NFL franchise all-time power rankings: Which organization comes out on top?

18. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings feel like they should have a better legacy. The purple has been synonymous with Minnesota for decades. They are a team without a Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been close. They’ve been to the conference championship 10 times in their history. That’s insane to get to the final four 10 times but never came out as the champion.

This team has a legacy that lives on. The Purple People Eaters took the Vikings to the Super Bowl three different times and lost every time. Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Gary Larsen, and Doug Sutherland built one of the greatest defenses this league has ever seen. They just dominated the line of scrimmage. They made the NFC their playground, but unfortunately, they just couldn’t win that final game.

There are so many other examples. The Brett Favre interception against the Saints with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Gary Anderson’s missed field goal that ended the season of the 15-1 Vikings in 1998. Darrin Nelson’s dropped pass in the 1987 NFC Championship Game against Washington. Any Vikings fan old enough to know football also knows heartbreak.

Of course, there are some absolutely amazing times being a Vikings fan. Randy Moss was a phenomenon and might be the second-best receiver ever. Warren Moon was way ahead of his time. Daunte Culpepper was a superstar and is wildly underrated in today’s QB rankings. Cris Carter revitalized his career in Minny. Now, they have Justin Jefferson, the best receiver in the league. There is so much to love, but the Vikings need that one big win.