UPDATE: 01/16/18
Holy moly.......it happened! At least 1 one......the impossible happened. We DIDN'T get our heart broken.....87 different things DIDN'T come together to hand us a brutal loss......they came together to get us an improbable WIN......
SO.....
I'm changing this entry from "Top 5 Reasons The Vikings HAVE To Get To The Super Bowl" to 5 THINGS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN LAST SUNDAY!!!!!!!!! And, now, somehow these things don't sting quite bad. Except, the first one on the list before.......
While I sit here and type, my heart is still VERY much guarded for fear of being broken.....yet again.
However, this Vikings team feels different in that it's not an overwhelming favorite in the minds of most Minnesotans. It more feels like an underdog that just keeps gaining confidence.
That said, I'll keep this Vikings team at arms length to protect against the massive disappointment of an inexplicable loss........and with that, here are my Top 5 reasons they NEED to get to the Super Bowl this year.......
#5 - The Host Team Has Never Been To The Super Bowl.......
To me, the whole theme this year for this Vikings team has been.....long shot....or underdog. Third string QB, back up RB, various line issues and injuries off and on.....all for a team with modest expectations to begin with. SO, WHY NOT the Vikings? No host team has ever been to it's own Super Bowl at home, but let's face it, the Vikings have already defied a boat load of odds, why not this one too!?
#4 - Blair Walsh Missed Field Goal In 2016.......
Blair has been burned at the stake long enough, I have nothing to add here. He's a good dude who missed a MAJOR kick he should've never missed. Sometimes curses get in the way.
#3 - Forty. One. Donut.
This was putrid. Plain and simple. I was already on the road to not caring anymore after 1998 (foreshadowing)
#2 - 2009....The Year Of The Fumble......Oh, And 12th Man In The Huddle....OH, And Throwing Back Across The Body Unnecessarily......
I have this at #2 because of it's enormity, for me personally this didn't hurt as much because I was already pretty jaded and guarded as a fan. However, in my opinion this is the 2nd time the Vikings have squandered a game they absolutely should've won in the NFC Championship. They pummeled New Orleans in about every aspect......except the most important.....the scoreboard.
#1 - The Tale Of 2 Anderson/Andersen's.......
Answer me this......regardless of the teams.....what team is going to win this game 99 out of 100 times.....Team A has a 7 point lead.....has the ball......inside Team B's 20 with less than 2 minutes to go in the game. Which team wins? 99 out of 100 it's Team A. Well, the Vikings are Team B. Will they always be? Hopefully not, hopefully this year, this curse or just these obscure bizarre ways to lose games goes away. Hell, the Cubs won.
I'll never forget the moment Morten Andersen jammed that ball through the uprights. I was watching at a friends house in Vail, CO. I was on one end of a large sectional.....all my buddies were at another end. No one wanted to sit too close to me with so much drama. Morten's kick goes through. I didn't say a word. Grabbed my jacket hanging over the arm rest on the couch, I was seated closest to the door, I got up, and left. Again, didn't say a word to my friends. That was probably the last time I got that upset about sports. I still LOVE LOVE LOVE sports, but this was a lesson learned in not letting them dictate my mood and mental state. (I think I called my buddy who hosted about 5 hours later, not sure how many words weren't cuss words though).
This was a back breaker for me. I STILL maintain the Vikings would've beaten the Broncos that year and FINALLY won their first Super Bowl title.