The Minnesota Vikings (11-3) clinched the NFC North division with their record win; it's a fourth-straight defeat for the Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1); the NFL's previous record comeback came in January 1993 as the Buffalo Bills came from 32 points down to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38
Sunday 18 December 2022 00:04, UK
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off the biggest comeback win in NFL history as they beat a stunned Indianapolis Colts outfit 39-36 in overtime, having trailed 33-0 at half-time.
In a truly remarkable contest, the Vikings found the end zone five times in the second half after having been shut out in the first; with two minutes and 15 seconds to go, Dalvin Cook took a pass from Kirk Cousins 64 yards for a touchdown (with a two-point conversion added) to tie the game up.
Prior to Cook's crucial score, and with Indianapolis facing a fourth-and-one from their own 36-yard line, they opted to go for the first down that would have likely clinched victory - with Minnesota out of timeouts - but Colts QB Matt Ryan was ruled just short of the marker.
With the game tied up after Cook's TD, both teams punted with their final possessions in regulation, while the entire overtime period proved to be an edgy, nervy affair... but it was the Vikings who ultimately had the final say, with Greg Joseph kicking the game-winning, 40-yard field goal as time expired.
The stunning victory clinched the NFC North division title for the Vikings (11-3), with three games remaining in the regular season, while it was a fourth-straight defeat for the Colts (4-9-1) and seventh in their last eight.
The NFL's previous comeback record belonged to the Buffalo Bills, who came from 32 points down to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 back in January 1993.
Cousins was 34-of-54 passing for a massive 460 yards and four touchdowns for Minnesota, with two interceptions. Ryan was was 19-of-33 for 182 yards and a TD in defeat for the Colts.
Indianapolis had built a 17-0 first-quarter lead after a field goal, a blocked punt that JoJo Domann returned for a score and that Ryan touchdown pass to Deon Jackson from down near the goal line.
They added emphatically to their lead in the second quarter with another three field goals and a 17-yard interception return for a TD by Julian Blackmon.
The Vikings cut into the deficit with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns, the second of which coming after a Chase McLaughlin 52-yard field goal had put the Colts 36-7 ahead with less than 20 minutes left in the contest.
But Minnesota weren't done, the home side adding a further three touchdowns in the fourth quarter - Cousins first finding Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and then Cook on the huge, game-tying TD (and two-pointer) - to take the game into overtime, where they'd clinch a stunning victory and the division title.
It also handed Colts QB Ryan the dubious distinction of having been on the losing end of both the largest comeback in NFL history and Super Bowl history.
Ryan and his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, led the New England Patriots 28-3 in the third quarter of the Super Bowl in February 2017 before the Patriots pulled off a comeback for the ages and won 34-28 in OT.
Tom Brady takes on Joe Burrow for the very first time in the NFL as two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL go toe to toe on Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL.
Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) welcome Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) into town - kick-off at 9.25pm - with the New York Jets (7-6) also hosting the Detroit Lions (6-7) in a key clash for playoff spots, with this one getting under way at 6pm. The Sunday night triple-header rounds off with the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) hosting the New York Giants (7-5-1) in an NFC East divisional battle with huge postseason implications for the two wild card hopefuls - kick-off at 1.20am on Monday morning.
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