Let me start by saying: I was wrong when I wrote this week that the unprecedented connection between Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson was a thing of the past.
It is not. But it has changed for the better.
Just when it looked like the Minnesota Vikings were about to go big (negative connotation), they pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history, rallying from a 33-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in overtime.
“We just had the greatest comeback in NFL history? OK. I need a second,” an incredulous Cousins said after the game.
This season, ‘pulling out a Vikings’ simply means pulling out a win, even when the odds are stacked against you.
It’s not hyperbole to call the first half against the Colts perhaps the worst half for any team in football this season. Before both teams left for the locker room at halftime, the Vikings trailed by five points thanks to three phases of this now 4-9 Indianapolis team. The Colts were blocked for a punt on special teams. They then drove down the field on a seven-play, 66-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard pass to running back Deon Jackson, who was out early in the first quarter with an injured Jonathan Taylor. The defense started in the second quarter. Safety Julian Blackmon stripped Cousins and drove it to the house for a pick-six.
A fake field goal by Minnesota was botched and a fumble by Dalvin Cook was also mixed up.
The Colts had a season-high 34 points per game. It was 33 at the break. And the already defeated Vikings stumbled into the locker room down 33-0 to loud cheers from the crowd.
Minnesota was out of the first half since 2020, even against Matt Ryan, then with the Falcons. It was the Vikings’ biggest deficit since 2002 and the second game this season Minnesota trailed by 30 or more points. The rest of the NFL? Only two total, ESPN Stats & Info.
And I couldn’t help but think that Vikings fans, who spent most of this season defending their team against those who saw them as frauds and maybe, just maybe, started to believe that this year was different, who should. To make up for their historically poor performance, Minnesota turned it around to go perfect in one-score games this season.
“He took it all in today,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “After playing our worst half of football all season, trying to do everything in our power to lose the football game, we came back to halftime and our team made a decision. Our coaches made a decision. Our coaches came out to our players with a pseudo plan for the second half guys like Patrick Peterson, Kirk Cousins, Eric Kendricks, Adam Thielen, Brian O’Neill, C.J. Ham, Dalvin Cook, that’s what I heard. I hear our leadership telling our guys that we’ve been ahead, maybe not that much, maybe it’s not our the need for the biggest comeback in league history, but this team believes in each other and we had to try. play good football regardless of the score.”
The Vikings have now officially clinched the NFC North and improved to an 11-3 record on the season.
Heroes K.J. Osborn finished as the team’s leading receiver with 10 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown, his career day. Behind him again, of course, was Jefferson, who after having just three catches for 17 yards in the first half, once again exploded when his team needed it most. Jefferson finished the day with 12 catches for 123 yards and a TD. Jefferson was responsible for a first down or touchdown seven times in the second half alone.
And after a first half in which he threw two interceptions (none of which were his fault, as wide receiver Jalen Reagor was completely out of position on two occasions), Cousins completed 54 pass attempts for 460 yards and four touchdowns. That’s the 11-year veteran’s single-game career high.
What makes it even more impressive is that the offensive line, even with running back Christian Darrisaw, struggled thanks to Garrett Bradbury still being down. Cousins was sacked seven times on Saturday. The inside folded, Cousins even folded over himself as right guard Ed Ingram tripped over the foot, at one point, backing up the middle. It’s not the first time it’s happened this season, either.
But the Vikings did not flinch. Not even during the break.
“There was belief,” Cousins said of the mood in the locker room at halftime. “Patrick Peterson said we only need five touchdowns. I thought he was being sarcastic. Obviously there’s some yelling, there’s frustration but that’s just not happening. Basic people don’t do what we did.”
They might be the most basic team in the NFL and maybe the fishiest. Before the game, NFL Ops’ “luck metric” ranked the Vikings as the third luckiest team in the league.
That luck seems to have run out with the way the first half went and not one but two blown calls that should have resulted in touchdowns for Minnesota. The refereeing was historically bad and at one point, it looked like it might have prevented a comeback altogether.
But the Vikings didn’t need any luck to end up winning. All they needed was faith.
“We set a goal at the beginning of practice to win this division,” O’Connell said. “We didn’t talk about anything other than winning the division. We knew how important it was going to be for our organization and our team. Now we have to take this moment, both of which we obviously have to address at the beginning of this football game, but let’s see if we can take advantage of it to set a record like this the necessary energy and then to be able to move on to the more complete performances that this team always strives for.”
