The Lessons Learned from Vikings Remarkable Comeback
Jonathan Haak
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The Lessons Learned from Vikings Remarkable Comeback
Some profound lessons need to be learned about this Vikings team after Saturday. These are lessons that each of us needs to understand going forward to enjoy this team fully and to keep our health –- both mental and physical -– in check as we watch the franchise close out the season and enter the playoff dance.
The Lessons Learned from Vikings Remarkable Comeback
1. Never Count Them Out
We knew this team was capable of great comebacks, and we knew this team was capable of always showing fight.
Double-digit deficits in the 4th quarter against Detroit, Washington, and Buffalo were erased en route to impressive come-from-behind victories. So, we’ve seen this team show resilience in the face of adversity, and we’ve seen them keep their heads up when faced with long odds.
But Saturday’s Colts game was something different — something special.
Kirk Cousins worded it perfectly in his postgame interview, “Basic people don’t do things like that.”
This was the largest come-from-behind victory in NFL history. In NFL history. It does not matter what happens to this team; it does not matter what the score is; it does not matter what setbacks this team suffers. Do not count them out until the final whistle.
They believe in themselves to a level that carries them, to a level that pushes them to achieve feats that many might consider impossible. For most teams, that type of comeback is impossible. But for these 2022 Vikings, it’s just another piece of evidence that this team is special.
2. They’re Impossible to Understand
Don’t ask me to explain what happened on Saturday. Don’t ask anyone to explain what happened on Saturday. If anyone tells you they understand what happened, they are lying to your face.
The first half against Indianapolis was possibly the worst half in Vikings history. We thought we were on the edge of history, but not in a good way. Down 33-0, most of us were turning off our TVs, tearing our hair out, or practicing our pronunciation of common curse words –- although hopefully not in front of the kids.
When the 2nd half started, we may have been expecting a better effort from Minnesota, but nothing like what actually transpired.
Outscoring a team 39-3 in the 2nd half, after being outscored 33-0 in the first half, doesn’t make any sense.
But guess what? This team doesn’t make sense, and they haven’t all season.
10-0 in single-score games? Check. 11-3 with a +2 point differential? Check. Multiple come-from-behind victories in the 4th quarter? Also check. None of that makes sense, but that’s just the 2022 Minnesota Vikings. They don’t make sense.
3. This Season Is Magical. Enjoy It.
None of it makes sense, but guess what? It doesn’t have to. We don’t have to understand this team to enjoy the magical season they are having. And it is magical.
These types of results don’t happen without magic. A season like this is one in a thousand, and we must enjoy it while it lasts. Will it end with a first-round playoff exit? Hopefully not. A Superbowl berth? A victory? That’s the dream.
But regardless of what happens, this season has been awesome, and life is about finding joy wherever we can. This season has provided a ton of opportunities to find joy game in and game out this season, and I don’t think that our Vikings are done providing joy or doing the impossible yet.
Kevin O’Connell said it best, “I will ride with this group until they don’t let us play anymore f***ing games.”
That’s the type of attitude to embrace going forward. This team is incredible, so just appreciate how special they are, how special this season is, and enjoy the ‘impossible’ feat they achieve next.
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