Up until Sunday, there was the strong possibility that the Minnesota Vikings could have become the first NFL team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. Even the league hadn't anticipated something like this, judging from the scramble to get U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis ready for the big event.
Now the Vikings are back to being merely hosts, having concluded their season by losing the NFC championship game to the Eagles in Philadelphia 38-7. The way they played, they might as well not have shown up.
The Eagles proved why they were the NFC's top seeded team for most of the season with a better defense, a serious chip on their shoulders from being overlooked, and Nick Foles turning out to be the better substitute quarterback than the Vikings' Case Keenum. The Eagles will now face the defending champion New England Patriots, who continue to make history by coming back to defeat the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC title game.
Looking back, the Vikings' 13-3 division title winning regular season and playoff push hinged on a few factors: Keenum having a career year in relief of Sam Bradford, an improved offensive line and a great defense. They also benefited from getting breaks such as sending Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the sidelines with a collarbone injury, having a relatively weak schedule, and the so-called "Minneapolis Miracle". That one involved Keenum throwing a last-second heave to Stefon Diggs for the game-winning touchdown in the divisional playoff over New Orleans. Of course, if the Saints hadn't come back from a 17-point deficit to take the lead, none of this would have been necessary.
For next season, the Vikings have a lot of decisions to make, such as which quarterback to keep or say goodbye to. Keenum, Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater are all eligible for free agency, along with several other players on the roster. Coach Mike Zimmer also has to decide who his next offensive coordinator will be, because Pat Shurmur has been named the New York Giants' new head coach.
Was this Vikings season a fluke, or is this the best the team is going to get for the foreseeable future? It's been four decades since they last played in a Super Bowl, and they've lost the conference championship game six consecutive times. It would require another miracle to break the habit of turning in bad performances when a championship is on the line, and your fan base is subjected to yet another year of "wait 'til next year". This is where the Minnesota Vikings are today.
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Now our official Super Bowl pick: Patriots over Eagles.
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