Don’t Forget the Ravens Jinx for the Vikings
You may not know about it if you don’t spend much time on social media, but there’s a Minnesota Vikings jinx in full effect regarding the Baltimore Ravens. It goes like this: when the Vikings beat the Ravens in a given season, they later visit the NFC Championship. When they lose to Baltimore, the head coach is fired in the same year.
Have you heard the good news? There’s a real Baltimore Ravens jinx — sometimes a curse — regarding the Minnesota Vikings. It’s undefeated and battle-tested.
And it’s like clockwork.
The bellwether event embarks on its next chapter this weekend as Kevin O’Connell and Co. host John Harbaugh’s squad.
The Vikings-Ravens Curse: Explained
You don’t have to believe in curses, but this one is an undeniable coincidence.
Vikings Beat BAL = NFC Title Game
The Ravens, formerly the Cleveland Browns, moved to Baltimore in 1996, and since, they have played the Vikings seven times. And, yes, every Minnesota-Baltimore showdown turns into a bellwether event for the Vikings in retrospect.
In the three seasons since 1996, when Minnesota defeated Baltimore, it visited the NFC Championship.
The occasions:
- 1998 — MIN Win (NFCC appearance)
- 2009 — MIN Win (NFCC appearance)
- 2017 — MIN Win (NFCC appearance)
Beat Baltimore and later visit the NFC title game has been the retroactive mission statement in the last three decades.
Vikings Lose to BAL = HC Fired
Now, for the [un]fun part.
In seasons when Minnesota loses to Baltimore, well, the head coach ultimately gets canned. No exceptions.
The occasions:
- 2001 — MIN Lose (Dennis Green fired)
- 2005 — MIN Lose (Mike Tice fired)
- 2013 — MIN Lose (Leslie Frazier fired)
- 2021 — MIN Lose (Mike Zimmer fired)
There’s a small caveat in 2001 to note: Minnesota fired Green before the Ravens game, the final contest of 2001. But on the whole, the pattern stands: beat BAL, go to the title game; lose — and the coach is no more.
Here’s the full system since 1996:
- 1998 — MIN Win (NFCC appearance)
- 2002 — MIN Lose (Dennis Green fired)
- 2005 — MIN Lose (Mike Tice fired)
- 2009 — MIN Win (NFCC appearance)
- 2013 — MIN Lose (Leslie Frazier fired)
- 2017 — MIN Win (NFCC appearance)
- 2021 — MIN Lose (Mike Zimmer fired)
Clockwork.
Different Situation This Year?
Of course, there’s no guarantee that the pattern continues in 2025. O’Connell emphatically is not on the hot seat. In the previous examples, when Minnesota lost, the head coach’s job security was suspect.
Meanwhile, through nine weeks, the Vikings don’t truly feel like an NFC Championship team, at least not yet. Still, that’s what the Ravens jinx is for, right? Perhaps O’Connell and Co. will topple Baltimore and continue a sweet winning streak.
Oddsmakers Expect Minnesota to Lose
After Minnesota downed Detroit on Sunday, sportsbooks decided that it would be a 3.5-point home underdog when facing Lamar Jackson’s squad. That point spread has since ballooned to 4.5.
Fans will monitor the injury status of running back Aaron Jones this week; he didn’t practice on Wednesday because of shoulder and toe injuries. If he’s healthy, the line may shrink to 3.5.
Generally speaking, though, Vegas isn’t high on the Vikings this week, so it will need another upset — just like beating the Lions in Week 9 — to prove the naysayers wrong.
John Harbaugh on Facing Brian Flores’ Defense
Reporters asked Baltimore skipper John Harbaugh this week about facing Flores and his former team, the Miami Dolphins, and Flores’ blitz-happy scheme.
Harbaugh replied, “We’re probably focused more on the last four games than four years ago, but we certainly remember that game. It definitely was a key game in the evolution of the offense, for sure, handling zero blitz, and they still run some of those blitzes, but they’re much more evolved now.”
“They do all kinds of different things, and they disguise their blitzes probably more than they used to, and he is running different variations where he is running simulated pressures, he’s running four-man rushes with both inside backers coming, and he’s playing man or zone behind it. He still does the zero stuff, too. You have to be prepared for everything. Offensively, we have all the tools to do that.”
And Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell on Jackson: “There’s a reason why he’s an MVP-caliber player. It’s not just the skill set to cause so many problems athletically; he’s an elite thrower of the football. We’re going to have to be as good as we’ve been all season.”
“I want to make sure the guys on the back end are plastering in coverage and understanding that some of the big plays that they make are not how they were drawn up.”
Remember the Ravens jinx on Sunday — it’s undefeated in 28 years. Seven bellwether outcomes.
You must be logged in to post a comment.