Minnesota Kid’s First Ever Vikings Game Was Maybe The Best Vikings Game Of All Time

The Vikings game this last Saturday was literally one for the record books. You know all the stats by now, I'm sure. The Vikings were playing absolutely horribly in the first half of their game versus the Indianapolis Colts. They were down 33-0 going into halftime. Things looked beyond dismal. Vikings analyst Pete Bercich was asking when we should start pulling our starters out because this game was lost.

John Rent, who is a lifetime Vikings fan, had big plans for this game. It was his 6-year-old son Russ's first-ever trip to a Vikings game. He was super excited, especially because it was his first year playing flag football, so he was just starting to get into the excitement of football. For most of the plays, he was able to stand on the back of the seat in front of them and see all the plays. It worked out well for the first grader.

This was going to be a big game for the Vikings too. They had the chance to clinch the NFC North Division for the first time since 2017. Then they showed up the first half and looked like the worst team in the NFL.

I asked John what the crowd was like during the first half.

The first couple of Colts scores, the crowd was just silent. Eventually it turned to booing the Vikings, and finally it just ended up with people giving up and laughing. At the halftime we were all like, what the heck let's go for a record blowout.

I asked John if there were a lot of people leaving at halftime.

You could see people heading for the doors. Quite a few people left. I talked to Russ and said, hey this is your first game, let's stick around. Maybe we'll get to see a Vikings touchdown or something. Let's just make the best of it.

How did Russ handle that first half?

Externally he seemed like he was handling it ok, but I could tell inside he was pretty down.

Some fans had left the stadium, and then tried to get back in towards the end of the game. They weren't allowed back in. John is so happy they decided to stick it out even though it seemed impossible for a comeback win.

Things didn't turn around right away for the Vikings after the half either. The Vikings started out the third quarter going 3 and out.

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Then, the magic happened. The Vikings dominated and came back to tie the game and force it into overtime. The stadium was erupting. Fans were losing their minds. John and Russ were excited the game was going into overtime, but as a Vikings 'fatalist' (like we all are), John was expecting us to blow the game. Russ hadn't been exposed to the years of let downs so he could just actually enjoy the thrill. When Joseph hit the game winning field goal, Russ jumped off the back of the seat and into his dad's arms. A moment they will always remember.

Which brings us to the final piece of Vikings fan magic. John brought his dad to U.S. Bank Stadium for a different Vikings game back in 2018. You know what happened that game? The Minneapolis Miracle.

Pretty awesome that this Vikings fan got to witness two of the most memorable moments in team history, with two of the most important people in his life. That's something to remember. Maybe this family has some luck we need? Can we hook them up with free season tickets?