Another week, another white-knuckle Minnesota victory.
If Vikings fans were hoping for a stress-free Christmas Eve against the Giants, they didn’t get what they wanted. Such is life in Minnesota this season.
But once more, the Vikings found a way to get it done, pulling out a thrilling 27-24 home victory over New York on a 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph on the final play of the game. Minnesota improved to 11-0 this season in one-possession games with the victory.
And, as expected, Vikings radio play-by-play announcer Paul Allen came through with another exuberant call on the clutch kick. Minnesota (12-3) already had claimed the NFC North division title last week.
Given all the close games the Vikings have been involved in this season, Allen’s exuberant calls have become commonplace. The veteran announcer has been calling the team’s games since 1995 but has never been a part of a season quite like this one.
Minnesota’s 11 victories by a margin of less that one score is the most in NFL history in a single season. The Vikings’ only win that has come by more than eight points happened all the way back in Week 1 with their 23-7 win over the Packers.
Three of Minnesota’s wins this season have come on the final play of the game. In eight of their 11 one-score victories, they’ve trailed in the fourth quarter. Despite their impressive 12-3 record, the Vikings have only outscored their opponents by a combined five points all season, 378-373.
There’s plenty of talk that the Vikings won’t succeed when the postseason arrives. But given what we’ve seen through the first 16 weeks, they will make things entertaining whenever they take the field.
