The Minnesota Vikings came into Sunday’s home game vs Denver on a high after winning on the road on Sunday night football in Dallas. The team knew Denver has a top 5 defense so this would be a great chance to see how good the Vikes offense really is. A win would be huge for many reasons including it would be a win going into the bye week with a chance to get some much needed rest.
I got to the game my normal 1.5 hours early and I was so shocked to see as much orange as I did outside the stadium and when I entered it got worse as patches of orange jerseys in seats already. I don’t know a number but if you wanted me to guess I would say 70 percent Vikes to 20 percent Broncos fans and that might be low but I will say the orange does really stick out next to purple.
The fans seems to really be into the game as it was loud but as the half went the noise you heard was booing consistently. It was not a very fun feeling sitting amongst so much booing and honestly I can’t blame fans. There was so much to play for and a home game at that and the first half looked like Denver was the 7-3 team and the Vikes were the 3-6 team.
The first half really seemed to go Denver’s way by getting favorable calls or having a couple time real good pass defense and yet Denver receiver were making the crazy catches. I remember an end around to Broncos receiver, Sutton who stops and cocks his arm and there goes a pass and I see the catch and I shake my head wondering how on earth did they catch that pass? It was a half of my stomach not feeling good with so many things going run for the Vikings whether self-inflicted or not.
The Vikings offense struggled mightily and I saw no sense of hope at the time. The Vikes had ran 18 plays in 5 drives and had four first downs for the half, yes the half. I remember a play call on 2nd and 19 and Minnesota calls for a draw play. You have got to be kidding as even I knew they were going to run the ball and it was things like that that made for an absolutely tough half to watch.
I wasn’t too high on the Vikings defense either letting a quarterback in his first road game ever to look as sharp as he did.
The half mercifully ends and the Vikes are down 20-0and a chorus of boos like I have not heard in a very long time rained down on US Bank Field. You just did not have a good feeling about the game but as they say play a full 60 minutes and we will see what happens.
The first half was brutal but the halftime show of Salute to the Military was priceless and videos of WWII were shown on the jumbo Tron and then five World War II veterans were announced to the crowd one by one. The ages ranged from 95-101 of these WWII survivors as they walked towards the end zone with the exception of one Gentlemen who was brought up by way of wheelchair. The first half was quickly put behind as thousands of fans rose to their feet in cheering for these five. It was an incredible sight and a memory I will treasure for a long time.
I mentioned at half the booing and I forgot to add several fans left the stadium including the two next to me as they left in disgust of the team’s performance.
I wondered what kind of butt chewing at halftime by Coach Zimmer and staff knowing they heard the same booing fans and I heard.
The Vikings finally put together a drive and it’s a Kirk Cousins to Irv Smith Jr which was his first ever NFL TD. The fans in the stadium really seem to give a different sense as it 20-7 and as bad as we played we are not out of it.
The Broncos like they did all game seem to make the plays when needed and this time get a field goal out of it and its 23-7 now two touchdowns and two, two point plays to tie.
The whole first half had Cousins with 58 yards total in the first half but all of a sudden a fake handoff to Dalvin Cook, Cousins rolls to his left and throws a great deep ball and Stefon Diggs runs under it and it 23-13 but the two point failed.
This US Bank Stadium came to its feet yelling and screaming making it so hard to hear. It was such an opposite from the first half but again every time Denver needed a third down conversion they succeeded. It was so frustrating watching the Broncos success as the Vikings defense could not get off the field.
The Vikes did make stops but not as many as I would like to see and on offense funny the Vikes were passing as almost will moving down the field and in the end Dalvin Cook finds the end zone and we are down by three.
Are we going to make this huge comeback win? The Broncos at the time answer almost a no again as the Broncos move it onto field goal range and their kicker, McManus who I feel never misses missed it wide right. Is this a sign?
The Vikes get the ball and move again and funny another fake handoff, Cousins rolled left and down the field was a wide open Kyle Rudolph and I jumped out of my seat seeing that and now hoping Cousins would see him too and he did the Vikes are now up 27-23 coming back from a 20-0 halftime deficit.
The game is far from over as Denver is bound and determined to rip my heart out converting on several 3rd down and long and even one or two 4th down conversions,
There was not a single fan sitting in the final 10 seconds as passes were going to the end zone and all I could do is hold my breath in hopes of failure. I really appreciate the refs letting the players play because I fear there could have been pass interference called. The last play with: 02 seconds left in the game and I see Broncos Quarterback Allen drops back surveys the field and there goes the ball to the far right of the end zone. My heart just sank watching until I see the ball dropped at US Bank went into a frenzy as well as the Vikings players and coaches.
We all just witnessed the tied 4th biggest comeback in team history by the Minnesota Vikings and the first in the last 100 NFL games including playoffs to come back from a 20 point or more halftime deficit.
The Vikes now have a bye week and my heart can rest after watching the Dallas game end on a failed hail marry pass and then the miracle comeback at US Bank. I am too old for this but I do love it.
Thanks for reading
Purplestick
No comments:
Post a Comment