Vikings rally from 33-0 down to stun Colts in biggest ever NFL comeback (2024)

The Minnesota Vikings completed the biggest comeback in NFL history, erasing a 33-point deficit by beating the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 on Greg Joseph’s 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in overtime Saturday to win the NFC North division in their typical dramatic fashion.

Kirk Cousins passed for 460 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Vikings (11-3), who trailed 36-7 late in the third quarter and became just the third team in league history to win 10 games in a season by eight points or fewer.

“We’re going to grind it out until they tell us there’s no more ball left to play,” coach Kevin O’Connell said.

The Colts (4-9-1) stumbled onto the infamous side of the list, just ahead of the Houston Oilers in the 1992 postseason. They blew a 32-point lead (35-3) and lost to Buffalo (41-38) in overtime.

“When you have chances to put people away, we’ve got to do a better job than we’ve done up until this point,” quarterback Matt Ryan said.

According to Sportradar data, the Vikings became only the second team in 1,551 regular-season or playoff games since 1930 that a team trailed by 30 or more points in and won.

“Nothing fazes us. We showed that in Buffalo,” said cornerback Patrick Peterson, who aided a 33-30 overtime victory over the Bills on 13 November after a 17-point deficit. “We showed that again today.”

The Vikings took this rally all the way to their second possession of overtime. Cousins hit KJ Osborn – who caught the first score and had a career-high 157 yards – for 15 yards. He found Adam Thielen – who had the second of three fourth-quarter touchdown passes – for 21 yards. Then he threw to Justin Jefferson for 13 yards to move into range.

Ifeadi Odenigbo was called for delay of game for lying on Jefferson to try to keep the Vikings from setting up for the kick, putting Joseph 5 yards closer for the winner.

“It’s a special group, a lot of fighters,” Thielen said.

Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday didn’t exactly get conservative in this collapse. Ryan was stopped short on a fourth-and-1 sneak at the Minnesota 36 with 2:19 left in regulation. Then Cousins hit Dalvin Cook for a 64-yard touchdown on a screen pass on the next play and TJ Hockenson for the two-point conversion to tie the game before the two-minute warning.

“We would have closed the game out and ended the game,” Saturday said. “I’m in. Everybody’s in. We didn’t convert.”

Outscored 33-0 in the fourth quarter of their most recent game, a 54-19 loss to Dallas on 4 December, the Colts came back fresh from their bye week and stunned the Vikings with a 33-0 halftime lead that was the second-largest in the NFL this season. Cincinnati led Carolina 35-0 on 6 November.

The intermission deficit for Minnesota was the second-biggest in franchise history, behind a 45-10 score at Seattle in 2002.

“I know that there’s other games that don’t end like that. It was just cool to see everybody battle back and I’m just happy that I get to share this moment with my teammates, “linebacker Eric Kendricks said, wiping off tears.

The last team to overcome a deficit of 24-plus points to win a regular season game was Washington over Tampa Bay in 2015, when Cousins was the quarterback. The previous regular season comeback record was 28 points in 1980, when San Francisco rallied from down 35-7 to win 38-35.

The special teams units bore the brunt of the brutal start for the Vikings. Dallis Flowers returned the opening kickoff 49 yards, and the Colts were in scoring position within seconds.

Odenigbo plowed past two blockers and sideswiped Ryan Wright’s punt with his right arm. JoJo Domann caught the deflected ball and returned it 24 yards for the too-easy score and a 10-0 lead.

Then with the Vikings trailing 20-0, coach Kevin O’Connell ordered a fake punt on fourth-and-1 from their own 31. Wright’s pass sailed over Jalen Nailor’s head for a second straight turnover on downs.

Jefferson left the game twice for brief examination following jarring hits to the chest. On the second occurrence, Stephon Gilmore also got him in the facemask and drew an unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth quarter.

Both times after Jefferson left the game, Cousins threw to Jalen Reagor on the next play and was intercepted after an apparent miscommunication on the routes. The first one was returned by Julian Blackmon for a 17-yard touchdown that made it 30-0 in the second quarter.

Jefferson had 12 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown and raised his season total to 1,623 receiving yards. Calvin Johnson’s all-time record of 1,964 yards was set in 16 games in 2012.

Baltimore Ravens 3-13 Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson dropped to a knee for the third time to extinguish the final seconds. He turned and walked alone, taking a few steps before tilting his head back screaming into the frosty air.

This win meant a little bit more.

“It was special,” he said.

Watson threw a touchdown pass in his home debut for Cleveland, leading the Browns to an ugly 13-3 win on Saturday over the Baltimore Ravens, who need injured star quarterback Lamar Jackson to get back quickly.

In his third game after serving an 11-game NFL suspension for alleged sexual misconduct, Watson wasn’t spectacular. But he did enough to help the Browns (6-8) keep their miniscule playoff hopes alive while knocking the Ravens (9-5) off stride.

Baltimore had won six of seven. But the loss knocked the Ravens out of first in the AFC North, dropping them a half-game back of Cincinnati pending the Bengals’ game at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Before he left the field, Watson let all his emotions pour out.

“It was a lot,” Watson said, explaining his feelings at the conclusion. “Just to be able to get my first victory in my first home start, just to get a victory against a tough divisional team. Last week we wanted that one, and it didn’t go our way.

“It was me just soaking in the moment and releasing all the energy and the happiness I had in myself. I just wanted yell that and scream that out. I feel like everyone needs that every once in a while.”

Watson, who connected with Donovan Peoples-Jones on a 3-yard TD pass in the third quarter, left FirstEnergy Stadium with a game ball tucked under his right arm.

Watson finished 18 of 28 for 161 yards, and added 22 on the ground. He’s still not close to playing like a three-time Pro Bowler or franchise QB, but there’s no doubt he’s getting better every time.

“He’s trending upward, which we knew he would do,” said Browns star Myles Garrett, who had one and a half sacks. “He’s a baller.”

Miami Dolphins 29-32 Buffalo Bills

Tyler Bass hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired, and the Buffalo Bills clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth on a snow-slick field in rallying to a 32-29 win over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night.

The Bills (11-3) overcame a 29-21 deficit by scoring on their final two drives. Josh Allen tied the game with a five-yard pass to Dawson Knox and the quarterback then leaped over the line for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 29 with 9:02 remaining.

Allen then oversaw a 15-play, 86-yard drive that ate up the final 5:56 to set up Bass’ field goal, which led to numerous Bills players diving head-first to slide in the snow.

Allen threw four touchdown passes to increase his career total to 171 (including one receiving), and tie former Miami quarterback Dan Marino for the most by an NFL player in the first five seasons of his career.

In winning its fifth straight, and third in three weeks over a divisional opponent, Buffalo also inched closer to clinching its third consecutive AFC East title by building a three-win lead over Miami.

The Dolphins (8-6) entered the weekend in second place and as the AFC’s sixth seed. They’ve now lost three in a row in their bid to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016.