The Vikings' worst-ever playoff loss came on Dec. 28, 1975, at Met Stadium. They were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl seasons and were playing Dallas in a first-round game.
The Vikings led 14-10 with 1:50 remaining when Dallas took possession at its 15-yard-line. The Cowboys were facing a fierce Purple defense that had stymied them through the afternoon.
Dallas converted on fourth-and-17 on an outstanding catch by receiver Drew Pearson. That put the Cowboys at midfield with 37 seconds left. A short pass was incomplete, and then Roger Staubach made a heave down the right sideline toward Pearson.
Nate Wright was running with Pearson, and then there was contact, and Wright was on the Met's shoddy turf, and Pearson was traipsing into the end zone. Yeah, that was a tough one, the 17-14 loss to Dallas, but it was not for the NFC title.
When that's the criteria for horrendous, gut-tearing defeat – that winning meant a berth in the Super Bowl – I put what happened to the Packers on Sunday in Seattle ahead of any playoff loss suffered by the Vikings in the 49 years of the Super Bowl era.
We're not talking about historic deprivation here. We're not taking into account the fact the Packers are 4-1 in Super Bowls and the Vikings are 0-4. We're not taking into account the Packers are four years removed from playing in a Super Bowl and the Vikings are 38 years removed.
The issue is an individual conference championship game, and what went into losing that game, and I contend the turn that Sunday's game took against the Packers and their fans was uglier than what happened to the Vikings on Jan. 17, 1999 in the Metrodome.
Or, for that matter, what happened on Jan. 24, 2010 in the Superdome.