Minnesota Vikings Fans: Enjoy the Playoff Ride

When the Minnesota Vikings enter U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday (Jan. 15) to begin what will hopefully be a lengthy playoff journey, fans will likely be fixated on the possibility of a Super Bowl victory. The team will take on the New York Giants in the Wild Card matchup, and the Vikings are favored to win.

The hope is warranted. The team has enjoyed a fantastic season with quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm. They might not have the respect they deserve around the NFL, as they’re certainly not Super Bowl favorites, but their route to the Super Bowl seems possible, with the Giants, 49ers and Eagles, especially if Jalen Hurts is still injured.

The desire is there, too, among fans. I mean, the the Vikings have appeared in four Super Bowls – 1970, 1974, 1975, and 1977 – and have lost each one. Will they ever win a Super Bowl in our lifetime? Maybe this is the year.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has certainly turned this team around- and quickly. His first day on the job, he reportedly played film from the spring of 2022. He wanted everyone to know how much he respected Cousins.

“I remember him saying to everyone in that room that it takes a special ability to sit here, stare down the barrel, get hit in the face and throw with accuracy,” Cousins told ESPN. “He was empowering me in front of the whole team. That was kind of a funny moment where I was sitting there like, ‘Wow. He’s kind of just complimenting me and encouraging me.’ That was cool. He was doing it for a few other guys too. He didn’t just single me out. But those kinds of moments just empower you as a person and a player.”

Cousins added, “You feel like he’s not just building a football team. He’s building people.”

Will the positivity and motivation be enough to win a Super Bowl, O’Connell’s first year on the job? Time will tell. But, fans, enjoy the moment.