Kirk Cousins recalled the inspiration Patrick Peterson gave the Vikings during halftime while the team was down 33-0 to the Colts on Saturday. Minnesota ended up coming back to win the game in overtime, making for the largest comeback in NFL history.
“There was belief,” Cousins told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “Patrick Peterson said all we needed was five touchdowns. I thought he was being sarcastic. Obviously, there was some yelling, there was some frustration but that doesn’t just happen. Basic people don’t do that, what we just did.”
“It was a nice little moment for me to lead into,” head coach Kevin O’Connell further said of the moment. “I said, ‘Pat you’re exactly right.’ That’s what we needed at the time. It was probably the most motivated I’ve been to challenge our players, so they just knew that regardless of the outcome today, that first half was not good enough. It will never be acceptable to have that type of performance, regardless of the outcome today.”
The first half concluded with home fans booing their own team off the field.
Cousins finished the game having thrown for 460 yards and four touchdowns. Greg Joseph clinched the win with a 40-yard field goal as time expired in overtime.
The previous largest comeback is owned by the Bills, who beat the Oilers in the 1992 wild card round after trailing by 32. Additionally, the Vikings have now won 10 one-score games, tying the most such wins in a season in NFL history.
With their unlikely victory, the Vikings improve to 11-3 while the Colts fall to 4-9-1.
Check out Kirk Cousins’ interview with Tom Pelissero below.
[Via]