Being a good football team is the catalyst of making a run at the Super Bowl, but it isn’t the only thing. Another reason that teams make deep runs in the playoffs is simply put in one word: luck.
The 2017 Minnesota Vikings are a prime example of this. They faced a lot of backup quarterbacks and avoided star quarterbacks that season, including only facing Aaron Rodgers for nine plays after breaking his collar bone in their first matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium.
So far this season, the Vikings have already had the same stroke of luck in not facing top quarterbacks this season. After the first two games where they faced Rodgers and Jalen Hurts, the Vikings have not faced a litany of star players at quarterback.
- Jared Goff
- Andy Dalton
- Justin Fields
- Teddy Bridgewater/Skylar Thompson
Over the next 11 games, the Vikings do face off against Rodgers, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray, but seven of them are solidly in the bottom half of the league.
7 of the final 11 QBs on the Vikings' schedule:
Taylor Heinicke
Mac Jones
Zach Wilson
Jared Goff
Sam Ehlinger
Daniel Jones
Justin Fields— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 24, 2022
It’s not all about the quarterbacks, but they are a major part of every football team. If the Vikings continue to have the same stroke of luck that they had in 2017, this could end up being a special season for the purple and gold.
