Jim Souhan: Just how far will the Vikings' culture change take them?

Someone up there above the cirrus clouds -- whether an omnipotent being or an NFL schedule maker in a New York skyscraper -- is displaying a sense of humor.

The two opponents positioned to keep the Vikings from their first playoff berth since 2004? The Falcons and Giants, the teams responsible for perhaps the two most embarrassing losses in the history of a franchise known for its momentous losses.

Today, the Vikings face the Falcons, who upset perhaps the most talented Vikings team ever in the 1998 NFC title game in the Metrodome, in perhaps the most statistically improbable loss in franchise history.

The Falcons required Gary Anderson's first missed field goal of the season, Robert Smith running out of bounds, Denny Green ordering Randall Cunningham to take a chance at the end of the first half and a knee at the end of regulation, the Falcons of Chris Chandler and Jamal Anderson outscoring what was then the highest-scoring team in NFL history, and Randy Moss failing to make plays when he needed to make plays in the second half.

The Vikings scored on their first four possessions, but a team that scored 556 points in the regular season managed only seven after halftime, as the Falcons held Moss to one catch for 5 yards after halftime.

The final was 30-27 Falcons in overtime, and when it was over Falcons coach Dan Reeves danced the "Dirty Bird" on the Metrodome turf as thousands of Minnesotans discarded their Vikings car flags in the slush of downtown Minneapolis.

The nouveau Vikings of '98 had drawn a new breed of fans to the Dome -- younger, rowdier, more optimistic fans who learned on that day -- and on a similar day two years later -- that a certain stoicism, a certain pessimism, is required to safeguard their hearts.

Two years later, with Daunte Culpepper having replaced Randall Cunningham and Moss and Cris Carter again leading the offense, the Vikings traveled to New Jersey to face a bland Giants team in the Vikings' second NFC title game in three years under Denny Green.

This time, the Vikings did not mix drama with their disappointment. Favored by two points despite playing on the road, they played so poorly in a 41-0 loss -- the most lopsided championship game loss in NFC history -- that Vikings fans believed the Giants had stolen the Vikings' signals all day.

The Vikings had long before established a tradition of losing big games, of course. They lost all four of their Super Bowl appearances under Bud Grant.

Grant and his players received greater benefit of the doubt from their fans, for many reasons. Grant had established himself as a North Woods, steam-breathing icon, and his players felt like family, and their Super Bowl conquerors were great teams headed by Hall of Fame players and coaches.

Green's teams lost NFC title games to teams that went on to lose the Super Bowl, teams that just happened to reach their peak at the expense of the talented but unrequited Vikings.

Those losses led to Green's departure near the end of the 2001 season, led to Mike Tice's failed Randy Ratio, the trade of Moss, the sale of the team by a crushed Red McCombs and the installment of the current regime.

Zygi Wilf and Brad Childress entered believing they could change the perceived lawless culture of the Love Boat Vikings, and they have.

In the next two weeks, we'll see whether they've changed the culture of the Soul-Crushing Vikings, the team that rewards optimism with the losses that leave purple flags strewn in the slush.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com