Daily Norseman
To Err is Human. Ask a Vikings Fan.
We’ve officially entered the (relatively) quiet portion of the offseason. Minicamps and OTAs will soon be here, but not yet. Same with the NFL schedule release. Chris, Mark, Warren, et al. have done the usual excellent job of covering where we stand. So, in the meantime, let’s have some fun with this one – and by “fun” I mean laugh at our collective anguish.
The term “a trip down memory lane” usually evokes enjoyable or pleasant experiences. Not for Minnesota Vikings fans. More often than not, memory lane entails a carrot of hope, followed by crushing heartbreak. Rinse. Repeat. It’s the hope that distinguishes us from other tortured fan bases (Browns, Lions, etc.) and makes the psychological damage cut deeper. Historically, we rarely bottom-out. We have the 4th highest winning percentage in the Super Bowl era. Of course, every other team in the Top 10 has at least 2 Super Bowl victories. That’s the problem. It’s about being just good enough to believe, to rationalize a path to a Super Bowl without setting up camp outside the boundaries of reality. Not including the move up last year to grab J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings have only drafted in the Top 10...drumroll…9 times since 1980.
With that in mind, it takes a certain amount of time and currency as a fan for a loss to truly gash your will and break your spirit. So, for the purposes of this personal list, I’ll start it in the mid-1990s. Thirty years of pain is enough. So, without further ado – for debate, agreement, disagreement, rage, tears (none of joy) – here is my Top 10 ranking of the most devastating Vikings losses.
Some context: These rankings are based off what I remember feeling at the time, not what subsequent years may have done to intensify or dilute a particular heartbreak.
#10 – Hey it Happened Once, Why Not Again? 1997 Divisional Round (January 3, 1998) (San Francisco 38, Minnesota Vikings 22): It’s utterly ridiculous in hindsight, but I actually thought the playoff magic in San Francisco 10 years prior was poised for a repeat. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. The thrilling come from behind road victory over the Giants in the Wild Card round, where we scored 10 points in the final 1 ½ minutes, did nothing to alter my delusional state. Neither did the fact that it was our first playoff win since the 1988 season. This was gonna be great! A magical run! Yeah…no. In the end, it wasn’t even as close as the score. It felt lousy. I was deflated. Oh, if I only knew what was coming in 12 months.
#9 - Cousins Era Begins, No Playoffs, Everything Sucks: 2018 Week 17 (December 30, 2018) (Chicago Bears 24, Minnesota Vikings 10): I was so pumped for the 2018 season. In other news, I’m an idiot. Kirk Cousins was supposed to be the missing piece, the guy who finally got us...
