Heartbreak NFL — reflections of a loyal Vikings fan

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It’s that time again, when football fans fret that their team will crack under postseason pressure. Stress runs especially high for fans of teams with a history of letdowns. And in the Super Bowl era, the postseason is most fraught for the longsuffering fans of the Minnesota Vikings — the oldest team in American professional sports without a title — who on Monday evening will embark on their 32nd playoff quest for that elusive Lombardi Trophy.

Granted, other fans merit honorable mention. Take loyalists of the Detroit Lions or Cleveland Browns, longtime NFL franchises yet to reach the Super Bowl, let alone win it, or the diehard fans of the Buffalo Bills, who like the Vikes are 0-4 in Super Bowls.

But by the measure of loyalty in the face of dashed hopes, no one — not even Bills fans — can hold a candle to Vikings fans. The supporting evidence could fill this newspaper.

Take total playoff losses. The Vikings are tied for first. They have made the playoffs 31 times since Super Bowl I, but have lost four Super Bowls, six NFC Championship games and another 21 contests.

The Vikes share “first honors” with the Dallas Cowboys, who have five Super Bowl rings to show for their 31 losses. Next in line are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who along with their 27 losses have hoisted six Lombardi Trophies. Rounding out the top tier are the Los Angeles Rams (24 losses), Green Bay Packers (23 losses), and San Francisco 49ers (23 losses) — all teams with multiple titles. You get the idea.

Yet Minnesota’s pain and suffering is not limited to leading the NFL in playoff losses. It’s how the wheels have come off.

Take 1998. The Vikes went 15-1, set a record for points scored, and were heavy favorites to win it all — only to fall apart in the NFC Championship, losing to the Atlanta Falcons 30-27 in overtime. How? Well, there’s the touchdown pass that Randy Moss dropped and the Randall Cunningham fumble that the Falcons converted. But above all, it was Gary Anderson’s miss (by a foot) of a 39-yard field goal that would have put the Vikes up by 10 with two minutes to go. Anderson had not missed in two years.

Then there’s 2009, when Brett Favre led Minnesota to the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints. Despite being battered by “Bounty Gate” and several Adrian Peterson fumbles, the Vikes were in field-goal range and poised to win with 19 seconds left. But then they got hit with a 12-men-on-the-field penalty, and Favre threw an interception. The Saints won in overtime.

Or how about 1975, the height of the Bud Grant era? With 32 seconds to go, Roger Staubach unleashed a 50-yard miracle touchdown pass to Drew Pearson, leaving Vikings fans stunned by a 17-14 upset. As Staubach recounted, “I closed my eyes” and threw up a prayer. Ever since, the origin of the “Hail Mary” pass has been a Vikings loss.

To be sure, the Vikings have a storied history of Minneapolis Miracles. Yet that, in part, is why their fans’ trauma has no rival. No other fan base in football has endured such heartbreak in the face of such promise. Some call their loyalty naive, like Charlie Brown trusting Lucy not to yank away the football (“fool me once … ”). A weaker lot would certainly throw in the towel.

But we are Vikings. We are strong. We remain faithful. We know that things worth having are worth waiting for. We will never give up hope that our team will one day bring the Lombardi Trophy home. And it will be all the sweeter for the suffering.

The Vikes enter this post-season with a 14-3 record — among the league’s top teams. May 2024 be the year that our prayers are finally answered, the “curse” finally broken. Regardless, we will stay true. Skol, Vikings, Skol!

Steffen N. Johnson, of Arlington, Va., and East Gull Lake, Minn., is an attorney and lifelong Vikings fan.