Vikings Have Mighty Drought with Next Opponent
Dustin Baker
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Although it may not feel like it at times, the Minnesota Vikings have been a tremendous franchise since 2015, ranking seventh-best via win percentage.
Minnesota has toppled every NFL team since the start of 2015 — except one.
And that’s the Indianapolis Colts, a team traveling to Minneapolis for a Week 15 date with the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings haven’t beaten the Colts since 1997, losing six straight showdowns with the AFC foe. Yes, 25 years.
Aside from the Colts, the Vikings longest win-gap between opponents lands on the Kansas City Chiefs, who Minnesota last beat in 2015. All teams not named Chiefs or Colts have been defeated by the Vikings since 2015. Not bad.
The Vikings have also snapped other prolonged droughts in 2022. Before Thanksgiving night, Minnesota hadn’t taken care of business against the New England Patriots since 2000. And then with the Miami Dolphins, the Vikings hadn’t won a road game at Miami since 1976. The Vikings ended that naughty streak in October.
Moreover, in the last two seasons that Minnesota faced Indianapolis, the Vikings decided to play their worst game of the season. In 2016, Mike Zimmer’s Vikings were absolutely lifeless against the Andrew Luck-led Colts, losing at U.S. Bank Stadium 34-6 and effectively eliminating themselves from the 2016 postseason tournament. Then, four years later, the Vikings traveled to Indiana for a Week 2 tryst in 2020 and looked totally anemic, once again, versus the Colts. Fans of the Colts might think the Vikings, on the whole, are a rotten franchise, evidenced by the last two meetings between the clubs.
This year might be different, though. Minnesota is a four-point home favorite, the drought can only last so long, and the Vikings should have added motivation after losing to the Detroit Lions last weekend. That and — the Colts aren’t very good, owning a 4-8-1 (.346) record through 13 weeks.
Overall, the Vikings haven’t toppled the Colts since Kirk Cousins was in second grade. Indianapolis recently seems to find the Vikings at their worst. Perhaps this is the game when weird streaks come to an end.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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