History was made on Saturday afternoon with the Minnesota Vikings overcame a 33-point halftime deficit in a remarkable 39-36 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
When you have a major comeback in any sport, there is always both a catalyst and players that are pivotal to the comeback. The Vikings had their fair share of players that stepped up in the big moment on Saturday.
I identified eight players that were incredibly pivotal to the Vikings’ historic comeback.
Kirk Cousins
Yes, Cousins had two interceptions, but you would be hard-pressed to fault him for either, as Jalen Reagor was arguably the cause of both of them. After going full-blown conservative Cousins in the first half, he let it rip in the second half and overtime and racked up both the numbers and the points. He finished with a massive stat line and the biggest comeback in NFL history.
Justin Jefferson
What more can we say about the superstar receiver? He fought through an injury to his chest and a massive hit that had him evaluated for a concussion. The third-year player came up big when the Vikings needed him to, including one of the filthiest routes I’ve ever seen from a wide receiver. He was the reason the offense was able to go in the second half.
K.J. Osborn
Osborn’s effort throughout the game was one of the keys to the comeback. Even at their darkest points on Saturday, Osborn was giving maximum effort throughout. He was constantly fighting for extra yards and laying out for passes. The little things added up on Saturday afternoon.
Dalvin Cook
After busting out a 40-yard run in the first quarter, he fumbled it on the very next play. It felt like a classic Cook performance, but he changed the narrative in the second half. He stayed a stalwart player by making nice runs and holding onto the football. It became his moment in the fourth quarter when he took a tunnel screen 64-yards for a touchdown. He was able to redeem himself by coming up huge in the biggest moment.
Danielle Hunter
The Vikings’ star edge rusher has been the subject of a lot of disappointment across the fanbase and even the team. The idea is that he should be doing more considering his opportunities. Hunter made his presence felt on the second play of the game when he sacked Matt Ryan. On the day, Hunter ended up with 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and one tackle for loss. He was on his game against the Colts.
Harrison Phillips
Nose tackles don’t always get the most recognition but it was hard to watch the game and not see Phillips running around and making plays in the running and passing game. He was running laterally to chase down screen passes and filling rushing lanes with ease. Phillips was on his A-game all day and had 10 tackles to show for it.
Duke Shelley
With Cameron Dantzler not playing a single snap, the Vikings had to rely on Shelley as a starting cornerback once again. He rewarded the Vikings’ confidence in him with a great game. Shelley has been inconsistent at times, but he consistently comes up big in big moments, including a key pass defense late in the game on Michael Pittman Jr. The Vikings might have something in the young cornerback.
Patrick Peterson
Everyone has a moment that will be remembered throughout the history of time and Peterson had that on Saturday. Telling the team that all they needed was five touchdowns ended up being the catalyst to their success. He also fought through cramps at the end of the game and did not want to come off the field. Peterson was the leader the Vikings needed on Saturday.