This is the second “miracle” game Minnesota has won this season. They have pulled out every close game they have played, now going 10-0 on the season in games decided. And in O’Connell’s first season as head coach, he may have officially changed what it means to “take out a Vikings.”
Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North on FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl champion (and boat parade participant) to his resume. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.
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The numbers 0 and 00 are no longer used, although they were issued before the 1973 standardization of numbers in the NFL. Quarterback Johnny Clement, running back Johnny Olszewski and safety Obert Logan all wore a single 0 jersey in the NFL.
Has there ever been a 4 0 football game?
^ This is the only game in NFL history since 2021 that has ended with a team scoring four total points. † This was the first game ever for the Pittsburgh Steelers (then the Pirates), thus scoring the franchise’s first points on a safety.
Has there ever been a 4 4 football game? Yes, on November 25, 1923 the Racine Legion defeated the Chicago Cardinals, 10-4. The Cardinals would open the scoring in the 2nd quarter with a safety, the Legion would score a Feilden field goal and a touchdown. Read also : Top 10 Favorite Video Games of All Time Countdown: #4. The Cardinals would then get another safety. This is the only time a team has scored 4 points in the NFL.
Has there ever been an NFL game with a score of 4?
The Chicago Cardinals scored 4 runs against the Racine Legion on November 25, 1923.
Has there ever been a 2 0 football game?
There have been two 2-0 games in the NFL during the 2008 season: 1) The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 2-0 on October 16, 1932. To see also : Rappers with big bags through video games. 2) The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 2-0 in September. 18 of 1938
Who scored 7 goals in one match?
The last player in these leagues to score seven goals in one game was László Kubala in 1952 for FC Barcelona. Read also : Metal: Hellsinger – where video games and heavy metal music collide.
Which player has scored 9 goals in one game?
Who scored the most goals in 1 game?
The greatest football match ever scored was AS Adema 149â0 SO l’Emyrne. Madagascar’s Stade Olympique de L’Emyrne lost 149 â 0 to AS Adema on October 31, 2002. SO l’Emyrn deliberately conceded 149 goals during the match as a protest against previous refereeing decisions.
Who scored 10 goals in one match?
11 goals: Hungary 10-1 El Salvador in Spain 1982 Hungary became the first team to score 10 goals in a World Cup match when they beat El Salvador 10-1 in Spain in 1982.
Has an NFL team ever scored 70 points?
The most points scored by a Washington Redskins team in a game was 72 against the Giants on November 27, 1966.
Which NFL team scored 73 points in a game? On December 8, 1940, the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Football Team) in the National Football League (NFL) Championship by a score of 73–0, the longest losing streak in NFL history.
What is the most points a team has scored in the NFL?
The Washington Redskins have scored the most points in a game by a team with 72 on November 27, 1966 against the Giants.
Has any team scored 100 points in the NFL?
101 points: Saints 52, Giants 49 (Nov. The Saints scored 10 points in the final 36 seconds to win this game after New Orleans blew a 14-point deficit into the fourth quarter.
Has there ever been a 100 point NFL game?
101 points: Raiders 52, Oilers 49 (Dec. This was the first game with more than 100 points. This game had a modern feel despite taking place nearly 60 years ago, with 11 combined touchdown passes and just two combined scores.
Who has broken the most NFL records? Most games with 1 passing touchdown: 280, Tom Brady, 2001–2022. Most Games, 2 Passing Touchdowns: 192, Tom Brady, 2001–2021. Most games with 3 touchdown passes: 97, Tom Brady, 2001–2021.
Has there ever been a 0 0 NFL game?
According to Pro Football Reference, there have been 73 games that have ended in a 0-0 tie in pro football history. But it’s been nearly 80 years since the last one, meaning there’s still no scoreless tie during the Super Bowl.
Who holds the most NFL records of all time?
Who holds the most impressive records in the NFL?
- Most Consecutive Starts â Brett Favre (297)…
- Most Receptions â Jerry Rice (1,549)…
- Best regular season record â New England Patriots (16-0)…
- Most Sacks in a Game â Derrick Thomas (7.0)…
- Most Catches in a Game â Jim Hardy (8) …
- Most Receptions in a Season – Michael Thomas (149)
