Minnesota - 39
Indianapolis - 36
OT
A: Incredible game. I think the fact that our defense only gave up three points in the second half was critical. Reminded me of the Eagles game when same thing, we were down, they just didn't give up any points in the second half. I had to remind myself when we were playing, knowing if the defense can do that, they allow you to hang around, get back in it.
I think the fact that the fans stayed till the end and provided so much energy is a big deal. There is one time when they were doing the Skol chant, I was surprised they were still in it the way they were. So grateful they were there with us all the way through it till the end.
Great to obviously show that there was no quit, to keep playing hard, finding a way. Then it's just so important that this is one step in a much larger goal. It's an important step, a step that you talk about when you go to training camp and the season begins. There's obviously more to go.
K.J. I thought was phenomenal today. He's a guy that he can do that every week, but you've got Justin, you have Adam, T.J., Dalvin, Alex. It's been hard to get him the football as much as he deserves it and has shown the ability to deserve it.
He's a guy that all season long I've kind of felt we need to get him more targets, opportunities, because he's the real deal. It's just been hard to get him as involved as he was today. He showed it today when he's capable of. I have total confidence in him being an elite, elite receiver in this league.
Great to win. Great to come back. I had no idea it was the largest in NFL history. Something like that doesn't happen to average people. I'm proud of the way the group did that. Just got to keep building from here. There will be an enormous amount of things to correct.
Take any questions you have.
Q. What is the story with the jacket? What would you have worn had the comeback not happened?
A: My wife dresses me. She put it out last night. I looked at her like, I don't know (smiling). She nodded, You got to do it. So here we are.
Yeah, fun jacket (smiling).
Q. How did it strike you when you got in the locker room after the game?
A: What I've learned is you need to enjoy it because you work so hard. Think about two-a-days, training camp, OTAs, meetings, the hours you put in on Wednesday and Thursday as you prepare. To have these moments that might come around once a season, once a decade, with the comeback like that, you need to enjoy it.
You just want to make sure you're taking it in and thanking everybody who participated. Soaking it in as opposed to quickly moving on. I jut think it's healthy to pause for a moment and enjoy it.
Q. How long have you had the jacket?
A: I don't even know. It's been in our closet a little while, honestly. I don't even know when we got it. My wife could answer that probably.
Q. Was there any moment in the second half where it started to feel real?
A: That's a great question. I was asking myself that. At what point does it become a normal NFL football game? Off the top of my head here, when we cut it to was it 15, that's when I felt like maybe there were 12 minutes left, something like that, this is right there.
Then again, it keeps going back to the defense getting us the ball back. We gave them short fields. We made it hard for our defense to hold up the way they did, and they still did.
Then when you think about Sully returning a couple fumbles for touchdowns that didn't happen, I mean, it's another thing you kind of overcome to get to where we did.
Q. As a veteran leader, what were you saying to the team? What were your thoughts at halftime?
A: My thoughts weren't great at halftime. I just felt like we were losing in a lot of ways, and it wasn't good. Patrick Peterson made the comment, We only need five touchdowns. I didn't know if he was being sarcastic or what. When I looked at him, he was serious.
I think his point was, We're not going to let them score any more, so if you can get five touchdowns, that will be good enough.
I'm kind of a one-play-at-a-time guy. My mindset is tell me the first play of the second half, let me execute that as well as I can, you tell me the second play once we get there.
Whenever I've been a part of comebacks like we've had through the years, that's kind of the way I operate. One play at a time and let's not get too far down the road.
Q. When he said five touchdowns, did that feel realistic?
A: They were kicking our tails. It's one thing to say we need five touchdowns. That's difficult to do. It's even more difficult when you have been struggling the way you've been struggling.
Just reminds you again today, this is a crazy league. You got to play it one play at a time.
Q. You win your first division title, career-high yardage total, you have the greatest comeback in NFL history, what is this like for you?
A: I mean, it was a great day to come back and win the way we did. You're going to enjoy it. You're going to build on it.
I think it's fun to look down and see that Dalvin had 190 yards, Justin had 12 catches for 120, K.J. Adam caught a touchdown, made the biggest play at the end to get us in field goal range. It's great to get so many guys involved and have so many people contribute.
