Vikings Beat Colts for Biggest Comeback in NFL History

Cousins was intercepted, but the Colts could not convert the turnover into points. The Vikings came back yet again when Cousins threw a 1-yard pass to receiver Adam Thielen to narrow the Colts’ lead to 8 points after another successful extra point.

On the following drive, the Vikings appeared to tie the game when cornerback Chandon Sullivan snagged a fumble and ran into the end zone. But the officials had ruled that the runner was down by contact. Though a review showed that the runner had fumbled the ball and Sullivan had recovered it, Minnesota was not awarded the touchdown. The Vikings took over, but their drive stalled.

The Colts seemed in good position to run out the clock, but Ryan failed to convert a quarterback sneak on fourth down, giving the Vikings another shot with just over two minutes remaining.

“We would have closed the game out and ended the game,” Colts Coach Jeff Saturday said after the game. “I’m in. Everybody’s in. We didn’t convert.”

Ryan’s inability to grab a first down was reminiscent of Super Bowl LI, when he and the Falcons failed to convert a first down that allowed the New England Patriots to erase a 28-3 deficit, the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.

After the Vikings took over with just over two minutes remaining, running back Dalvin Cook sprinted 64 yards for a score. Cousins then hit tight end T.J. Hockenson for a two-point conversion to tie the game. In all, Cousins was 34 for 54 for 460 yards, with 417 yards accumulated after halftime.

It wasn’t quite the “Minneapolis Miracle” — when the Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints on a Stefon Diggs touchdown as time expired in a 2018 playoff game — but it was thrilling nonetheless.

After the game, Cousins said that he thought Peterson was “being sarcastic” when he called for five touchdowns. But, in the end, he was happy to create a miracle of his own.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/17/sports/football/vikings-colts-comeback-nfl-history.html