My story...

Around the start of the fourth quarter (maybe a few minutes in), it was time for my three boys to go to bed (they are 1, 2 and 3). I wasn't going to let my 35-weeks pregnant wife put the kids to bed alone, that is horrible. So, I went up with her and things weren't looking good. I decided to focus on having fun with my kids rather than be upset at the game. The first time I checked the score? Saints go up 21-20. The second time? The Saints go up 24-23 (and at this point, I'm shocked the Vikings had even taken the lead back).

So, a few minutes later, as we're finishing up with the boys, I tell my wife, "I'm going to go downstairs to watch the Vikings lose. There are only 18 seconds left."

I walked down the steps into my basement, and get a text from my best friend who lives in Nashville saying "Holy crap!", and that's it. I watch games on PSVue, which is usually 15-60 seconds behind, so my assumption is that he was offering condolences for the loss. I started typing up a text explaining that it sucks, but it's hard to overcome so many injuries and key mistakes.

Right as I am about to hit send, I head the angelic voice of Joe Buck, "Caught! Sideline... Touchdown!"

I stared at my TV for about five seconds, and then screamed "What?? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!"

My wife yells down, "What??"

"Touchdown! Diggs! Vikings win!!"

It took a few more minutes to re-put the boys to bed.

For some reason, I hate Joe Buck a little less this morning. He seemed genuinely excited that the  imings pulled that game from the jaws of defeat!

I put this in the thread about the chat room. Thought I’d copy and paste it here.

Just as a preface, I work at a steel mill, but I don’t produce steel or iron, I work in the Power Generating Station located there and we run 6 boilers, 3 generators, and 3 Turbo Blowers. 

I usually hang out in chat, good place to be when things are going good, and when things are going bad. kind of like we rejoice or suffer together.

Today however, I had to work and didn’t want to use a vacation day because its really early in the year and on Sunday we usually don’t have anything going on and I can catch a stream of the game somewhere. 

Today was different, about 3:15 pm the while place went dark. Lights out dark, we started losing equipment fast. The Blast Furnace called and said they lost control of the furnaces and we needed to back down the wind we provide to them.

All hell broke loose, within minutes we were scrambling to get equipment restarted and not lose the boilers that were on line.

At one point one of our generators over filled with condensate water and blew a relief on top of the generator while I was about ten feet away from it. Water gushed from places I’d never seen it come out of. I thought I was really going to die. Later as I was trying to get a boiler under control, the one next to it started making noise like it was going positive. Which means it could blow up. Again I thought I was going to die.

Within about 2 1/2 hours we had things under control and I was finally able to check the score 17 - 0, but the Saints were in scoring position. Then Case tossed an interception. By then it was time to get ready to leave.

I flipped on the radio in the truck and it was 17-14 and the Vikes were just kicking a FG to make it 20-14.

When I walked into the house the Saints went up 21-20. i was frustrated, had a terrible headache, and needed to shit and shower.

I did, and when I got out the Vikings were now leading 23-21 but the Saints had just converted the 4th down and by now I knew the curse would never be lifted.

I didn’t turn the game on in my tv room. My wife watched upstairs with my two sons. 

When she went nuts as Diggs caught the ball and scored I walked upstairs, to see the replay.

After a short celebration, I told her about what happened at work and as I told her I just kind of lost it. Broke down and cried. Probably from havinga head ache, being exhausted, and from the emotional drain this game sometimes gives me.

I ate a couple of pieces of left over pizza and drank a bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola, you know the good stuff. Real sugar and the way it tasted when I was a kid.

Then, I sat down and watched the game.

I need a copy of that Chat Room archive. I love those guys, and girls, who hang out there on game day. I missed being there today and rejoicing when it was good, and being pissed together as the lead slipped away.

Oh, and by the way. A new janitor caused all of that stuff at work today. Apparently nobody ever told him he shoukdn’t spray electric panels with a garden hose when he cleaned a sub station room. I’m glad he didn’t get electrocuted, and I hope he is still employed come tomorrow.

OK.....I, like many here have loved this team since the '70's.
Suffered through the same losses that have left me 95% scar tissue....like many here.

Now in my 50's, overweight, high blood pressure.....I can't watch my favorite team in the playoffs....I just can't.

last playoff game I watched.....we missed a 27 yarder...my kids..ALSO Vikes fans because dad is saw their dad PREDICT the miss....then cry that afternoon.

so today I texted my friends that I'd be turning off my phone, I didn't want to know, until I knew the game was over.

Today, At kickoff I did some yard work....took the family to a late lunch, and told my kids / wife I didn't want to know what was happening until the end....

my wife looked at her phone near the end of the game....so I asked what's going as she looked on her phone....Saints about to kick the go ahead field goal....and did.  How much time? Where are we? Our own 30 yard line? Ten seconds?

My wife then said.....WAIT......WHAT.....VIKINGS 29!!!   SCORE ALERT. VIKINGS 29!!!!!!!!!

NO FUGGIN WAY......I SCRAMBLED LIKE AN IDIOT FOR THE TV REMOTE....WHERE THE HELL IS IT???

Found it in time to catch the many replays of Diggs catch and run.....

the whole house erupted!!  Probably cracked our windows.....

How can you not watch it Vanguard?  As much as I understand, I can't not watch. 

Rip, sorry for your bad day.  And if a janitor needs to be told he can't spray water on electrical panels, he probably should be serving fries.

