The curse that continues to haunt the Vikings

Nate Moller senior sports Writer

The v ikings’ record in onescore games in the regular season: 11-0. The v ikings’ record in one-score games in the playoffs: 0-1.

That’s pretty much all that is needed to sum up yet another season that ended in heartbreaking fashion for the m innesota v ikings. They yet again fell victim to a curse that has haunted their franchise since its inception more than 60 years ago.

Although I tried to keep my expectations in check for the v ikings this year, it was hard to contain my excitement after they continued to pull off exciting win after exciting win in the regular season.

It was after the v ikings found a way to win the “game of the year” against the bills that I really started to believe in this team. After winning by a score of 33-30 to improve to 8-1, it began to feel like this team had a legitimate chance to be a super b owl contender. In past seasons, those close games, like the one in buffalo, were games the v ikings simply couldn’t seem to win. but this year felt different.

Although the v ikings had slip-ups against the c owboys and Lions over the coming weeks, they continued to win close games against respectable teams and seemed like a legitimate contender.

And then came the game against the Indianapolis c olts on d ec. 17 at U. s b ank stadium — a game I attended in-person. The v ikings came in as heavy favorites against the lackluster c olts, with a chance to clinch the n Fc north with a win.

In the first half, the v ikings were atrocious, and they found themselves in a stunning 33-0 deficit at half. What happened in the second, however, was nothing short of magical. The v ikings truly pulled off the impossible, as they battled back to win 39-36 in overtime and completed the biggest comeback in n FL history. The atmosphere at that game was truly unlike any game I have ever attended. After that, I truly believed that this v ikings team was destined for greatness in the playoffs.

After winning two of their last three games to finish the season 13-4, the v ikings secured the three seed in the n Fc and earned themselves a date with the new York Giants in the Wild c ard round. They beat the Giants just a few weeks earlier on c hristmas e ve, and I had the utmost confidence coming into this game.

The first offensive drive resulted in a touchdown for the v ikings, but that would be the only time the v ikings led the whole game. The Giants went on to tear up the v ikings’ defense. o n their first two drives, the Giants scored two touchdowns and tallied 156 yards off of just nine plays. Although the v ikings managed to stay within striking distance, there were a couple of critical plays that were simply head-scratching and contributed to the seven-point loss.

The first of these head scratchers was a critical thirdand-one for the v ikings early in the game with the score tied at seven. The v ikings desperately needed a first down to keep the redhot Giants offense off the field, and instead of running the ball, they drew up a lateral to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who then threw the ball to quarterback Kirk c ousins. c ousins ended up getting dropped for a loss of two yards. Why in the world would you let c ousins use his legs on a third and short, especially when d alvin c ook is one of the best running backs in the league? The v ikings were forced to punt the ball away and subsequently watched the Giants march down the field after this blunder.

The other crucial play happened at the beginning of the fourth quarter with the v ikings trailing 24-21. The v ikings faced a fourth-andone from the Giants’ 16-yard line, and they lined up to go for it. It looked like the v ikings had the first down on a run up the middle, but left tackle c hristian darrisaw jumped before the snap. The ball was moved back, and the v ikings were forced to kick a field goal to tie it instead of having a chance to take the lead.

Then, the biggest head scratcher of them all occurred on the final drive of the game. With the v ikings down seven and facing a fourth and 15 from their own 48-yard line, Kirk c ousins threw a short check down pass to tight end T.J. hockenson for three yards. Although c ousins faced heavy pressure, he needed to give his team a chance. I would have rather had him chuck it up blindly toward Jefferson than to seemingly admit defeat by throwing it underneath to hockenson. Jefferson made some phenomenal catches this year and he might have had another one in him, but now we will never know. The play was so perplexing that after the game, veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson said that “[ c ousins] must not have known what down it was.”

This series of unfortunate events is just another saga in the disappointing life of a v ikings fan. If you really want a list of all the v ikings’ blunders in the playoffs, you would need to talk to my grandparents, as they witnessed the v ikings lose four super b owls in the 1970s. b ut even in my lifetime, this loss hurt just as much as the disappointing losses in the 2010 and 2018 n Fc c hampionship games against the s aints and the e agles.

If the v ikings were just a bad team, it would be a lot easier. but that’s the problem. It seems like the v ikings are always just good enough to build up my hopes, but never good enough to win the super b owl. To prove my point that the v ikings are historically a good football team, they ranked seventh in the n FL in all-time winning percentage coming into the 2022 season. This winning percentage is better than the 49ers, steelers and Giants — all teams that have at least four super b owls. The v ikings, however, have nothing to show for their stellar winning percentage.

I could continue ranting for days about the v ikings and pointing fingers at various players, coaches and front office employees. I’ve realized now, though, that maybe it isn’t any one specific person or group of people. It seems to be something bigger than that. For whatever reason, the m innesota v ikings are a franchise that is always destined for failure in the playoffs, regardless of how good they are in the regular season. The v ikings are a cursed franchise that might never win a super b owl.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

starling actively looking to run the floor provides a new dimension for a team that has usually looked to slow things down offensively.

With graduate student forward nate Laszewski in foul trouble, Lubin played 22 minutes, his most since november. In that time, he established a post presence on both ends of the floor. Utilizing uncommon strength and quickness for a freshman, he posted 10 points and two blocks while also playing tough on the glass. notre d ame is known as an “old” team, and rightfully so, with five graduate students in their seven-man rotation. b ut starling and Lubin have been improving all season and are ready to make a big impact down the stretch.

Louisville’s troubles cannot be pinpointed to one single facet of the game. The c ardinals rank dead last in the Acc in both points scored and allowed. o ffensively, most of the load has been carried by e l e llis, who leads the team with averages of 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. r emarkably, not a single other c ardinal has averaged double-digit points or more than one assist, shedding some light as to why they have struggled. As a team, Louisville has shot just over 32% from three-point range. Given notre d ame’s difficulties with defending opposing big men around the basket, the Irish will likely pack the paint and dare the c ardinals to beat them from squad looking down the back half of their conference schedule.

“she’s worked so hard,” said Ivey. “she’s very mature for a freshman, understanding what she needs to do on and off the court, and she’s growing

HCC bASketbALL

into playing longer stretches. With the loss of dara, our guards will have to play longer stretches.” notre dame will now start preparations for a road trip to raleigh, north carolina, for their second top-25 matchup of three over the next twelve days. The hosting nc state Wolfpack provided both Ivey’s signature win and most agonizing loss last season– with the Irish notching a major topfive win at home in february and a season-ending sweet 16 loss in march against the ‘Pack in 2022. The nc state game will tip off at 3 p.m. on saturday and will be broadcast on esPn

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu