The Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North division in a dramatic manner on Saturday, securing their spot in this season's playoffs.
In front of a rowdy US Bank Stadium crowd, the Vikings rallied from a 33-point halftime gap to shock the Colts, 39-36, in overtime. This comeback is the biggest in NFL history, according to the league's official website.
Saturday's Vikings comeback that led to a stunning ending was the last thing on anyone's mind after the first half. A blocked punt returned for a score, and a pick-six helped the Colts to a commanding 33-0 lead at halftime.
Dalvin Cook's 64-yard grab and run in the fourth quarter and overtime had the Vikings within two points, but Kirk Cousins and Minnesota staged a remarkable comeback in the last two quarters. For the extra point, Cousins found T.J. Hockenson, his tight end.
The Vikings 33 Point Comeback against the Colts in 100 seconds pic.twitter.com/TxGn8jmzeE
— Frankie G (@FrankieG1998) December 17, 2022
After that, both teams punted twice before Cousins drove the Vikings 55 yards in six plays for the game-winning field goal by Greg Joseph.
Penalties Plagued Colts
In a post-game interview, Cousins admitted that their first half "was a disaster" but they were able to bounce back. "A lot of phases, a lot of plays, a lot of plays I'd love to have back in the second half, too, but we'll take it," he remarked.
In his postgame press conference, interim Colts head coach Jeff Saturday blamed the team's demise on sloppy play and penalties. "We just had too many of those [penalties] on both sides of the ball," adding that there is enough room for blame on what happened.
According to CBS Sports, the 11 penalties committed by the Colts cost them 103 yards. Ifeadi Odenigbo, a former Viking, was cited for delay of the game on the second-to-last play of the match in overtime for trying to prevent the Vikings from returning to the scrimmage line to spike the football prior to the game-winning field goal. Thus, the field goal attempt was reduced from 45 yards to 40 yards.
Vikings Coach Reveals What Happened During Halftime
After having one of the worst halves of any NFL team this year, the Vikings went into the locker room. They came into the game with a 10-3 record and a share of the division lead within reach.
What cornerback Patrick Peterson said to the offense may have seemed crazy at the moment, but Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed it to be the truth, per Fox News.
Coach O'Connell remarked that he will "never forget" what transpired at the dugout during halftime. He was about to address the team before returning to the field when he overheard Peterson discussing offense, saying, "We're going to get stops."
The Minnesota Vikings head coach said that Peterson told his teammates: "You just need five touchdowns. That's nothing."
Then O'Connell realized that it was a "nice little moment to lead in," and reinforced Peterson's remarks.
"Pat, you're exactly right." That's what we needed at the time," he said. The Vikings needed five touchdowns to win and the Colts had to be held scoreless to make a Vikings comeback happen.
Cousins believed Peterson was being sarcastic in his motivational speech. He described the atmosphere at halftime as having some shouting and rage. However, what they discussed was what they did in the second half.
As the Vikings celebrated their comeback victory, standout receiver Justin Jefferson, who scored one of the team's second-half touchdowns, said that he was aware that the team frightened their fans in the first half.
