Inside The Vikings

Antoine Winfield Jr. is a Super Bowl Champion

Winfield had some big moments for the Buccaneers, who took down the Chiefs with a dominant defensive effort.
Will Ragatz|
Antoine Winfield Jr. is a Super Bowl Champion
Antoine Winfield Jr. is a Super Bowl Champion

Antoine Winfield Jr. is a Super Bowl champion. The standout rookie finished with six tackles, one interception, and one understandable taunting penalty as the Buccaneers' defense dominated the Chiefs in a 31-9 victory.

Winfield, who starred at the University of Minnesota and is the son of former Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr., had several big moments in a shocking Bucs blowout victory over Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City. The Vikings may not have made a Super Bowl appearance in over four decades, but watching Winfield win one in his first NFL season counts for something.

Before the game, Winfield warmed up in custom-made cleats, one featuring a picture of himself and the other featuring a picture of his dad in a Vikings uniform. Three words of text appeared on the shoes: "Fulfilling a legacy."

Midway through the third quarter, with the Buccaneers already leading 28-9, Winfield picked off a deflected Mahomes pass for the game's first turnover. It was the second INT of his career and his second huge play of the postseason, after he forced a critical fumble in the divisional round against the Saints.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Winfield broke up a pass intended for Tyreek Hill and celebrated in his face. It was a little measure of revenge after Hill torched the Tampa Bay secondary when the two teams met in Week 12.

This picture of the two Winfields celebrating after the game is fantastic:

Also a Super Bowl champion: North Minneapolis native Tyler Johnson, another former Gophers star selected by the Buccaneers in the 2020 draft. Johnson had one target and no catches in the game.

Chiefs linebacker Damien Wilson, the third former Gopher in the game, led Kansas City with ten tackles in a losing effort.

Buccaneers offensive lineman Joe Haeg, a native of Brainerd, MN, nearly caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter but wasn't able to hold on to the pass.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there. 

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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