MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings clinched the NFC North title Saturday with — ho, hum — the biggest comeback in NFL history.
Powered by a new coaching staff and largely the same roster that had missed the postseason in three of the past four years, the Vikings overcame a 33-point halftime deficit to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The 33-point comeback exceeded the previous record of 32, set by the Buffalo Bills in the 1992 playoffs against the Houston Oilers. Coach Kevin O’Connell led the team to its 11th victory in his first 14 games as its head coach.
The historic win eliminated the Vikings’ last remaining competitor, the Detroit Lions, from contention for the NFC North title. After winning their first division title in five years, and their sixth since the turn of the century, the Vikings hold a one-game lead over the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed.
The Vikings’ live odds to win the game grew to as long as 30-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, but were even longer at other sportsbooks. At PointsBet, the Vikings were 90-1 to win the game when they were down 33-0. The sportsbook said it took a couple bets on the Vikings at 90-1 odds, the largest a $5 wager.
The Vikings fired former coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman the day after the 2021 season. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to replace Spielman, and Adofo-Mensah signed off on their choice of O’Connell as the new coach.
Together, the Vikings’ new leadership decided against blowing up a veteran roster that lost eight games by one possession in 2021. Instead, Adofo-Mensah initiated what he called a “competitive rebuild,” hoping to squeeze as many wins from the existing core as possible before beginning the process of…
