The Vikings May Have A New Curse
Ben Lyso
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Forget about Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and the newfound playoff hope. I’m starting to feel like there’s something bigger at stake here.
A layer of fog has rolled in off the shores of Bermuda and enveloped the state of Minnesota in an impenetrable hex of futility.
A curse.
And I’m not talking about the obvious curses — the Vikings’ Super Bowl drought, the Timberwolves’ perpetual impotency, or the Twins’ 18-game postseason losing streak — but a lesser-known evil that has long been talked about over late-night and post-game happy hour.
When lining up for field goals, Vikings’ opponents just can’t miss.
It started as confirmation bias because any fan thinks their weekly opponents can’t miss after a few games of 100% accuracy.
But this past Thursday added fuel to the malevolent fire as Stephen Gostkowski missed a crucial fourth-quarter field goal, contributing in part to a 34-17 Titans loss. The miss makes eight so far on the year for Gostkowski, good for a career-high in his 14-year career.
But week three against the Vikings, he had no trouble playing like his old self.
That Sunday he was 6/6 on field goal attempts including three 50+ yard field goals, leading the Titans to a one-point victory.
In fact, that was the only great performance he has tallied this year, going 3/6 (50%) on field goals before the Vikings game, and now 3/8 (37.5%) after.
Most people would see this as a one-off — just one coincidental game in a 16-game season.
How I wish that were the case.
Since 2010, Vikings’ opponent field goal units have been, for the most part, on fire.
Vikings’ Opponent FG%
| YEAR | OPP. FG% | LG. RANK |
| 2020 | 95.45% | 1 |
| 2019 | 86.84% | 8 |
| 2018 | 91.67% | 3 |
| 2017 | 87.88% | 10 |
| 2016 | 87.50% | 10 |
| 2015 | 90.62% | 6 |
| 2014 | 89.65% | 25 |
| 2013 | 93.10% | 5 |
| 2012 | 83.87% | 18 |
| 2011 | 91.43% | 3 |
| 2010 | 78.26% | 24 |
There have only been three instances — 2010, 2012, and 2014 — in which the Vikings’ opponents were not in the top-10 of league-wide field goal accuracy.
(A quick note of clarification: the field goal percentage is the collective percentage of every Vikings’ opponent as if they were one team. Not the combined field goal percentage of every individual opponent.)
What’s going on? Is this really a new curse in an already long-line of Minnesotan misfortune?
Before we blame it on pure voodoo, there could be a few valid explanations.
For one, it could be confidence.
“Mentally strong” may not be the first term people use when referring to NFL kickers, but nothing could be more apt than that.
Professional kickers have the skill to make field goals with their eyes closed, so the only real differentiator between the legends and the flameouts is how they mentally react to in-game situations, misses, and hot-streaks.
Kickers watch game film just as much as other position groups, and maybe going against a Vikings team that has allowed opponents to make kick after kick gives them an increased sense of confidence.
For two, it could be defending.
The Vikings haven’t blocked a single field goal attempt in 7 of the past 10 seasons.
If field goal kickers recognize the lack of danger posed by the Vikings’ special teams unit, it could give them even more confidence heading into the matchup.
So, it could be defending. It could be confidence. But I’m leaning towards a curse.
And with a franchise — and a state — with such abnormal, athletically induced trauma, is it so crazy to think so?