As a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan for over 35 years, I could try to laugh through the pain and tell you how we’ve become numb to the relentless string of bad luck that’s been thrust upon us since day one. But that would be a lie.
The truth is, we—myself included—know exactly how much the football gods seem to have it out for the Minnesota Vikings. And honestly, I’m growing more and more aware of how other teams and fanbases seem to benefit from the endless series of unfortunate events that have plagued our team for decades.
Take, for instance, the fact that before 2010, NFL playoff overtimes were sudden death. It didn’t matter who had the ball first or whether the first score was a field goal, safety, or touchdown—the first team to score won the game.
Of course, that sounds insane now, but it’s not hard to imagine a “hypothetical” scenario where such a rule could lead to disaster. Picture this: your favorite team is in one of the most epic NFC Championship games of all time, a high-scoring shootout marred only by an outrageous number of turnovers from both sides.
As the game progresses, it’s clear this will be one of those nail-biting, “whoever has the ball last wins” kind of matchups. We’re talking about a brutal, high-stakes battle, with two Hall of Fame quarterbacks fighting tooth and nail for a shot at the elusive Lombardi Trophy. As it often goes in these legendary playoff games, the score is still tied after four quarters, and it’s time for overtime.
Now, let’s set the stage a bit more: one of the quarterbacks has just thrown a boneheaded, game-changing interception across his body with less than 10 seconds left in regulation. And so, the game heads into overtime with the score… let’s just call it 28-28.
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