Minnesota Vikings

Andre Reed LOVES Josh Allen -- telling TMZ Sports he's fired up over the Buffalo Bills QB's victory over the Vikings ... and thinks this could be the start of something special.

It's high praise for the rookie -- since Reed isn't just a legend in Buffalo, he's an NFL Hall of Famer, one of the best to ever do it.

Reed told us he was super impressed with Allen's play during the 27-6 win over Minnesota ... especially since the Bills were 17-point underdogs going into the game.

So, how can Allen keep the momentum going next week against Green Bay and prove the massive upset wasn't just a fluke?

Talk about return on investment ... a judge has ordered Vikings WR Kendall Wright to pay nearly $400,000 to a company that sells stock in professional athletes.

As we previously reported ... Fantex, Inc. -- a business that makes deals with athletes to sell "shares" to fans who believe the athletes are destined for big paydays -- sued Kendall back in January.

They claimed after they signed a deal with Wright in 2015 that offered him $3.125 mil for 10% of his future earnings ... he didn't pay up.

A judge signed off on an order this week in which the wideout will have to pay Fantex $386,055.83 ($349,157.22 in damages and $36,898.61 in attorney fees).

Richie Incognito says Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is straight-up lying about the NFL lineman's claim that he was talking with the team about a job this offseason ... and it's getting nasty.

It all started when Richie appeared on "TMZ Sports" last week and he told us he'd been speaking with multiple teams about a possible contract ... including Minnesota.

"I'm still in great shape, just waiting on that call. I've had calls from Minnesota, Seattle ... I really just don't want to go to training camp, so we'll see."

Zimmer was asked about Incognito's comments during a press conference on Tuesday -- and straight-up said Incognito was wrong.

"No interest and totally false," Zimmer said ... "Tweet that."

Incognito -- needless to say -- was furious over Zimmer's comments and tweeted, "Mike Zimmer is a F**KING LIAR!!"

Incognito claims he had been talking with Vikings line coach Tony Sparano all summer long and posted screen shots of text conversations. Sparano passed away a few weeks ago.

The screenshots show Incognito was interested in a job -- but they don't show Tony ever made a direct offer. Incognito claims they "spoke weekly this off-season" and believes Tony was seriously interested.

Anthony Barr -- the Vikings star who put the hit on Aaron Rodgers that broke his collarbone in 2017 -- doesn't believe he'll have a target on his back when he faces Green Bay in Week 2.

In fact, Barr tells TMZ Sports ... it's "just another game."

Yeah, right.

As we previously reported, Barr received violent hate mail after the hit -- with one Packers fan warning him, "Your payback in coming. Piece of s***."

So, when we saw the linebacker at LAX, we asked if he was worried Packers players would REALLY try to get that "payback."

"I'm not too worried about it," Barr told us ... "It's football man. It's another game."

Barr told the NFL Network he didn't try to hurt Rodgers on the play -- saying, "It's unfortunate that it happened."

10:42 AM PT -- The NFL tells us they are "looking into the matter."

6:00 AM PT -- Zay Jones was released from custody Wednesday morning at 4:45 AM. We're told his family picked him up. He's currently out on bond.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Zay Jones got into a bizarre naked struggle with his brother -- who's also in the NFL -- and it ended in a bloody mess ... with Zay in handcuffs.

TMZ Sports obtained this video of the crazy fight that went down Monday night in a downtown L.A. apartment building. Zay is stark raving nude while grappling with his brother -- Cayleb Jones of the Vikings.

You can hear Zay yelling, "I'm going to fight for Jesus" ... and according to witnesses, Cayleb was trying to stop him from jumping out a 30th floor window.

Zay eventually broke free, and ran in the direction of Cayleb's gf's apartment ... you can hear her screaming. We're told at some point, he ran back out of the apartment, entered a public balcony area and smashed his foot through a window.

Photos from the scene show blood on the shattered window, and all over the floors and walls.

We're told Zay actually tried to squeeze through the hole in the window, but Cayleb restrained him until police arrived, and arrested him for felony vandalism.

Jones was the Bills' 2nd round draft pick last year.

According to law enforcement sources, he's being held in the medical ward of L.A. County Jail. It's unclear what his condition is at this point.

The Bills tell TMZ Sports, "We are still in the process of gathering more information on the matter. At this point, we will have no further comment.”

Josh Norman is already getting behind his new QB -- telling TMZ Sports he feels Alex Smith is "underrated" for everything he's done in his career.

We spotted the Washington Redskins star cornerback in Atlanta and asked how he felt about the big quarterback moves in the NFL ... including his old QB Kirk Cousins getting an $84 million deal with the Vikings.

Norman looked a little bummed out (why not? he's a good quarterback) but explained, "It's business. Everything is business."'

He also explained why Cousins is worth every single penny.

Here's video of the Philadelphia Eagles dancing their damn faces off after destroying the Minnesota Vikings ... and we gotta say, the guys look like they could've gone another two quarters.

Moments after the game was over, WR Alshon Jeffery took his celebration to IG live and got live with his teammates ... while Chief Keef and Meek Mill blasted in the background.

Highlights included Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie getting into the act, but the guy who stole the show was CB Jalen Mills, who broke it down with a Macarena-style turn up we've never seen before.

