Many New Orleans Saints fans were tuned into ‘Monday Night Football’ for a pivotal matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, and for good reason. A Seahawks victory would unseat the top-ranked San Francisco 49ers, pushing the Saints up and into the top NFC playoff seed.
So imagine their surprise when ESPN’s Booger McFarland misremembered the infamous ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ play that ended the Saints’ 2017 season. After Vikings linebacker Anthony Harris intercepted a pass deflected from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and returned it 20 yards for a score, McFarland took a moment to congratulate the Vikings on the play — before twisting a knife into the chest of every Saints fan.
“These are the type of plays that have historically gone against the Vikings. ‘Minneapolis Miracle.’ Plays that are fluke plays that have been against this team. I’m sure Vikings fans are saying ‘It’s about time we get one of these plays to go our way.'” Hear it for yourself:
To his credit, McFarland later issued a mea culpa during the game’s broadcast, though the night was likely already ruined for many fans wearing black and gold. It’s not the first time that his in-game comments have raised eyebrows from viewers since ESPN added him to their ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast team last year.
The play he is of course referencing was the game-winning touchdown pass to Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs during their 2017 playoffs game with the Saints, in which then-rookie Saints safety Marcus Williams whiffed on a tackle attempt and allowed the score in the final seconds.
It was a miracle by every measure. The Vikings followed that game up by getting defenestrated out of Lincoln Financial Field by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game; they’ve since gone 16-10-1, missed the playoffs last year, and are battling for a wild-card spot in this season’s projections. Meanwhile, the Saints are set up to earn a bye week in the playoffs and Williams is on the way to earning All-Pro votes, tying several other plays for the fourth-most interceptions this season. Maybe McFarland will keep a better memory moving forward.
