6 most devastating Vikings moments since the 2010 season

Recently, an account on Twitter known as Pick 6 released a graphic that listed the most devastating moment for the Minnesota Vikings and the 31 other teams in the NFL since the 2010 season.

They went with the missed field-goal attempt by Blair Walsh in the 2015 playoffs as the most devastating moment for the Vikings. That's certainly one of them, but looking back to 2010, what are some of the most devastating Minnesota moments, and where should Walsh's missed kick truly rank?

6 most devastating Minnesota Vikings moments since the 2010 season

6. Randy Moss's brief return to the Vikings in 2010

A season after coming up one game short of playing in the Super Bowl, Minnesota had high expectations for the 2010 campaign. But after getting off to an underwhelming start, the Vikings made a trade for All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss in an effort to get the team back on track.

It seemed like a great idea at first, but Minnesota quickly learned why the New England Patriots were willing to trade Moss in the middle of the 2010 season. The former Vikings first-round pick only lasted four games during his second stint with the franchise, as Minnesota decided to waive him after a Week 8 loss to the Patriots.

5. Vikings completely miss the playoffs in 2018

Following a 2017 season in which they won 13 games and made it all the way to the NFC Championship, Minnesota was expected to make a run at winning a Super Bowl in 2018 after signing free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins during the offseason.

After a slow start, the Vikings were able to get things back on track by the middle of the 2018 campaign. But then Minnesota dropped four of their final seven games, including a 24-10 loss to the Chicago Bears in the final week of the regular season in a matchup that the Vikings needed to win in order to make the playoffs. Year one of the Kirk Cousins experience turned out to be a failure for Minnesota.

4. Vikings come up short on 4th-and-8 in 2022

In 2022, the Vikings were not supposed to be good. But they proved a lot of people wrong by finishing the 2022 campaign with a 13-4 record, a division title, and in the opening round of the playoffs, they got to play inside their home stadium against the New York Giants.

Minnesota's postseason matchup wound up coming down to the wire, and in the end, the Giants were able to leave the field with a victory thanks in part to the Vikings failing to convert a 4th-and-8 during their final offensive drive after Cousins tossed a short pass to tight T.J. Hockenson for a gain of just three yards.

3. Kirk Cousins tears his Achilles in 2023

Following their disappointing loss to the Giants in the 2022 playoffs, Minnesota was hoping to get back on track in 2023. Unfortunately, the Vikings began the 2023 season with an underwhelming 1-4 record, which also included superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson suffering a significant hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for multiple games.

Despite Jefferson being unable to play, Minnesota was able to rally behind Cousins and get their record back to a respectable 4-4. During that fourth win, however, Cousins's season came to an end after he suffered a torn Achilles on a play that turned out to be his last in a Vikings uniform.

2. Blair Walsh misses a chip shot in 2015

In just his second season as the team's head coach, Mike Zimmer helped lead Minnesota to an 11-5 record and their first NFC North title since 2009. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Vikings hosted the Seattle Seahawks in a game that took place outdoors in the below zero temperatures of Minnesota.

With the extreme cold playing a significant factor, the game was tightly contested and it came down to a 27-yard field-goal attempt by Vikings kicker Blair Walsh. It seemed like an easy kick, but Walsh shanked the attempt wide left and Minnesota's season surprisingly came to an end thanks to their 10-9 loss to the Seahawks.

1. Teddy Bridgewater's season ends before it begins in 2016

With the bitter taste of the 2015 playoff loss still in their mouths, the Vikings were extra motivated to get back on the field for the 2016 season. During training camp, Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was playing at a high level, and he appeared to be heading into a breakout season.

But then came the afternoon of August 30th when Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury, that not only kept him out for the entire 2016 campaign, but he missed multiple games in the 2017 season as well. Instead of avenging their 2015 postseason loss, the Vikings missed the playoffs in 2016, and everyone was left wondering what could have been if Bridgewater had never injured his knee.

More Vikings News and Analysis