Stefon Diggs has shined throughout the first four games of the 2017 season.
After ranking 15th in NFL.com's lineup of top offensive players last week, the fifth-round draft pick **jumped four spots to No. 11** after Minnesota's divisional matchup against Detroit.
Former NFL quarterback and now analyst David Carr wrote:
Diggs is a route master, and his five-catch, 98-yard outing put him atop the league for receiving yards (391) in 2017. Minnesota quarterback Case Keenum is struggling to stay consistent, but Diggs is finding ways to be consistently open. He'll become the focal point in Minnesota, with running back Dalvin Cook out.
Topping Carr's list at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 were Tom Brady, Antonio Brown and Aaron Rodgers, respectively. Diggs, Rodgers and Lions QB Matthew Stafford (No. 9) represented the NFC North in the weekly rankings.
Vikings offensive line strong to start the season
The Vikings are again dealing with injuries on offense, having lost Cook to a torn ACL suffered against the Lions in Week 4 and with Sam Bradford continuing to be day-to-day with a knee injury that occurred in Minnesota's season opener.
But after being battered by injuries throughout the 2016 season, the Vikings offensive line has been **healthy through the first quarter** of 2017.
Andrew Krammer of the *Star Tribune *called the unit "a glimmer of hope" for Minnesota's offense. He wrote:
*Whichever quarterback plays Monday in Chicago, Bradford or Keenum, he should at least have some time to work in the pocket — a rare scenario for Bradford last season when downfield shots and slow-developing plays weren't reasonable options behind a porous offensive line. *
[…]
*[The] offensive line has quietly grown the edge [Vikings Head Coach Mike] Zimmer has desperately wanted during his four seasons in Minnesota. *
"It's not the answer, but the more you can be on the field together, the better it is," right guard Joe Berger told Krammer. "That's starting to show with some things. Even [Sunday] with some communication, it's maybe better than in the past. Just more fluid, I guess."
Former Vikings QB Randall Cunningham responds to Las Vegas tragedy
In the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas that took the lives of 58 people and injured more than 500 others, countless individuals have stepped up to help in any way they can.
One such person is former Vikings quarterback Randall Cunningham, now the head pastor at Remnant Ministries, a nondenominational church located less than a mile from the Las Vegas Strip.
Chris Tomasson of the *Pioneer Press *spoke with Cunningham via phone call about **his response to the tragedy**. Tomasson wrote:
Cunningham said his church has more than 1,500 members in Las Vegas, and about 5,000 more around the world who watch services online. He said he didn't know [at the time of the conversation] if any church members had been killed or injured in the attack, and said there are more than a hundred members helping the survivors and their families.
"We're doing whatever we can," Cunningham told Tomasson. "People are bringing food for dinners, blankets, giving blood, whatever it might be. If people want to donate to Remnant Ministries, we would take any funds that can help."
In three seasons (1997-99) with the Vikings, Cunningham threw for 5,680 yards and 48 touchdowns. He led Minnesota to the NFC Championship game in 1998 after a 3,704-yard season that helped the Vikings go 15-1.
But Cunningham said the value of his current role "far outweighs everything I've done in life."
Cunningham has received many calls from former NFL teammates checking on the situation, including former Vikings receiver Jake Reed. Most calls have been from church members, and the church also has been reaching out to members.
"We are praying for those victims and the families of those who are a part of this tragedy," Cunningham told Tomasson. "As pastor, I'm available for whatever we need to do. … The lives of the people that have been affected is the most important thing."
