Five years ago right now, the Minnesota Vikings were “one piece away” from the Promised Land. That was the working theory, anyway.
The team had just fired up a 13-3 season in 2017 with a backup quarterback and running back, led by a devilishly-good defense that ranked tops in the business via every meaningful statistical metric. The team fell short of a home Super Bowl thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles, so the 2018 offseason was peppered with “we were so close” enthusiasm.
5 Years Ago Today — The Decision That Changed Vikings History
And five years ago today — February 26th, 2018 — news broke that the team would not retain quarterback Case Keenum, as the front office evidently believed his 2017 campaign was quintessential flash-in-the-pan stuff.