Minnesota Vikings: It Was Someone Else for Once!
Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Chris Matthews(13) recovers an onside kick ahead of Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jordy Nelson(87) and
Brandon Bostick(86) during the fourth quarter in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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I am a born and bred Minnesota Vikings fan, and my hatred for the Green Bay Packers is well-documented. Because of that, you can probably imagine my glee watching the final moments of last night’s historic collapse by Green Bay. I was watching the game at a local burger joint and started cackling maniacally both when Seattle recovered the on-sides kick and after the game winning touchdown. My Packers hate transcends all, because I really dislike the Seahawks too, yet there I was, howling with laughter like an insane person in public last night.
Let the record show I am not heartless. I feel really bad for Brandon Bostick. While it is true that the Packers would never have found themselves in that position if Mike McCarthy had not been so spineless or if Aaron Rodgers had played better, the failure to cleanly field the on-sides kick is the one play that would have definitely ended the game if it went the other way. I still beat myself up for flying out to lose a slow pitch beer league softball game last summer; I can’t begin to imagine having such a blunder in the NFC Championship Game.
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Granted, watching a team I dislike beat my most hated team while my favorite team was already done for the year is a rather hollow victory. The good news is, behind Mike Zimmer and Teddy Bridgewater, I think we will be in the playoffs sooner rather than later as opposed to watching from the sidelines. Rooting for success instead of failure is much more nerve-wracking but also much more fulfilling if it works out.
What made last night particularly enjoyable was all the heat I caught from Packer Backers after the Vikings various playoff implosions. I cut off all contact with a few people after the 2009 Championship Game. I am a gracious winner but a terrible loser, and I was in no mood to joke around about that game. Turning the ball as much as the Vikings did and still knowing we should have won the game still hurts. They say that comedy equals tragedy plus time, but I have never found that to be true with sports. The painful losses are always difficult to look back on.
At least it wasn’t our squad this time.