Vikings team priest speaks out after miracle playoff win
"I knew it would be a memorable game."
— -- For many sports fans January means one thing … the NFL playoffs.
And it doesn’t matter if you’re cheering in the stands at the stadium or parked on your couch, the adrenaline can be enough to get even the coolest fan flagged for excessive celebration.
In Minnesota that was just how the fans reacted after last Sunday’s divisional game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints.
The Minnesota Miracle seen by millions in the closing seconds of the game when Stefon Diggs made the game-winning catch for a touchdown, beating the Saints 29-24 and sending the hometown team to the conference championship.
For Vikings Nation, their prayers had finally been answered and no one knows that better than the Rev. Mike Van Sloun, the team's chaplain.
"I had been to two NFC championship games when they lost at the end, I couldn’t believe it was happening again," Van Sloun told ABC News.
Like thousands of others draped in their purple and gold, Van Sloun was at the game and witnessed the miraculous play up close.
"I knew it would be a memorable game," he said.
And for one Duluth couple, they couldn’t agree more.
Cortez and Tina Ham are the proud parents of Vikings running back CJ Ham.
"Everybody thinks he’s going to the Super Bowl. I don’t think there’s any doubts after that catch," his father told ABC affiliate WDIO.
And as the team prepares for this Sunday’s conference championship against the Philadelphia Eagles, everyone is staying positive, especially Ham’s parents.
"Let's go 29-15," Cortez Ham said. "They're going to win. Not close."
As for Van Sloun, he says a little prayer can go a long way.
Maybe this year it will take the Vikings to the Super Bowl.
Sunday’s NFC championship playoff game in Philadelphia airs at 6:40 p.m. ET.