Just proud of the way we kept fighting and played. There's also a lot of stuff we're not proud of with the way we played.
Q. National game, weather is lousy everywhere. People that don't care about the Colts or Vikings are saying, Are you watching this? People are going to literally talk about this game forever.
A: The Buffalo game maybe as well. We may have topped the Buffalo game with this one, who knows.
I'm a fan of football. Walking off the field, when someone said it was the largest comeback, I thought of Frank Reich, the Bills, Titans, Warren Moon, that game in Buffalo. I thought it couldn't have been bigger than that comeback. Somebody told me it was. I don't know the numbers. Really, it was bigger than that one? That one still to this day, I wonder how did that happen.
Obviously it's a results-based business. When the results go the way you want, it's thrilling.
Q. When you get the ball back in overtime, forced the punt, what is your thought process in terms of how aggressive you wanted to be knowing a tie clinches the division?
A: I didn't know all this. 10 seconds before we get the ball back, Chris, our QB coach, goes, We're going to run it to start, a tie wins the division.
I looked at him like, It would have been nice to know that at least 10 minutes ago, maybe three days ago (smiling).
I'm on the field, a tie wins the division, you have options there. He called the run. The second call didn't come in very quick. I'm kind of sitting there like, Maybe he's going for the tie. Then he called the dropback. No, he's going to go for it. We went from there.
Yeah, it was just crazy to have a chance for a tie to win the division. We were still able to get down there and win the game, which is what we wanted.
Q. You never answered what you would have worn if you didn't complete the comeback.
A: I'm self-aware enough to not wear this. I pride myself on self-awareness, and that would not have been the right play.
Q. That Houston-Buffalo game you referenced, you were four or five.
A: Yeah, but I watch NFL Network, so...
Q. A momentous moment in NFL history. A locker room of many people who aren't old enough to have experienced it live, but...
A: I don't know how many guys are aware of that. I'm a fan of football. I mean, when games come on, like the other day the 2013 NFC Championship game came on between the Seahawks and 9ers. I'm watching that as a student of the game. That's a game and a stage I want to play in. I want to watch that.
Whenever those games come on, I try to take something from them, make myself a better player.
Q. How hard is it to enjoy this now for you, to take it all in sometimes?
A: Yeah, I'm not wired that way. I'm kind of wired, What's next? What's next? It's hard for me to enjoy the process. I want to enjoy the product.
What I don't want to do is get to the end of my career, Cooper has grown older, you look back and you say, I missed it, I didn't enjoy it while I was going through it.
I want to play long enough for him to remember it, really be a part of it, but to look back and say I didn't miss it while I was in it. Now that it's over, I can say I enjoyed it and got everything out of it I could to enjoy.
Moments like this you want to enjoy.
Q. The touchdown to Dalvin, how critical are these one-play drives?
A: It's a great play call, first of all. Incredibly well-blocked to get a screen like that off. Then it was Dalvin showing why he's Dalvin Cook. To be able to not only get a big play there but finish with a touchdown. Love to see Ezra Cleveland there willing him into the end zone as well.
I thought that play encapsulated a lot of who Dalvin is. I said to him in the locker room, I've been a front row seat for the best plays in your career. That might have been my favorite.
It wasn't a run, it was a catch. But he had a couple other big catches today. It's fun to think back on all the times I got to see him be a special player in this league. Then to think that's probably the top one for me is fun.
Q. When Joseph's kick went through the uprights, what was the first thing you did? Who was the first person you talked to?
A: I'm not sure. I was looking at the video board to kind of see the angle of the ball. Might have been Justin. He was standing up on the bench.
Yeah, just a memory I'll have for a long time.
Q. Any fun Christmas traditions you're looking forward to this week with your family?
A: Playing on Christmas Eve will be interesting. Then you get Christmas Day to really enjoy Christmas.
We got the tree up. We've had the lights up since November 1st. Got the decor around the house. Cooper went over to the tree the other day when my wife wrapped a few presents a little early, he was going to open it that morning.
We said, You have to wait 12 more days.
He kind of lost his mind. What do you mean I got to wait 12 more days?
Probably not the best idea to wrap the presents early, put them under the tree.
Thanks, guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports