This season of the NFL was marked by crazy and unexpected moments and games that resulted in shocking outcomes. However, none was as shocking as The Minnesota Vikings Saturday win against the Indianapolis Colts.
This 39 -36 win is in its class as it is the biggest comeback in NFL history. The Vikings achieved this feat when they rallied from a 33- 0 loss at halftime and beat the Indiana Colts 39 -36 in overtime.
The Vikings put in their last touch at 36 -7 in the last minutes of the third quarter when Greg Joseph nailed a 40-yard field goal with just three seconds remaining in the overtime. This win firmly secures the team the NFC division title.
BIGGEST COMEBACK IN NFL HISTORY‼️
VIKINGS CLINCH THE NFC NORTH 😤 pic.twitter.com/W8wMbMeuHk
— ESPN (@espn) December 17, 2022
Patrick Peterson’s halftime speech
One hopes never to witness the Vikings play nearly as bad as they did in the first 30-minute opening of the match against the Indianapolis Colts. Until halftime, the Vikings match was characterized by a blocked punt for a touchdown, a turnover on downs, a punt, a fumble, a pick-six, a punt, and a kneel.
The defense was much better as they held strong in the red zone despite allowing almost all the points in the drive. While players admitted that the locker room talk was filled with a desire to play well and live the embarrassment, Patrick Peterson was convinced that a comeback was possible.
“I’ll never forget it as long as I live,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I addressed the team before we went back out there. I overheard him walk towards the offense, ‘We’re going to get stops. You just need five touchdowns. That’s nothing.’
It was a nice little moment for me to lead right in off of. I said, ‘Pat, you’re exactly right.’ That’s what we needed at the time.”
The player, Peter Cousins, did not know what Peterson meant, whether he was being sarcastic or serious. However, Peterson’s point was not to allow the Colts not to score and get five touchdowns, however impossible this feat seemed as the team was already struggling in the league.
✅ Largest Comeback in NFL History
✅ Clinched NFC NorthThe Vikings trailed 33-0 with 8:30 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Colts had a 99% chance to win at that moment, per ESPN Analytics. pic.twitter.com/wrpvkz67r8
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 17, 2022
Previous Records and Vikings Record
The Minnesota Vikings broke Buffalo Bills’ 1993 record, which stood at 41 -38, following a 35 -3 third-quarter deficit against the Houston Oilers.
This was in overtime during a wild-card playoff game. In Saturday’s game, Indianapolis, after a field goal built a 17 – 0 first-quarter lead, JoJo Domann blocked a punt and returned a score while Matt Ryan had a touchdown pass to Deon Jackson.
The second quarter was marked by three field goals and a 17-yard interception return when Julian Blackmon returned it for a touchdown. However, the Vikings made up for the deficits in the third quarter with two touchdowns; Chase McLaughlin’s second touchdown yielded a 52-yard field goal, bringing the score to 36 -7.
In the third quarter, the Vikings added three more touchdowns, thus tying the game with just about two minutes left. Dalvin Cook’s screen pass from Kirk Cousins converted a two-point conversion and ran 64 yards for the core.
Biggest comeback in #nfl history#vikings 39, #colts 36
Halftime:#colts 33, #vikings 0
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) December 17, 2022
How the Vikings pulled off the largest comeback in NFL history
Kirk Cousins has had seven fourth-quarter back comebacks this year; he is quite good at focusing on the game despite previous mishaps.
This was evident on Saturday when he took advantage of Colt’s defense. Cousins got the Vikings’ defense rolling by passing a 63-yard pass to KJ Osborn, who then set up a Justin Jefferson touchdown.
“I’m kind of a one-play-at-a-time guy,” Cousins said. “My mindset is, ‘Tell me the first play of the second half and let me execute that as well as I can. You tell me the second play once we get there.’ Whenever I’ve been a part of comebacks like we’ve had through the years, that’s how I operate. One play at a time, and let’s not get too far down the road.”
The stadium had a restless and angsty feel to it. The fans and team felt dejected at the beginning of the second half, and some even threw paper planes at the stadium. However, KJ Osborn’s breakout game quickly elevated the mood in the stadium. He had a 63-yard reception that was the beginning of the five touchdowns that put the Vikings in a position to win.
History
Most of the team was unaware that they had completed the largest comeback in football history; Cousins brought back the 1992 Bills and Oilers playoff game, where Buffalo emerged from 32.
Vikings’ mistakes in the first half made them fall behind by a milestone the head coach had to call his best play-caller during halftime.
The takeaway from this, according to O’Connell: “I think it just highlighted in the short amount of time our team’s ability to come together and find a way when things got tough — and they were as difficult as they’ve been all season”.
Credits on Featured Image: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