My story?  Just sitting on the couch, loving the ass kicking we are giving.  Having a drink, enjoying the game.  Then second half comes, and the jitters start.  Can see we are struggling on offense, the defense is getting tired and cracks are showing.  The INT and I am not happy.  The curse starts to grow. 

My wife has her head on my shoulder, she sez she can feel my heart beating through my arm.  Fast.  Baby is sleeping next to her.  We score to take the lead, friend texts, too much time.  no texts after that.  phone is silent, room is silent.  Except for me to scream at the missed false start on the 4th down completion.  LT started way early.

Then the quiet optimism.  We have the ball, please do something good.  False start.  impending doom.  still a glimmer.  incompletions.  more doom.  glimmer fading.  We have 10 seconds and need 20 yards.  still a sliver of hope.  Then the catch, get out of bounds.  No!  TD !  Screaming ensues.  I don't recall much.  I think the boys were excited as well.

I live in Illinois, halfway between Indianapolis and St Louis. There is no decent place within 100 miles to watch the game. I drive 145 miles to St Louis to watch the game with the Minnesota Viking fan club of St Louis. I have been there 3 or 4 times before for games, great group and great atmosphere. This time I take my wife for her first Viking bar experience.  She will be going again.
Toward the end of the game I was really expecting the typical Viking let down loss. Couldn't believe the Vikings didn't go with tradition and rip my heart out again.

On the other hand. I work with several Steeler fans. A father/son duo that I work with drove to Pittsburgh for that game. I've driven to a lot of away games and it SUCKS driving hours home after a loss

I was so pissed by mid 4th quarter (7-17) that I had thrown my Viking hat in the trash.  Tossed my Smith Jersey in the laundry.  Turned off my phone and basically tuned out 1/2 the plays.  I didn't sit for any of the 2nd half.  When the saints kick the FG I threw my Iphone so hard at the easy chair that it actually works better today.  Must have shook up the battery!!

I told my wife those F'ers were going to get just far enough to attempt a FG and miss it.  Probably wide right just to even out the universe.

Would LOVE to hear from folks who were THERE....cmon gang.

@"Hidalgo" said: I live in Illinois, halfway between Indianapolis and St Louis. There is no decent place within 100 miles to watch the game. I drive 145 miles to St Louis to watch the game with the Minnesota Viking fan club of St Louis. I have been there 3 or 4 times before for games, great group and great atmosphere. This time I take my wife for her first Viking bar experience.  She will be going again. Toward the end of the game I was really expecting the typical Viking let down loss. Couldn't believe the Vikings didn't go with tradition and rip my heart out again.

On the other hand. I work with several Steeler fans. A father/son duo that I work with drove to Pittsburgh for that game. I've driven to a lot of away games and it SUCKS driving hours home after a loss

My gal and I caravanned with a group of RVers to Puerta Penasco for a month
she has known for weeks that all I wanted to do was watch the game Sunday @ 2:30
Everyone guess the day and time she decides that our relationship isn't working ?

In between fighting I tried to watch the game and decided, fuck it
watched the rest in a rec room with a group of strangers and a Great Dane 
What a finish, the game too

Listening to those two idiots on TV sounded like the Vikings weren't suppose to win considering the Saints had a future Hall of Famer in Brees and we had Keenum.  When the Viking pulled it out on that last pass from Keenum to Diggs, they had very little to say after that.

Was at my niece's 18th birthday party with lots of family and a bunch of her friends. I'm in Miami so I'm the lone Vikings fan now that my son is away in college. He's only 20 but feels Viking tradition like he's 57 (my age). When Keenum threw the interception, he texted that he already knew the outcome of this game. I was trying to stay positive.

Curiously, I was most negative after we took the 23-21 lead. Just left too much time for Brees. People are texting me that we are going to win and what a kick and blah blah blah. And all I can say is, "too much time." By now there's 40 or 50 people around the tv watching the end of the game. 

And I could not believe how soft Mac was covering on the last drive. And  I could not believe Brees kept going at Rhodes.  But I knew he wouldn't go to Rhodes on 4th down. Then Luts hits the FG and someone asks if the game is over now. Not yet.

With 25 seconds I thought we still had a prayer. With 10 seconds, not so much. I still had to say a few words for my niece's birthday and I had a lot of people around so I could not just lose my shit. I'm smoking my cigar - we were watching the game outdoors - being pretty stoic but feeling my head swimming with the thought of another loss. Not even so much for me as for my son. I have long felt that Viking fandom is not for the young. 

Then Diggs caught the ball and I'm yelling "Get outta bounds"!!  And the safety falls over and takes out the other DB as Diggs stumbles. And there's nobody in front of him or behind him. And everyone starts jumping and screaming like they are all Vikings fans. The place was going crazy. My wife, who can't watch the end of games comes out to see what's happening. My phone is blowing up. 

I took one call from a number I did not recognize.  My wife was now at my side and wants to know if I am talking to our son. But it was so loud i couldn't really hear. All I could make out was "Did you see that? Holy shit, did you see that? I can't believe it. The Vikings won. Did you see that?" I was just laughing, not saying anything. 

The rest was a blur. Fast forward to this morning. I texted my son, "Did we talk after the game yesterday?" He said he thinks so, but he was drinking and used a friend's phone to call me. But has a vague recollection of talking to me last night.

What a game!