Reusse remembered that the Vikings had been unable to clinch during the final month of the regular season and relied on help from other teams to get a seat at the postseason table. Then-Head Coach Jerry Burns was questioned by a fellow Star Tribune reporter about his team's "lack of a 'killer instinct.' "

Not many, including the media, believed in Minnesota's ability to make it past the first round of the playoffs.

What we all soon came to agree on was Burnsie's outfit indeed had a killer instinct. Anthony Carter triggered a 44-10 rout of the Saints with an 84-yard punt return, Wade Wilson replaced Tommy Kramer early on and delivered a Hail Mary TD pass to Hassan Jones at the end of the first half and a fierce pass rush drove Hebert from the game.

A week later, the Vikings went to San Francisco and did the same to Montana. Yes, on Jan. 9, 1988, the gang of Keith Millard, Chris Doleman and Hardware Hank Thomas, of Joey Browner, Carl Lee and Jesse Solomon, became the first defense to get Montana hooked from a game for a non-injury reason.

The final was 36-24. Carter's 10 catches for 227 yards gave Anthony the most explosive two-game stretch in the postseason we have ever seen from the Purple. And the Vikings of January 1988 remain only team in franchise history with two playoff road wins.