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Minnesota Vikings re-write NFL history in 'unbelievable' 122-year first

Gerard Laws
·Sports Reporter
·4-min read
Kirk Cousins, pictured here after leading the Minnesota Vikings to the biggest comeback in NFL history.

NFL fans have been left in shock after the Minnesota Vikings pulled off the largest comeback in history to secure a 39-36 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings were trailing 33-0 at half-time, but mounted a stunning turnaround after the interval, with star quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing for 417 yards in the second half alone.

Trailing 36-28 late in the fourth quarter, Cousins found Dalvin Cook with a screen pass deep in Minnesota territory, before the running back took the ball 64 yards upfield for a touchdown. The Vikings were successful with their 2-point conversion attempt, with Cousins finding T.J. Hockenson in the end zone to send the game into over-time.

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After both teams failed to score on their first possessions in the extra period, the Vikings drove into field goal range and Greg Joseph nailed a 40-yarder to complete the historic comeback.

Unsurprisingly, NFL fans and pundits were left gobsmacked by the dramatic change in fortunes for the Vikings, with many taking to social media to share their amazement of what they had just witnessed. Even Cousins seemed to be in shock at what he and his teammates had just achieved.

“We just pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history? Okay. I need a second,” Cousins said in a post-game interview. “That doesn’t just happen. Basic people don’t do that, but we just did.”

Patrick Peterson's words of wisdom inspired Vikings

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed some choice words from cornerback Patrick Peterson were behind the inspiration for the comeback. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live,” O’Connell said. “I walked out to join the rest of the team before we went back out there and I just overheard (Petersen) say to the offence, ‘we’re going to get stops, you just need five touchdowns - that’s nothing’.

“And it was a nice little moment for me to lead in right off of, and I said ‘Pat, you’re exactly right’. That’s what we needed at the time and it was probably the most motivated I’ve been to try and challenge our players.

“They knew that regardless of the outcome today, that first half was not good enough and it will never be acceptable to have that kind of performance. Nobody is happier to be NFC North Champions and the way that we earned it, I think it’ll stick with a lot of us for a long time.”

Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan, pictured here after the Minnesota Vikings' win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan look on after the Minnesota Vikings' win over the Indianapolis Colts. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Unfortunately for Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, he is now on the receiving end of the biggest comeback in NFL history, as well as the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Ryan’s Atlanta Falcons infamously lost Super Bowl LI to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots after blowing a 28-3 lead.

The previous biggest comeback in NFL history was held by the Buffalo Bills, who overturned a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in the 1992 playoffs.

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