The greatest performances in NFL history can all be traced back to brief moments below the surface and behind the scenes.
For the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII, Joe Montana pointed out John Candy in the stands during a huddle. The entire offense relaxed, and San Francisco drove 87 yards for the game-winning touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts, that moment for the Minnesota Vikings looks to have come from the future Hall of Famer cornerback Patrick Peterson. With his team trailing 33-0, Peterson said something at halftime that appears to be their John Candy moment:
“All we need is five touchdowns.”
“In NFL history?!”
Kirk Cousins needed a moment to take it in: The #Vikings just pulled off the biggest comeback of all-time.@nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/sOPxnJVKXQ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 17, 2022
Quarterback Kirk Cousins divulged the quote when speaking with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero after the game. Cousins admitted that he thought that Peterson was “being sarcastic.”
Kevin O’Connell said the same thing in his postgame press conference, and he led off his speech to the team with that.
.@P2 said let's go get five touchdowns, and we got five touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/vLf40E2BT4
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 17, 2022
The littlest moments can make the biggest difference, and it appears that Peterson was that on Saturday.
