As soon as the last Vikings fans stumbled out of U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday evening, still reveling in their team's improbable last-second victory over the New Orleans Saints, the major work began getting the stadium ready for its next close-up.
With less than three weeks to go before Super Bowl LII, the clock is ticking to transform the stadium. A lengthy to-do list awaits: End zones have to be repainted, coat racks installed and space added to accommodate the media crush.
"Some of that work was important to get moving on quickly," said Peter O'Reilly, senior vice president of events for the NFL, which officially took over the stadium on Sunday after the game.
About 11 p.m. Sunday, workers marched onto the field and began peeling the purple turf from the end zones; it will be replaced with the still-to-be-determined colors of the NFC and AFC champions. Also gone, at least temporarily, is the Vikings Norseman insignia at midfield, to make room for the Super Bowl logo. NFL-sponsored branding will start appearing throughout the stadium.
Crews worked in below-zero temperatures installing a 50-by-100-foot electronic screen on the giant glass doors, which will be used to display promotional images leading up to the game.
Shifting schedules
Originally, the league was scheduled to take over the stadium Jan. 2, but the Vikings' extended playoff run delayed that two weeks.
Some local officials admitted privately that they were relieved when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's 4th-and-goal pass fell incomplete in the waning moments of their divisional game against the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. Had the Falcons won, Minnesota — the NFC's No. 2 seed — would have hosted this week's conference championship, delaying the stadium changeover until this Sunday.
Staging a Super Bowl in an urban setting adds an extra layer of complexity. Traffic congestion can add to work delays. And unlike in Houston, where the NFL used the vacant Astrodome for storage, extra space is more difficult to come by.