Sep 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) during warmups prior to kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
3. Superdome
The Vikings have visited the Superdome 13 times in their history and have a 7-6 record. That includes a 44-10 win in the playoffs in 1987.
That’s a lot of positive history in one venue. But not enough positive history to balance off the bad stuff that has happened there just in the past few years.
This weekend’s game added to the sense of the Superdome as a cursed place for the Vikings. Not only did the Vikes lose in insanely frustrating fashion, with a big assist from the refs, but they also watched multiple important players go down to injury.
Of course, this weekend’s mess pales in comparison to the NFC championship game after the 2009 season when the Vikings fell to the Saints in overtime after a bizarre and indescribably painful sequence of events late in regulation.
“12-men-in-the-huddle” and “Favre-across-the-body.” That’s all you have to say. Don’t even mention the fumbles. Don’t mention the low shot on Favre that helped lead to Bountygate.
Yeah, the Saints were punished for Bountygate, but so what? Did those suspensions erase the horrors of that game? No.
When the Saints finally implode the Superdome, I hope they let a Vikings fan push the plunger. We’ve earned it.