Stefon Diggs caught it, turned, and there was nobody left to stop him. January 2018, a divisional game, the Vikings out of time and down by one, and Diggs took a sideline throw sixty-one yards to the end zone as the clock hit zero. The Minneapolis Miracle. The building came apart. For a franchise that specializes in January heartbreak, it was a rare and perfect moment of joy.

A history of beautiful disasters

The Vikings know the other ending far better. They lost four Super Bowls in the 1970s, a club my own team shares with them and nobody else. A 15-1 season after 1998 ended with a missed field goal in the NFC Championship Game. A run after the 2009 season ended on a Brett Favre interception in the final minute at New Orleans. The talent has been there again and again. The finish keeps betraying them.

The recent near-misses

Lately it has been more of the same shape. Strong regular seasons, an early January exit, the breakthrough always one game out of reach. The Miracle aside, the postseason has mostly been a place where Minnesota’s best teams go to break their fans’ hearts in fresh and inventive ways.

Four Super Bowl losses, a stack of January collapses, and one miracle that will outlive everyone who saw it. Vikings fans, you and I carry the same four-loss scar, and I feel that one in my chest every time. The Minneapolis Miracle was joy in its purest form. You earned a month of those, not a single play. Maybe next time.