HispanicBusiness

As one of just two NFL teams to hold the dubious record of making it the Super Bowl four times without winning, the Minnesota Vikings have a way of repeating history in tragic ways. (The other team is the Buffalo Bills.)

Last night's loss to the New Orleans Saints was a case in point.

The game shares some eerie similarities with the last time the Vikings made it to the NFC championship, and lost.

That was 1999, when the Vikings were beaten by the Atlanta Falcons.

Then, as yesterday, the game went into overtime.

Then, as yesterday, the game was won by a field goal. In 1999, it was from 38 yards out; on Sunday, 40 yards.

Then, the score was 30-27. On Sunday, it was 31-28.

Then, as yesterday, the Vikings had a star who had been on all season until blowing it at the very end. In 1999, the star was a kicker, Gary Anderson, who hadn't missed a kick all year. Then, when he had a chance to win the game in OT, he missed from 38 yards away. Last night, the star, of course, was Brett Favre, who hadn't thrown many interceptions all season, until Sunday, when he threw two -- one of them in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter that robbed the Vikings the opportunity to attempt a field goal.