There was blood before the game ... and fires afterward -- but the Philadelphia PD tells us only 6 PEOPLE were arrested on Sunday in connection to the NFC Championship madness.

One person was arrested for assault on a police officer -- we're told the incident took place in the parking lot at Lincoln Financial Field before the game.

2 more people were arrested for disorderly conduct -- and 3 others were busted for counterfeit ticket sales.

All in all ... seems like a win considering the videos and photos that surfaced showing police on horseback taking control during the pregame tailgates.

Afterward, fans went crazy in the streets -- but according to police, it wasn't as bad as social media made it look.

Congrats!

He's a legend in Minnesota ... and that's why Adrian Peterson was all about giving his former team a pump-up speech before the NFC Championship game!

The NFL superstar spoke with TMZ Sports ... telling us why he's truly excited and happy for Minnesota's success, despite the fact he now plays for the Arizona Cardinals.

And if the Vikings can ultimately win the Super Bowl, AP says he wouldn't turn down a ring from the team if they offered him one ... saying, "That would be awesome ... I did help build that stadium a little bit!"

There's more ... AP also updates us on his NFL future and how his body feels going into 2018.

Spoiler alert -- he ain't even close to hangin' it up!

Here's Kevin Hart clowning the Minnesota Vikings ... telling TMZ Sports there's a ZERO percent chance Case Keenum's purple crew beats up on the Eagles this weekend.

Full disclosure ... Hart's from Philadelphia. So, yeah ...

But Kev's pretty funny outside Catch in West Hollywood when we ask how he thinks the NFC Championship game will go down on Sunday.

You might be looking at the BIGGEST VIKINGS FAN ALIVE ... Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar -- who might have gone to work in purple face paint if she was allowed.

Seriously, Klobuchar lives and breathes Vikings -- her dad even wrote a book about the team back in the day!

So, when we saw her on Capitol Hill -- rocking her Vikings scarf -- there was only one thing to talk about ... VIKINGS, BABY!

Klobuchar was at the stadium for the Minnesota Miracle on Sunday -- and gave us the blow-by-blow on how crazy it got in the stadium. She also told us about the bet she won with Louisiana Senator John Kennedy.

But, how does she feel going into the NFC Championship game against the Eagles?

Think Stefon Diggs' game-winning touchdown grab was nice?? Ya ain't seen nothin' yet ... so says his old college coach.

TMZ Sports spoke with Randy Edsall -- who coached Diggs during his 3 seasons at Maryland -- and he wasn't one bit surprised by Stefon's late-game heroics ... noting he's been making insane plays for years.

"He was a tremendous, tremendous competitor. The bigger the moment or the bigger the opportunity, the more you knew he was gonna make something happen."

Edsall praises Diggs' "swag" and "bravado" ... and says that confidence rubbed off on his teammates. But, coach makes it clear this is just the beginning for Stefon.

"I don't think he's reached his full potential ... I think he can be a great one, and I think as long as he continues to stay humble and stays hungry, the sky is still the limit for him."

Welcome to "Solid Profanity-Laced Advice for Marcus Williams" .... starring Asante Samuel.

Remember, Samuel dropped a possible Super Bowl winning interception in '08 -- only to bounce back STRONGER the following seasons, leading the NFC in picks in '09 and '10.

So, what pearls of wisdom is he dishing out to New Orleans Saints DB Marcus Williams -- who missed that key tackle on Stefon Diggs on Sunday???

There's a lot of good stuff in this video ... but the best line is this:

"If I was him, my mindset is ... 'That sh*t is over with. F*ck everybody that don't believe in me.'"

Going to the Eagles playoff game this weekend? Better hit the costume shop first ...

The team is encouraging fans to bring dog masks to Lincoln Financial Field in Philly on Sunday -- to keep the whole "underdog" theme going as they face the Vikings.

Of course, Chris Long essentially started the dog mask thing by rocking a German Shepherd head after they beat the Falcons this weekend.

Now, the team has sent a message to fans -- "Doggone it, you better believe dog masks will be allowed at @LFFStadium this weekend. Just make sure to take them off when you go through security."

The wild ending to the Vikings/Saints playoff game cost a lot of people a lot of money ... and it all came down to that extra point play.

The spread before kickoff was 5.5 in favor of the Vikings -- meaning if you bet the Vikings, they had to win by at least 6 points for you to collect on your bet.

So when Stefon Diggs caught that insane last-second pass with time expiring to put Minnesota up by 5, Vikings betters thought the extra point was a gimme ... and would be money in the bank.

Now the twist -- the players clearly thought the game was over, as both teams started to leave the field. But when officials explained the extra point play was mandatory, both teams returned ... but the Vikings apparently didn't wanna put salt in the wound ... so they took a knee instead of kicking the field goal for the extra point.

Final spread -- 5 points. Hope you bet on the Saints.

BetOnline.ag -- one of the biggest betting websites -- tells us that the kneel on the extra point favored a majority of gamblers ... 'cause 63% of people on their site bet on the Saints getting 5.5 points.

Nick Swardson is a die-hard Vikings fan -- "I like the Vikings more than my family."

So, when we asked how he felt about Vikings QB Case Keenum leading his team to victory over the team that let him go last year, the Rams -- Swardson was LOVING it.

Backstory ... the Rams let Keenum go after the 2016 season after benching him for Jared Goff. The Vikings swooped him up and the rest is history.