bye, catching seven passes for a career-high 129 yards. The rookie now has 13 catches for 216 yards and six receptions over 20 yards in the last two games. 

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went to Diggs early and often, connecting with him four times on Minnesota's first three drives. He made three catches on third down to move the sticks, including a late 30-yarder on a 3rd-and-15 play after Kansas City had trimmed Minnesota's lead to 13-10. 

Diggs' 216 receiving yards over the last two weeks are the most by a Vikings rookie since Randy Moss posted 269 in Weeks 13 and 14 of the 1998 season. While he's no Moss, Diggs looks like a dynamic player—the kind Minnesota won't be able to keep off the field.

Missing on a first-round pick (see: Cordarrelle Patterson) doesn't hurt as bad when you hit a home run on a fifth-rounder. 

Rookies Making Waves

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Stefon Diggs wasn't the only impressive rookie for the Vikings on Sunday. 

Linebacker Eric Kendricks showed why Minnesota was so comfortable trading away veteran starter Gerald Hodges, as the second-round pick registered a game-high 10 tackles and a third-down sack of Alex Smith. He halted another Kansas City drive when he stopped running back Knile Davis in his tracks on a later third down. 

Defensive end Danielle Hunter started as an emergency fill-in for Everson Griffen, who was inactive with an illness. The third-round pick had a half-sack of Smith and forced a crucial fumble late in the fourth quarter.

Even right tackle T.J. Clemmings had a nice afternoon. Faced with All-Pro Justin Houston, Clemmings mostly held his own against last season's sack leader. Houston got the best of the rookie on a handful of snaps, but he was not a dominant factor in the game. 

Not even a shaky couple of series from first-round pick Trae Waynes could tarnish an otherwise standout day from Minnesota's rookie class.

Sharrif Floyd Was a Man Among Boys

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The Chiefs couldn't block defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd on Sunday. From the first series on, the former first-round pick lived in the Kansas City backfield.

He drew a holding call in the end zone on the Chiefs' opening possession, but referee Jerome Boger determined the infraction began in the field of play. Two points were lost, but the declined penalty still set up a punt. 

Floyd drew a second holding call on Kansas City's next series, but he gave the yardage right back when he was flagged for roughing the quarterback on the next play. A third Chiefs possession ended when Floyd teamed up with rookie Danielle Hunter to sack Smith on third down. 

In the second half, Floyd knifed into the backfield and stopped running back Charcandrick West on 4th-and-1 at Minnesota's 7-yard line. The stop preserved the Vikings' 13-0 lead. 

The box score will say Floyd finished Sunday's contest with three tackles and a half-sack. His impact on the field was far greater. In fact, he might have been the best defensive player from either side. 

Slump over for Blair Walsh?

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Don't look now, but Vikings kicker Blair Walsh has made five straight field goals. 

Since missing a gimme in Denver before the bye, Walsh has connected on kicks from 38, 33, 24 and two from 45 yards. He was a perfect 3-of-3 on field goals with a made extra point against the Chiefs, giving him 10 points in a game decided by only six. 

Sunday was just the second time this season that Walsh got through a game without a miss. He failed on three kicks (two field goals, one extra point) during the first four weeks after missing seven total during five preseason games. 

The best cure for any kicker is just making kicks, which Walsh is now starting to do. In a job so reliant on confidence, Walsh's stock has to be (finally) on the rise. 

Close Game That Shouldn't Have Been Close

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

A win is a win, no matter what the process looked like in getting from point A to B. But the Vikings will likely look at Sunday's 16-10 victory over the Chiefs and wonder how a game so in hand eventually came down to the final drive. 

Minnesota dominated on defense, holding Kansas City to less than 50 yards in the first half. The Chiefs punted on their first six possessions and finished 3-of-12 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth. Kansas City also committed 95 yards' worth of penalties and finished 0-of-2 scoring touchdowns in the red zone. 

How did the Vikings not blow the one-win Chiefs out of the water?

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw two bad interceptions in the scoring area, and running back Adrian Peterson managed just 57 yards on 27 touches. Kansas City eventually clawed back, using Bridgewater's second pick to set up a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs actually had two chances to march down the field and win the game, but a fumble and a turnover on downs on back-to-back possessions allowed the Vikings to escape the comeback bid. 

Minnesota is now 3-2. That's all that matters. But the Vikings aren't going to beat many teams playing at Sunday's level. A trip to Detroit to play the one-win Lions is up next.