Brutal Vikings (Not The Nordic Kind)

If I made a list of the most difficult things to do in the world, it might include being the U.S. president, or climbing Mt. Everest. But near the very top of that list might be something you wouldn't expect: Being a die-hard Minnesota Vikings football fan.

After another year of emotional investment, the Vikings pulled the rug out from under their fans again by losing the 2010 NFC Championship game to the New Orleans Saints in a game the Vikes absolutely dominated. Turnovers begat another brutal loss in a lifetime of brutal losses.

So in a therapuetic attempt to feel better by talking/writing it out, I now give you my list of Top 5 most crushing losses in Vikings history:

1. 1999 NFC Championship game in OT at home versus the Altanta Falcons. This was the Gary Andersen only-missed-field-goal-of-the-year game. Vikes were the best team in the NFL that year hands down, and didn't even make the Super Bowl.

2. 1975 NFC playoff game at home versus the Dallas Cowboys. This was the original Hail Mary pass game. I was 11 years old, still optimistic about life, until this happened and I became forever scarred and cynical.

3. 2010 NFC Championship game in OT at New Orleans Saints. A lot like the 1999 game, but perhaps not quite as hideous since they were not favored to win. Still, the clearly better team lost, and it's brutal enough to make the top 3.

4. 2003 regular season finale game at Arizona Cardinals. Lost on 28-yard TD pass as time expired, after being up by 11 with less than two minutes to go. Knocked them out of division title and playoffs after being in first place the entire year. (And allowed the then-Brett Favre-led Green Bay Packers to go the the playoffs.)

5. 1988 NFC Championship game at Washington Redskins. This was the strike-shortened year, and the Vikes had the best 'regular' player record in the NFL going in (but had to play on the road because they were 0-3 using replacement players). Darrin Nelson flat-out dropped a short pass from Wade Wilson at the goal line late in the game to seal the loss.

These games, and many more, make being a Vikings fan one of the most difficult things to do in the world. So why continue?

It's a mystery of faith.