For whatever reason, the Indianapolis Colts are the one team that always seems to be the Minnesota Vikings’ kryptonite. The Colts are 18-7-1 against Minnesota and have won the last six matchups.
The last time the Vikings beat the Colts was on Dec. 21, 1997, a quarter century ago. To put that in perspective, the No. 1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 was “Candle in the Wind 1997” by Elton John. The song was his tribute to Princess Diana, who passed away nearly four months before Minnesota’s most recent win against Indy.
So why do the Colts always seem to have Minnesota’s number? Are the Vikings truly god-awful, or does Indianapolis just have luck on their side? To better understand this, let’s examine the last six games the Vikings played against the Colts.
The Bubby Brister Bowl (12/24/2000)
It’s Christmas Eve in the new millennium, and the 11-4 Vikings got their Christmas present a bit early by clinching the NFC Central before the start of this game. Minnesota was playing for seeding above all else. Meanwhile, the 9-6 Colts were second in the AFC East and had yet to clinch a playoff berth. This was a must-win game for Indianapolis.
Daunte Culpepper was dealing with a right ankle sprain and exited the game late in the first quarter after landing awkwardly on a sack. Bubby Brister played the rest of the game and only completed 50% of his passes for 78 yards and a pick. The Colts ran away with an easy win against Minnesota’s second-string quarterback and punched their ticket to the playoffs.
Mondays are for the Mannings (11/08/2004)
In 2004, the 5-2 Vikings played the 4-3 Colts on Monday Night Football. This time, Culpepper was fully healthy and played the entire game. The same could not be said for Randy Moss, though, who was ruled out before the game. Because of this, the Colts were favored to beat the Vikings by seven points.
Minnesota kept it within one score for most of the game, but the Vikings gave Peyton Manning too much time late in the fourth quarter. The Colts ended up making a game-winning field goal as time expired. The outcome may have been different had the refs not given Manning a free touchdown near the goal line by failing to call a delay of game. Oh well.
A Wasted Effort (09/14/2008)
It’s Week 2, and the Vikings and the Colts are 0-1. Once again, Minnesota’s defense is tasked with slowing down Manning. Although Peyton threw for over 300 yards, the Vikings defense limited him to one touchdown, two interceptions, and a 72.6 QB rating.
Adrian Peterson also had a great performance running for 160 yards, but Tarvaris Jackson and the Vikings offense struggled mightily in the red zone. Ryan Longwell went 5/6 on field goals, missing his last attempt from 49 yards out. This opened the door for Manning to march down the field and tie the game 15-15. Minnesota’s offense remained stagnant, and the Colts made the game-winning field goal as time expired. Again.
Young Gunslingers (9/16/2012)
The year is 2012, and Peyton Manning is no longer with the Colts. Generational rookie Andrew Luck, who needs no introduction, is starting in his place. The Vikings also have a young quarterback in Christian Ponder. Although Ponder is remembered as a major bust, he played surprisingly well in this game.
Minnesota was down 20-6 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Ponder and the Vikings’ offense scored 14 unanswered points to tie the game with 31 seconds left. That proved to be too much time for Luck, who was able to get the Colts into field goal range. Indianapolis made the game-winning field goal yet again. The Vikings fell to 1-1, while the Colts got their first win of the season.
The Big Blowout (12/08/2016)
This was easily Mike Zimmer’s worst game of the entire 2016 season. The 7-6 Vikings got whooped at U.S. Bank Stadium against the 6-7 Colts. Luck put on a clinic against the Vikings’ defense, and Minnesota’s offense couldn’t stop fumbling the ball. Minnesota lost this game 34-6.
Gary Kubiak’s Offense Retires Early (09/20/2020)
In their most recent matchup against Indy, the Vikings’ offense failed to show up. Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions and was sacked three times, one of which resulted in a safety.
Minnesota couldn’t establish the run either, only gaining 80 net yards rushing on the day. The defense was decent in the first half, but Indianapolis wore them out. Philip Rivers and the Colts cruised to a 28-11 victory, sending the Vikings to 0-2.
Final Analysis
The Vikings’ six-game losing streak against Indianapolis isn’t as bad as it seems. For the past 25 years, the Colts have been a competitive franchise blessed with two Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks. Indianapolis has a combined regular season record of 64-32 in the six seasons the Vikings played them and never finished any of those seasons under .500.
| 2000 Indianapolis Colts | 10-6 | 2000 Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | Colts win 31-10 |
| 2004 Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | 2004 Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | Colts win 31-28 |
| 2008 Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | 2008 Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | Colts win 18-15 |
| 2012 Indianapolis Colts | 11-5 | 2012 Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | Colts win 23-20 |
| 2016 Indianapolis Colts | 8-8 | 2016 Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | Colts win 34-6 |
| 2020 Indianapolis Colts | 11-5 | 2020 Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | Colts win 28-11 |
The Colts’ record was better than, or equal to, the Vikings in five out of those six seasons, except for 2000, where the Vikings had one more W. Half of those games (2004, 2008, 2012) were decided by three points or fewer. The game in 2000 was lopsided, but that’s because Culpepper got hurt early in the game, and Brister replaced him.
The Vikings’ worst games against the Colts were during Zimmer’s tenure. Zimmer’s teams had a -46 point differential in two games against Indianapolis, the lowest point differential Minnesota has had against the Colts since the 1960s when Norm Van Brocklin was coaching an expansion team. Historically, the Vikings played competitive football against some very talented Colts teams, but recency bias has taken over because of those ugly losses under Zimmer.
This week’s game is different. The 2022 Colts are objectively bad on all fronts. Just over a month ago, they fired head coach Frank Reich and replaced him with Jeff Saturday, a man with no previous coaching experience on his resumé. A 37-year-old Matt Ryan is starting at quarterback for the Colts. This isn’t Matty Ice we’re talking about. The version of him that carved up defenses and led the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl is long gone. Five years after 28-3, Atlanta sent his zombified remains to Indianapolis this offseason.
The Colts aren’t completely devoid of talent. Guys like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman, DeForest Buckner, and Stephon Gilmore have all played well this year. Yet, their individual contributions haven’t been enough to overcome inconsistent quarterback play and coaching ineptitude to the highest degree.
That’s why I expect the Vikings to break their curse against the Colts this Saturday. This is the first game in over 25 years where the Vikings clearly stand head and shoulders above the Indianapolis.
