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Vikings Stun Twitter, Complete 'Greatest Comeback in NFL History' with Win over Colts
December 17, 2022
It only took the Minnesota Vikings 14 games to clinch the NFC North and earn a playoff spot.
The Vikings (11-3) officially won the division Saturday with a miraculous 39-36 comeback victory over Indianapolis Colts.
Down 33-0 at halftime, the Vikings charged back to score 14 points in the third quarter and 22 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime, where Greg Joseph hit a 40-yard field goal to cap things.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 34 of 54 passes for 460 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions in the win. C.J. Ham, K.J. Osborn, Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen all recorded touchdowns.
The win is the largest comeback in NFL history, and it led to NFL Twitter being stunned by one of the greatest games of the year:
Next Gen Stats @NextGenStatsAccording to the NGS win probability model, the <a href="https://twitter.com/Vikings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vikings</a>' win probability was as low as 0.4% when they trailed 33-0 with 13:22 remaining in the 3rd quarter.<br><br>The win goes down as the 2nd-most statistically improbable comeback in the NGS era.<br><br>📸: Top 5 Comebacks, NGS era <a href="https://t.co/Q2SpbTSiF3">pic.twitter.com/Q2SpbTSiF3</a>
Chris Myers @The_ChrisMyersGive the Vikings credit for the greatest comeback in NFL history rallying from 33-0 at halftime to win!<br>For the Colts ..that was an alltime embarrassment…<br>truly pathetic.. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VikingsFootball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VikingsFootball</a>
Marke Driesschen @ctv_markeThere will always be the doubters & skeptics, but the <a href="https://twitter.com/Vikings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vikings</a> just completed the biggest comeback in NFL history, despite the officials & a 33 point deficit. They're not perfect, but they're contenders, not pretenders & are going to be a handful for anyone they go against.
The only question is which playoff seed they'll secure.
The top overall seed in the NFC is still up for grabs, with the Vikings looking to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles (12-1). With the NFL moving to seven playoff teams per conference last year, only the top seed gets a first-round bye alongside home-field advantage.
So, while Minnesota will be pleased with its division crown, there's more work to be done to earn the crucial top spot in the NFC.
The Vikings will be happy with how far they've come this season, though, after finishing 8-9 last year and missing the playoffs for the second straight campaign. That ended the Mike Zimmer era, who led the team to the postseason three times in his eight-year tenure as head coach.
In came Kevin O'Connell, and the result has been a team that has emerged as one of the NFL's top contenders.
Of course, having an explosive playmaker at wideout in Jefferson doesn't hurt, nor does complementary pieces Cook, Thielen and T.J. Hockenson, who was acquired in a midseason trade with the Detroit Lions to bolster tight end.
And while Cousins is hardly among the NFL's elite quarterbacks, he's played well enough to keep the Vikings rolling. Ditto for the defense.
Add it all up, and you have a Vikings team that wrapped up the NFC North in December. Now, the question is whether this group will still be playing come February.