The playoffs are a free hit
It starts this Sunday, our opportunity at greatness. To go down in Vikings legend. The team that finally brings home a championship.
And we have the weapons! Kirk, JJ, Cook, Hockenson, Thielen, KJ, Irv, Mattison, the list goes on!
But, whilst we are all sizing up the other playoff teams and mapping out best route to the bowl, I believe we have already surpassed this season’s expectations and the playoffs, this year, are a free hit.
Let’s go back…
Let’s rewind to January 9 2022. The regular season was over and we’d finished 2nd in the NFC North with a record of 8-9. The Packers were going to the playoffs again, we had a losing record and Kirk had just taken a knee in the final moments of our last game vs the Bears, robbing JJ of the chance to gain the single-season receiving record for the Vikings by just 17 yards.
I remember the fanbase being flat, dejected and angry. Another season of promise thrown away. A horrible year for the defense, despite being helmed by a supposed defensive mastermind. And taking a knee in a nothing game when you could have just thrown to JJ was the final kick in the teeth.
Would Zimmer survive this? Were we heading for a rebuild? Could this fanbase take any more broken promises?
A new Era
But all that changed when the dynamic duo walked through the door. First Kwesi and then KOC. The way they talked about vision, the future, expectations and culture, how could a Vikings fan not be excited? After all, our new coach was drafted by Bill Belichick, coached by Josh McDaniels and had just won the superbowl with The Rams!
It took some time (not for me, the perpetual optimist!) but quickly you felt something was happening. And.. thousands of miles away in the UK, the fanbase started to believe.
We assembled a new coaching staff including Matt Daniels, Mike Pettine, Tyler Williams and Brian Angelichio.
Then we brought in talent, good talent to cover positions we needed including Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips and Johnny Mundt.
We made moves in the draft, changed players contracts, moved players on and every time KOC gave an interview we leaned in just that little bit more. The culture was changing, it was new, fresh and exciting. And we were actually looking forward to the season.
Original objectives
I remember having conversations with other fans about what we expected from this new look Vikings. What was actually going to happen this season? And I remember the vast majority of fans just wanting to play better, make the playoffs and have a winning record.
Green Bay were a totally unknown quantity with all their new rookies. The Lions looked promising and it’s difficult not to like Dan Campbell. The Bears had Justin Fields and we had some tough games in the season against the Bills, the Eagles, the Dolphins and the Cowboys.
The year 1 objectives were simple:
- Make the playoffs – as a Wildcard
- Have a winning record – win at least 9 games
- Give us some pride back
And then in years 2, 3, 4, we could think of the next steps. One year at a time. After all, you can only do so much in one offseason!
Objectives complete
So, with those objectives gratifyingly complete we go into the playoffs. Not just as a team that made it, but as divisional champions. Not just with a winning record, but with the 4th best record in the whole league. We go in, beaming with pride, riding on a season that has, at times, been totally utterly unbelievable.
We smashed our objectives, we found some heroes, we broke some records and we wore some chains!
This has been a great season and we’d do well to remember that. So for me, this playoffs is a free hit. Nothing we do can take away what we have already achieved. And I look to round 1 with excitement and gratitude.
This doesn’t mean I don’t want to win!
I was lucky enough to be sitting yards away from the team in London. Watching the win against the Saints was a moment I will never forget, and this? fanclub can take great pride in organising an amazing weekend for fans that attended.
I got a taste of live victory. And we saw it time and time again this season. 4th quarter drives, the best catch in NFL history, the greatest comeback in NFL history. It would be amazing to crown it all with a championship.
So whilst I say this is a free hit, I just mean, don’t forget how far we have come. From the feeling we had when Kirk took that knee, to riding into the playoffs as one. The distance travelled has been huge.
I want it, I want to win the superbowl. But don’t dismiss our achievements this year, because like Kirk says, this team is uncommon.
Author: Richard Dawson
Editors: Tommy Beauchene, Jacqui Melrose and Ella Burt