NFL’s Vikings clinch historic NFC North division title, beat Colts 39-36

A historic clinch of the NFC North division title by the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday has put the team back in the playoffs. In overtime, the Vikings stunned the Indianapolis Colts, 39-36, after trailing by 33 points at halftime at a packed U.S. Bank Stadium.

The NFL recorded the largest comeback in its history with 33 points. As of the first 30 minutes, Saturday’s result seemed the furthest thing from what could possibly happen. A blocked kick returned for a touchdown and a pick-six pushed the Colts’ lead to 33-0 at halftime.

In the final two frames, however, quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Vikings made a comeback, culminating in Dalvin Cook’s 64-yard catch and run that pulled Minnesota within two points. The two-point attempt by Cousins was made possible by tight end T.J. Hockenson, forcing overtime.

It didn’t take long for Cousins to drive Minnesota 55 yards on six plays and set up Greg Joseph’s game-winning field goal.

“We just pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history, OK. I need a second,” Cousins said to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero following the victory.

The Vikings won their first division title since 2017 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2019. After earning playoff spots under Mike Zimmer, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has led a Vikings’ comeback, leading the 11-3 team to a division title with three games left.

“Patrick Peterson, I’ll never forget it for as long as I live,” O’Connell said.

“I just overheard him walk over toward the offense and said, ‘We’re going to get stops. You just need five touchdowns. That’s nothing.’ It was a nice little moment for me to lead right in off of.”

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Star QB Matt Ryan couldn’t help the Colts win

Meanwhile, a standout 15-year career has seen Colts quarterback Matt Ryan win an MVP award, be named Offensive Rookie of the Year, and rank seventh all-time in passing yards.

For the second time, Ryan failed to put Indianapolis on top of history as they lost 39-36 at Minnesota on Saturday. After the Vikings rallied from 33 points down to win the game, the 37-year-old quarterback was unable to help the Colts stop them.

In Super Bowl 51, Ryan was also on the losing side of the biggest blown lead in Super Bowl history, a 28-3 advantage for the Atlanta Falcons, which resulted in a 34-28 defeat to the New England Patriots.

“I don’t think anybody had, at least from my perspective, that it was over,” Ryan said.

“I’ve played in this league a long time to know that a lot of different things can happen, anything can happen. You just have to keep your head down and keep going and find ways to make plays when they present themselves.”

NFL

2022-12-17 18:18

BLOCKED PUNT @COLTS TOUCHDOWN. 📺: #INDvsMIN on @NFLNetwork  📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/NLM9jAlP4R https://t.co/V3NVffZxSx

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After halftime, Ryan and the Colts couldn’t make the plays. Chase McLaughlin, who returned the kickoff 48 yards, scored the only touchdown for Indianapolis after halftime with a 52-yard field goal.

Five touchdowns were scored by Minnesota in seven possessions in overtime to complete the comeback. Greg Joseph kicked a field goal from 40 yards to win the game in overtime.