For long stretches Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings looked like they were headed for a loss against the Green Bay Packers. Then the game flipped. A touchdown late in the third quarter opened the door, Minnesota slammed it wide in the fourth, and the Vikings walked away with a comeback win that didn’t seem to be in the cards for most of the afternoon.
That kind of rescue act has a familiar ring for Minnesota fans. It brings back the Timberwolves’ wild overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on March 25, another night when a Minnesota team looked buried and still found a way to escape.
The Wolves’ comeback was the more bizarre of the two. The game was tied at 95 going into overtime, then Houston ripped off the first 13 points of the extra period over the opening two minutes.
Minnesota answered with the next 15 points over the next three minutes and won by two. That stood as the largest overtime comeback since at least the 1997-98 season, the beginning of the play-by-play era.
The Vikings’ rally also carried a place in the record book. According to OptaStats, Minnesota became the first NFL team on Sunday to trail by 12 or more points with fewer than 20 minutes left and still win by at least 17 points. Down 22-10 late in the third quarter, the Vikings finished the game on a 29-point run and won 39-22.
Both wins came with notable absences and plenty of chaos. The Timberwolves did it without Anthony Edwards, who was out with a knee injury. Ayo Dosunmu was also sidelined, Jaden McDaniels exited with an injury, and Naz Reid was ejected early in overtime.
On the football side, new Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray was forced out of the game during Minnesota’s second offensive series because of a potential concussion.
Turnovers helped turn both games. Against Green Bay, the Vikings capitalized on a lost fumble and an interception to score two short-field touchdowns. In the Rockets game, two late Houston turnovers in overtime led to five points from Donte DiVincenzo.
It was another reminder that in Minnesota, a game can look finished long before it actually is. The New York Knicks showed that in last season’s playoffs with their come-from-behind wins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Sunday’s Vikings win, paired with the Timberwolves’ March comeback, just adds two more examples to the pile.
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Chris Finch Sees One Clear Path To Unlock LaMelo Ball In Minnesota
LaMelo Balls appeal has always been obvious to evaluators who value creativity and pace, and Chris Finch sees the same thing from a Minnesota vantage point. The Timberwolves coach pointed to the guards shot selection and finishing as the clearest areas for growth, noting that Ball can get comfortable living on difficult looks he is talented enough to convert, even if those attempts do not always serve the offense as well as they could.
Finch also flagged a subtler issue near the rim, where Balls elite playmaking instincts can sometimes shape the way he attacks the paint. Instead of closing possessions like a scorer, he can drift toward a passing mindset, and that can leave easy points on the table. For a Wolves team looking to maximize every edge, the question is not whether Ball has the skill to fit, but how much sharper he can become with the right emphasis. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls' Kuminga Miss Reveals A Bigger Plan For Their Young Wings
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Chicagos pitch apparently never got to the point of securing Kuminga, and the gap in how each team framed his opportunity mattered. Reports indicated the Bulls were not willing to guarantee him a major role, while Minnesota was prepared to offer more responsibility right away, a detail that helps explain why the Wolves won out in a market where usage and playing time can be just as important as money. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Are Taking A Real Health Gamble On LaMelo Ball
Minnesotas interest in LaMelo Ball comes with the kind of risk that usually gets attached to a real swing for the fences. The Timberwolves know the talent is there, and general manager Matt Lloyd has made it clear the club is banking on Ball carrying over the healthier stretch he showed last season, when he stayed on the floor enough to ease some of the usual concerns that follow him around.
Even so, no one in Minnesota is pretending the injury history has disappeared. The logic behind the chase is that the roster has enough support to absorb missed time if it comes, which is part of why the move remains so intriguing. The upside is obvious, but so is the gamble, and the Wolves are weighing both as they decide how far to go. [Read more 🡒]