Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates a touchdown pass reception in the game against the Denver Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium, November 17, 2019. /VCG Photo
Fans of the Minnesota Vikings witnessed an epic comeback game as their home team achieved three touchdowns in the second half to overcome a 20-point trail before defeating the Denver Broncos 27-23 at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Thanks to this victory, the Vikings (8-3) are able to follow the Green Bay Packers (8-2) closely in the National Football Conference (NFC) Northern Division.
The Vikings' offense once fell into real trouble as their ground game was totally neutralized. Dalvin Cook, arguably the best running back in today's league only had 26 yards via 11 rushes and that was already over a third of the total yards achieved by the home team (37 yards).
The Vikings scored nothing in the first half but watched the Broncos drop 20 points, engulfing the whole stadium under earthly silence.
Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings looks to pass in the game against the Denver Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium, November 17, 2019. /VCG Photo
Kirk Cousins stood out and dragged the Vikings out of the abyss with his passing. The 31-year-old quarterback completed 29 of 35 passes to throw 319 yards in total, leading to three touchdowns by Stefon Diggs (twice) and Kyle Rudolph.
"It doesn't just happen like that. You have to have character, and as one person texted me, that doesn't happen to basic people. You got to have something to you to be able to bring that back. So I'm proud of my teammates and our coaches for the way they found a plan to get it done," said Cousins after the game, according to ESPN.
How rare is a 20-point comeback game in the NFL? It hasn't happened since the San Francisco 49ers blew such huge first-half lead before they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 38-35 in Week 16 of the 2014 season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, teams that led by 20 points in the first half ended with 400 wins and 13 losses and the record after 2015 was 95-1.
Stefon Diggs (L) of the Minnesota Vikings beats Chris Harris (R) of the Denver Broncos for a touchdown reception in the game at U.S. Bank Stadium, November 17, 2019. /VCG Photo
In the coaching career of Mike Zimmer, head coach of the Vikings, his team lost all eight 20-point trail games. Nonetheless, it was not the first time Cousins has created this kind of miracle. In 2015, he led the Washington Redskins to come back from a 24-0 trail in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The famous "You like that?!" came from Cousins after that game.
"We gave up a couple plays to let them get down there, but typically, we're pretty darn good in the red zone. We went with the same defense all three plays, and guys did a nice job. Part of it is understanding how to play, where to play, body position," said Zimmer, according to ESPN.
Other games on Sunday included (home teams in bold):
Houston Texans 7-41 Baltimore Ravens
Atlanta Falcons 29-3 Carolina Panthers
Dallas Cowboys 35-27 Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars 13-33 Indianapolis Colts
Buffalo Bills 37-20 Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints 34-17 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Jets 34-17 Washington Redskins
Arizona Cardinals 26-36 San Francisco 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals 10-17 Oakland Raiders
New England Patriots 17-10 Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears 7-17 Los Angeles Rams