Despite Loss, Vikings Proved They Belong vs. Peyton Manning, Broncos

The NFL isn't a place for moral victories, but the Minnesota Vikings' 23-20 road loss to Peyton Manning and the still-unbeaten Denver Broncos has to qualify as something close.

In fact, Sunday's late defeat probably revealed more about Minnesota's potential as a 2015 playoff team than either of the club's two home wins from earlier this month.

The Vikings faced deficits of 13-0 and 20-10 in the thin air of Sports Authority Field, but it still took a scoring drive from Manning and one final sack of Teddy Bridgewater to finally put away Denver's pesky guests. On the road, against a Hall of Fame quarterback and arguably the league's best defense, Minnesota nearly upset a team that has now won 42 of its last 52 regular-season games.

The 2-2 Vikings will likely categorize Sunday as a missed opportunity. Come December, it might look like the moment Minnesota knew it belonged among the NFL's big boys. 

The now 4-0 Broncos jumped out to an 13-point lead, largely due to Blair Walsh's missed field goal and Ronnie Hillman's 72-yard rushing touchdown on back-to-back plays. The 10-point swing seemed to stagger the Vikings, who looked on the verge of getting blown out midway through the second quarter. 

A string of big plays swung the tide.

Down 10-0 and with the Broncos driving, Brian Robison sacked Manning on third down and forced a Denver field goal. After Bridgewater marched Minnesota 60 yards in 13 plays to set up Minnesota's first points, emerging linebacker Anthony Barr intercepted a short Manning pass to halt another Broncos' drive. Two plays later, Bridgewater's four-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace cut Denver's lead to 13-10 at halftime. 

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The Broncos put the Vikings back on the ropes early in the third quarter.

Manning led Denver on an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive to open the second half. He hit tight end Owen Daniels for a one-yard score on fourth down to push the Broncos' lead back up to 10 points at 20-10. 

Back-to-back three-and-outs against a swarming Denver defense made it look unlikely the Vikings would escape from another double-digit hole. 

Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson had other ideas. 

Backed up to their own 3-yard line, the Vikings embarked on a nine-play, 97-yard march—which was finished off by Peterson's 48-yard touchdown gallop on fourth down. Safety Harrison Smith intercepted Manning on the second play of Denver's ensuing drive, giving Minnesota the football inside Broncos territory. 

The Vikings got as far as the Broncos' 23-yard line, but a tackle for a loss on first down and a sack of Bridgewater on second short-circuited the drive. Walsh's field goal tied the game at 20. 

Suddenly, Minnesota was one stop and one score away from leaving Denver with the signature win of the Mike Zimmer era.

Manning and the Broncos defense wrote a different script.

Taking over with just over five minutes left on the fourth-quarter clock, Manning drove Denver 55 yards in nine plays. Brandon McManus gave Denver a 23-20 lead with 1:51 remaining when he nailed a 39-yard field goal. 

Two-Minute Teddy was provided one last chance to drive the field for the tying or winning points. But when defensive coordinator Wade Phillip dialed up the perfect blitz on the sixth play of the drive, Denver's seventh sack of the game—in the form of T.J. Ward's sack and strip of Bridgewater—ended the game. 

Still, the Vikings can leave the Rocky Mountains scared of no one. 

Zimmer's team can play with anyone, anywhere. Minnesota's defense turned over Manning twice and allowed just two third-down conversions. On offense, Bridgewater grew up in the second half, and receivers Mike Wallace (eight catches) and rookie Stefon Diggs (six) at times looked uncoverable. The Vikings handled early adversity and dominated the football, both in terms of plays (69-53) and time of possession (33:54-26:06). 

The Vikings didn't beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Call it a moral victory, but Minnesota can return home to the Twin Cities knowing no stage or opponent is too much. A young, ascending team just proved it belonged. 

Zach Kruse covers the Vikings for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2