QotD: Sporting Karma?

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.

Jim Souhan, "Just how far will the Vikings' culture change take them?: The Vikings have games remaining against the Falcons and Giants, teams that should remind fans of how things used to be around here", Star-Tribune, 2008-12-21