By Tobias Wiltschek
They’ve done incredible things this season, the Minnesota Vikings.
Their successful comeback after being 0:33 (!) behind at the Indianapolis Colts went down in the history books.
Never before in the NFL has a team turned such a huge deficit into a win.
The fact that they ended up winning 39:36 says a lot about the Vikings this year.
Belief in victory, no matter how hopeless the situation, has become the hallmark of the team.
Head Coach O’Connell praises Cousins in first meeting
That in turn has a lot to do with the new head coach. Kevin O’Connell joined the Vikings from the Los Angeles Rams before the season. He had won the Super Bowl with the Rams just days before his move as offensive coordinator.
Proclaiming the same goal in Minneapolis would certainly still be presumptuous at the moment. First of all, it is important to survive the Wild Card Round against the New York Giants (Sun., 10:20 p.m. live on ProSieben and in the live stream).
Undoubtedly, O’Connell sparked renewed euphoria in the Vikings and instilled renewed confidence in the team, especially quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“He encouraged me in front of the whole team,” Cousins is quoted as saying on ESPN. “I sat there and I was like, ‘Wow, he’s just complimenting me like that.’ That was cool.”
But not only he was praised, the new coach also encouraged other players in front of the assembled team, Cousins said.
Pass from Cousins to Jefferson as motivation
The 34-year-old, currently in his 11th NFL season, was referring to O’Connell’s (37) first-ever team meeting with his new players. He showed a video of a pass from Cousins to wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Cousins throws the ball far forward under great pressure at Jefferson, who crowns the play with a catch.
The video showed a Vikings play against the Los Angeles Chargers last season. But it could also be from this season. Because the Cousins/Jefferson duo has lost none of its congeniality.
Both – quarterback and receiver – not only put on fantastic values. They also delight the fans with spectacular moves. An example of this is Jefferson’s incredible catch in the game with the Buffalo Bills, when he caught the ball under great pressure, falling backwards and using only one hand.
It was – and this also stands for the new Vikings – the catch that put them back into play with the Bills in the fourth quarter. With the drive they caught up in the final phase and took the lead. In the end there was a 33:30 victory after extra time.
No team has managed to do that as well as the Vikings this season to keep their nerves in the crucial moments.
Vikings rev up at crunch time
Cousins and his team turned the game eight times (!) in the last quarter and won eleven times with just one score. With 1,139 yards in the last quarters, Cousins ranks second among quarterbacks. His eleven touchdowns in that period are second to none.
Overall, the 4,547 yards is his second best season in the NFL. He is fourth in the quarterback rankings in that category this season.
Even more impressive are Jefferson’s numbers. With 1,809 receiving yards, he not only leads this statistic in the NFL. He also ranks number one with ten games for 100 yards.
So there should only be a few offensive teams in the postseason that can hold a candle to the Vikings.
Defensively the sore spot of the Vikings
It’s different defensively. With the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals, only two teams have conceded more points in the regular season than the Vikings (427).
Only three times have they kept their opponents – the Bears, the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders – below 20 points.
That’s actually too bad to really make claims to the Super Bowl. However, one should not commit to it.
It wouldn’t be the first time these Vikings have made the impossible possible.
