Why this is the most exciting Vikings regular season ever

Jeff Diamond remembers listening to the first game in Vikings' history on the radio while he played football in the yard with his brothers. He was 8.

He would get an entry-level job with the team's media relations department in 1976, then work his way up through the organization until he became general manager and senior vice president. He was running the football operation when the Vikings went 15-1 in 1998, setting offensive records.

Diamond has seen (or heard) it all when it comes to the Vikings. He thinks this is the most exciting season in franchise history.

More exciting than that high-flying '98 squad featuring rookie Randy Moss. More exciting than Brett Favre's drama king star turn in 2009. More exciting than the good-old-days Vikings who sent so many players and coach Bud Grant to the Hall of Fame.

"I believe that this is the most exciting and dramatic regular season, thus far, in Minnesota Vikings history,'' Diamond said. "They've had nine one-score games. They've had six come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"I've watched this team since '61 and I spent 23 years in the front office, and I've seen a lot of exciting seasons. I've seen Super Bowl and NFC title games, and I think this is the most exciting Vikings season ever.''

As with all comparisons, this one requires context.

The 1998 and 2009 Vikings thrilled because they hinted at greatness. You knew those teams were talented enough to win a Super Bowl.

The '98 team set offensive records and usually won with ease. The '09 Vikings threatened to earn the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history with a Hall of Fame quarterback who made his bones as their primary rival.

Those teams were dominant enough, though, that many of their victories were not suspenseful. Winning by two touchdowns is impressive. It's not the same thing as "exciting.''

The 2022 Vikings are unique. They could clinch the division title in their 14th game. Nine of their last 10 games have come down to a pivotal play late in the fourth quarter, and many of their winning plays have been improbable or downright lucky.

The Saints hit the upright and crossbar with what would have been a game-tying field goal. Jets receiver Braxton Berrios had the football slip out of his hands while he lay in the end zone. Bills star quarterback Josh Allen inexplicably committed turnovers in each end zone.

All four starters in a secondary that ranks last in the NFL in yards allowed have made an interception that led directly to a victory.

On a week-to-week basis, Diamond is correct: There has never before been a Vikings season featuring this kind of unrelenting drama.

"It's life in the NFL,'' Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "If you go back and look at most seasons in the past, most games are coming down to the final minute, the final play. It seems like it's the oddball game when you're in the early fourth quarter and it's decided.

"It's a grind, man. I mean, it is a grind.''

Pivotal moments in the fourth quarter are easy to identify. The closeness of these games means that players recognize that a game can be won or lost at any time.

"I remember when we didn't connect on that third down at the end of the first half against the Jets,'' Cousins said. "I'm thinking to myself, 'Just that one missed throw on a third down, trying to get into field goal range — that could be why we lose the game.' Because if you convert that and stay on the field, you either get a touchdown or you at least run the clock down so the Jets can't go down and kick a field goal.

"One moment in the first quarter, the second quarter, many times can be the difference, and I think that tension — I feel it on Wednesday at 12:30.''

He turned, looked at the clock, and suppressed the urge to call a timeout.