Weegman column: Time for Vikings to reverse the curse

Sports and curses have been intertwined for generations. Many Boston Red Sox fans blamed their 80-plus-year World Series drought on trading away Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920; quarterback Bobby Layne supposedly put a 50-year jinx (now well into its 60th year) on the Detroit Lions for trading him to Pittsburgh in the late-1950s; and a disgruntled bar owner reportedly placed a curse on the Chicago Cubs for kicking him and his billy goat out of the 1945 World Series.

Curses even extend to “Sports Illustrated” and Madden NFL video game cover subjects, many of whom suffered injuries immediately afterward.

Even News Tribune staffers have joked about the existence of a jinx on its prep newsmaker athletes.

A curse is an easier way for fans to explain away poor performances by their teams. The Lions and Cubs, for example, had miserable teams for decades and, except on rare occasions, didn’t have to suffer through wacky finishes in big moments because they were so bad.

For others, such as the Red Sox and Vikings, it’s more difficult to explain away end-of-game collapses. At least Bostonians rid themselves of the Bambino curse with three World Series titles this century and seemingly have a Patriots’ Super Bowl parade every other year.

Since the Cubs finally broke through their century-long World Series drought in 2016, there’s no logical reason that the Vikings can’t be next.

And what better way to do it than reverse the outcomes against teams that perpetuated the idea of a curse, starting with the New Orleans Saints this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Saints beat the Vikings in overtime of the 2009 NFC title game in one of the worst officiated games in memory.

A win would send the Vikings to another conference championship game, possibly against Atlanta, the franchise that beat Minnesota in the 1998 championship game after Gary Anderson missed his first field goal of the season and Denny Green decided to play for overtime.

Win that and the Vikings would be the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. And it’s possible that could come against Pittsburgh, one of the teams who vanquished the Vikings in a Super Bowl.

So it’s time for Vikings fans to cross their fingers, light candles or enlist a witch doctor to reverse this curse.

Or maybe it’s time for the Vikings to show their superiority on the field and not make the same mistakes that have cost the team throughout its history.

A look at the upcoming divisional round:

New Orleans (12-5) at Minnesota (13-3) — The NFC’s top two remaining teams met to open the season on a Monday night. But neither team is the same. Sam Bradford was quarterbacking the Vikings then and Adrian Peterson was in the Saints’ backfield. Case Keenum turned out to be the most valuable backup QB, while Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara made Peterson a distant memory. The key may be which team can strike down the middle of the field. Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph is a red-zone weapon, while Saints QB Drew Brees is deadly throwing seam patterns. But the Vikings sport the best linebackers in the league and the best safety in Harrison Smith. Defense still wins championships and it’s the best remedy for curses.

Line: Vikings by 4

Rick’s Picks: Vikings 23, Saints 17

Atlanta (11-6) at Philadelphia (13-3) — Falcons have underperformed all season yet turned it on last week in wild-card win over the Rams. The Eagles may have proved Carson Wentz should be the league MVP by their woeful performance since the QB went down with a season-ending knee injury. This marks the first time a No. 1 seed is an underdog, though that makes Philly tough to pick against (underdogs were 4-0 against the spread a week ago). The tandem of Falcons RBs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, along with a vastly improved defense, is the difference in a low-scoring affair.

Line: Falcons by 3

Rick’s Pick: Falcons 17, Eagles 13

Tennessee (10-7) at New England (13-3) — The least palatable of the weekend matchups is in prime time. Good luck with those ratings CBS. The Patriots are a difficult matchup any week, but give them a week off and the added incentive of a scathing ESPN article that insinuates the end of the Belichick-Brady-Kraft dynasty is near an end, and it’s curtains for the Titans. Tennessee’s miraculous comeback against Kansas City a week ago was just an illusion. Tom Brady will make sure of that against a team New England has beaten by an average of 32 points the past three meetings.

Line: Patriots by 13

Rick’s Pick: Patriots 31, Titans 13 (best bet)

Jacksonville (11-6) at Pittsburgh (13-3) — The Jaguars authored one of the most surprising results of the season with their 30-9 victory at Heinz Field in October. Now the AFC’s top defense must stop the troika of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown with more on the line. This isn’t the same thing as stopping an anemic Bills offense. Jaguars’ pass rush is for real and Leonard Fournette fuels the pounding running game that’s needed in January. But the veteran Roethlisberger knows how to win close games — Steelers were 8-2 in one-possession games this season — and pulls out another one late.

Line: Steelers by 7 1/2

Rick’s Pick: Steelers 20, Jaguars 16

Last week — straight up 3-1; against the spread 2-2; best bet 0-1.