The Minnesota Vikings remain one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They earned their fifth straight win with a38-30victory over the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field Sunday.Case Keenum led Minnesota's offensive attack with 304 yards and four touchdown passes. Despite the loss of starting quarterback Sam Bradford and running back Dalvin Cook, the Vikings have taken control of their destiny in the NFC North. They are 7-2 with a two-game cushion over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in the division.There was an emotional moment on the sidelines before the game featuring Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who was on the active roster for the first time since Jan. 2016, when he injured his knee:Bridgewater didn't take any snaps, but the game was still a quarterback battle between Keenum and Kirk Cousins. Washington struck first thanks to one of the most incredible catches of the year by Maurice Harris on this 36-yard score:A high-powered offense is necessary for Washington to have success because the defense has been a mess. The Redskins entered Week 10 allowing 24.3 points per game, though that number went up by the end of the first half alone.Kennum, the story of the game, reached a career high with those four touchdown passes.Per ESPN Stats & Info, that put him in good company among Vikings quarterbacks:ESPN's Dianna Russini poured a little more salt in Washington's wounds:Deadspin's Drew Magary also had some fun with Keenum's past reputation and stellar showing against the Redskins:Keenum likely won't be the NFL MVP, but he's fared much better than anyone could have predicted after taking over as Minnesota's starting quarterback in Week 2. He's already set a career high with11touchdowns after his effort against Washington and has justfiveinterceptions in262attempts in 2017.Another big surprise for the Vikings this season, a man who had his way with Washington's defense, is wide receiver Adam Thielen. The fourth-year star added to his legacy with a season-high166receiving yards. Hiseightreceptions continued his streak of games with at least five catches to nine.Robert Mays of the Ringer noted how far Thielen has come since he was an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State in 2013:The Vikings appeared to be on cruise control after taking a 35-17 lead early in the third quarter. Washington was helping them out with some miscues along the way, like whenJamison Crowder dropped a sure touchdown catch that forced the offense to settle for a field goal.The Redskins were able to take advantage of one Minnesota error by scoring on Cousins' two-yard run two plays after D.J. Swearinger picked off Keenum. That cut the deficit to eight points at 35-27 with 14:47 left in the fourth quarter.Minnesota's ensuing drive was a near-perfect response. It took more than seven minutes off the clock and netted a field goal to make it a two-possession game and seal the win.This is the kind of victory that makes the Vikings such an intriguing playoff contender. Their defense wasn't at its best, but they were also playing this game without star pass-rusher Everson Griffen, due to a foot injury.Washington was able to take advantage of Griffen's absence with some big plays in the passing game, but the run defense allowed just81yards on27attempts.If there's a question about the Vikings, it's on offense, because Keenum has been a journeyman with no sustained track record of sucess in the NFL. He stepped up his game this week though and has been solid most of the year.Andy Carlson of 1500 ESPN summed up what every Vikings fan was thinking after watching this offensive showing:There may be a point later this season when the Vikings want to see what Bridgewater can do healthy, but Keenum is doing nothing to lose the job as of now.This loss was essentially the story of the Redskins in 2017. They had the big road win over the Seattle Seahawks last week, with a chance to get over .500 and be a factor in the NFC wild-card race going forward. But they made little mistakes on offense, left points on the board and the defense gave up a ton of big plays.Things won't get any easier for Washington next week when it goes to theMercedes-Benz Superdome for a matchup against the New Orleans Saints.The Vikings will return home in Week 11 for a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
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