The final words on the 2022 Minnesota Vikings season will be written in the playoffs. Players and coaches know their NFC North Division crown and thrillingly high (and low) moments of this regular season can be amplified with postseason wins or buried by a quick exit.
"We're right there," said receiver Adam Thielen, who will be making his fourth playoff appearance in 10 seasons. "You have that opportunity, like, we got to do it. We got to go win."
In a campaign full of twists and turns, some moments have stood above the rest to define this regular season. But good luck finding a consensus among a Vikings locker room responsible for a 13-4 season, an NFL-record 11 one-score wins and eight comebacks in the fourth quarters and overtime.
A survey of about a dozen players produced nine different defining moments, even the first loss of the season in Philadelphia. The 24-7 defeat to the Eagles in Week 2 showed Pro Bowl long snapper Andrew DePaola what their special teams could accomplish after blocking an Eagles field-goal attempt and smothering their returners.
"The thing about being one of the good ones is you're going to get everyone's best shot every week," he said. "That's something we've had to live up to and be ready for."
Here are five other moments Vikings players picked that built their reputation this season:
NOV. 13, 2022
Jefferson's 'catch of year' lifts Vikings in Buffalo
The moment sure to last the longest — receiver Justin Jefferson's one-handed grab for 32 yards to convert a fourth-and-18 play, dubbed the "catch of the year" by the NFL — helped the Vikings come back against the Super Bowl-contending Bills in a 33-30 overtime win in Week 10.
Vikings defenders withstood Josh Allen's 414 yards from scrimmage, including 84 rushing yards, by forcing four takeaways, including Eric Kendricks' fumble recovery in the end zone in the final minute of regulation and cornerback Patrick Peterson's game-sealing interception in overtime.