Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!
In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.
It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.
On the sixteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: the resurgence of Randall Cunningham.
Flashback – Lions vs Vikings 1998. Gary Anderson hits 5 FGs and the Vikings take the ball away 4 times (0 turnovers for MIN) in a 29-6 laugher as the Vikings start to show a record-breaking offense under Randall Cunningham in Game 3 of 1998. pic.twitter.com/QieBoMHJxP
— VikeFans (@VikeFans) October 8, 2021
In today’s NFL, it’s not nearly as important to have a quality backup quarterback as it was in the 1990s and earlier. The game didn’t protect quarterbacks like it does now and it was commonplace for a quarterback to miss multiple games per season.
The Vikings had this happen quite a bit, especially once Brad Johnson took over as starting quarterback. Johnson had a knack for getting injured and he did so in both 1997 and 1998. The 1997 injury took him out for the rest of the year and that brought in former Philadelphia Eagles great Randall Cunningham.
After being replaced by Rodney Peete, Cunningham retired believing he was disrespected by the fanbase and organization. He spent 1996 away from football but was lured out of retirement by Dennis Green, who convinced him to come out of retirement. He ended up leading the Vikings to a massive 16-point comeback in the wild-card round against the New York Giants. That win ended up saving Dennis Green’s job and led into the events of the next year.
The big resurgence was in 1998 when Johnson got injured again. He broke his leg against the St. Louis Rams in week two and Cunningham came in and had a tremendous season. He completed 60.9% of his passes for 3,704 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was so good that he ended up getting both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year votes along with Comeback Player of the Year votes.
He also started the 1999 season as the starter but was pulled during the sixth game as he started 2-4 and Jeff George took over.
We all know the magic of 1998 with Randy Moss and the miracle playoff run, but that doesn’t happen without Cunningham ready to step in and take control of this team.
Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:
Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback
Jarius Wright Walks Off the Jets
Jared Allen traded to Vikings
Adrian Peterson Sets Rushing Record
Brett Favre Revenge Tour
Bud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing Temperatures
Adrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to Oblivion
Anthony Carter Dominates the 1987 Playoffs
Kirk Cousins’ First Major Comeback
Randy Moss Dominates Monday Night Football
Tuesday Night Joe Webb
Randy Moss Laterals to Moe Williams
Miracle At The Met
Cris Carter catches number 1,000