The Minnesota Vikings mounted the biggest comeback in NFL history in a wild game Saturday.
Down 33-0 to the Indianapolis Colts at half time, the Vikings led by quarterback Kirk Cousins turned their fortunes around at U.S. Bank Stadium to complete a 39-36 victory.
FINAL: The @Vikings cap off the largest comeback ever to clinch the NFC North! #INDvsMIN #SKOL pic.twitter.com/U71cefWwzV
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2022
The rally by the home team featured some big plays, including Cousins connecting with tight end T.J. Hockenson for a two-point conversion after a touchdown with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter to tie the game 36-36, leading to overtime.
2-Point conversion is GOOD. It's tied 36-36!
📺: #INDvsMIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/NLM9jAlP4R pic.twitter.com/NHZK0Q9Eex— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2022
Vikings kicker Greg Joseph sealed victory for his team in the final seconds of the game with a 40-yard field goal.
“I know we scared y’all in the first half,” said Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in a clip posted by the NFL’s Twitter account. “But stick with us. We’re going to hold y’all on our back. We’re going to fight to the end.”
"I know we scared y'all in the first half." 😂@JJettas2 | @Vikings pic.twitter.com/1qhNWu2Pxc
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2022
The Vikings broke the record set by the Buffalo Bills during a 1992 wild card playoffs game. In that contest, the Bills overcame a 32-point deficit against the Houston Oilers in what became known as “The Comeback.”
The Vikings, now with a 11-3 record, clinched a trip to the playoffs atop the NFC North division. The Colts fell to 4-9-1, losing four out of the last five games since Jeff Saturday took over as interim coach.
Matt Ryan has now been on the losing end of both the largest comeback in Super Bowl history and the largest comeback in NFL history 😧 pic.twitter.com/yuZNm7s3r0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 17, 2022
ESPN’s “Sports Center” marked the Colts’ defeat with a tweet about quarterback Matt Ryan. “Matt Ryan has now been on the losing end of both the largest comeback in Super Bowl history and the largest comeback in NFL history,” the tweet said.
That was a reference to the Super Bowl in 2017, when the New England Patriots came back from a 28-3 score to win the championship against the Atlanta Falcons.