The Vikings offense managed five touchdown drives on their nine second-half possessions, then drove for a field goal in the closing moments of overtime.

By Star Tribune staff

December 18, 2022 at 5:56AM

Adam Thielen, barely heard from for most of Saturday’s game, made his presence felt with a fourth-quarter touchdown catch that got the Vikings to within eight points of the Colts. (Alex Kormann, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

One joke heard at halftime Saturday with the Vikings down 33-0 to the Colts was, "At least they get the ball to start the second half." They promptly went three-and-out. From there, though?

THIRD QUARTER

Indianapolis 33, Vikings 7 (8:22 left in quarter): K.J. Osborn got the Vikings going at last with a 63-yard catch before getting the team on the board with a 2-yard TD reception.

Indianapolis 36, Vikings 7 (4:53): The Colts responded with Connor McLaughlin's fifth field goal of the day, this one from 52 yards, but they never scored again.

Indianapolis 36, Vikings 14 (1:13): An eight-play, 75-yard drive ended with C.J. Ham's 1-yard touchdown run, taking only 3:40 off the clock.

FOURTH QUARTER

Indianapolis 36, Vikings 21 (12:53 left in quarter): After a Colts three-and-out, the Vikings took advantage of a personal foul to go 61 yards on six plays, ending with Justin Jefferson's seventh TD catch of the year to start the fourth quarter.

Indianapolis 36, Vikings 28 (5:30): The Colts couldn't capitalize on an interception, promptly punting the ball back, and the Vikings made it a one-score game by driving 50 yards, with Adam Thielen catching a 1-yard TD pass.

Indianapolis 36, Vikings 36 (2:15): The Vikings were stopped on fourth-and-15, but they burned their timeouts on another Colts three-and-out and got the ball back down eight with 2:28 to go. It took the Vikings one play to tie the score; Dalvin Cook turned a screen into a 64-yard touchdown, and Kirk Cousins then found T.J. Hockenson for a tying two-point conversion. The Vikings had tied it up before the two-minute warning.

OVERTIME

Vikings 39, Indianapolis 36 (0:03 left in OT): Both teams stalled at the end of regulation and overtime. The Vikings got the ball back with 1:41 left at their own 18 and promptly got a 6-yard Cook run, a 15-yard Osborn catch and a 21-yard Thielen reception. A 13-yard catch by Jefferson put the Vikings in decent field-goal range, a 5-yard penalty moved them even closer and Greg Joseph booted a 40-yarder to complete the greatest comeback in NFL history.