Inside The Vikings

Jared Allen: '09 Vikings 'hands down' would've beaten Colts in Super Bowl

2009 was "a special year" for the Vikings, Allen said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Will Ragatz

Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Jared Allen during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 press conference at the Saenger Theater.
Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Jared Allen during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 press conference at the Saenger Theater. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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One of the most tantalizing what-ifs in Minnesota Vikings history involves the 2009 season and that fateful NFC championship game in New Orleans. What if Brett Favre had tucked the ball and run for a few yards instead of throwing the ill-advised pass that was picked off by Tracy Porter in the final seconds of regulation? Maybe Ryan Longwell hits a field goal to send the Vikings to face Peyton Manning and the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

One of the best players on that team, first team All-Pro pass rusher Jared Allen, has no doubt that the Vikings would've hoisted the Lombardi Trophy if they had made it to that game. During a press conference in Minnesota on Tuesday recognizing his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Allen brought up that '09 season when asked what he's most proud of from his time with the Vikings.

"It kills me that we didn't get to a Super Bowl," he said. "Because I really do feel like in 2009, if we go to the Super Bowl, we're hands down winning it. That was a special year."

Drew Brees and the Saints went on to beat the Colts 31-17 in that game in Miami, sealing it with a Porter pick-six. Indianapolis was 16-2 heading into the Super Bowl, playoffs included, but that Colts team had won eight one-score games and lagged behind teams like the Saints and Vikings in point differential and advanced metrics in the regular season.

The 2009 Vikings are up there with the 1998 team as Minnesota's best chances to reach (and win) a Super Bowl since the Purple People Eaters days. There were four future Hall of Famers on that team in Favre, Allen, Steve Hutchinson, and Adrian Peterson, not to mention Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Antoine Winfield, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, and so many other talented players.

Allen spoke for over 30 minutes at TCO Performance Center on Tuesday, reflecting on his career and cracking all kinds of jokes. Pat Williams, Ben Leber, and Jasper Brinkley were in attendance from the 2009 team, as was Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel. If you've got time, it's an entertaining watch.

Late in the presser, Allen was asked about the 2024 Vikings team — and said he had a blast watching them surprise everyone and reach 14 wins. He also joked that he wasn't athletic enough to play in Brian Flores' defensive scheme.

"I was on the hype train all the way," he said. "I like the fight the guys have. I know it wasn't the ending we wanted ... (but) I'm excited where the team's gonna go. We're close. And I'll state the obvious: We've been close for a long time. The next hurdle in the Vikings organization is how do we get there? And that's just the truth. But the reality is only one team gets there every year. I'd rather be close than frickin' — who sucks, the Jets? Being the Jets would be miserable right now."

Never change, Jared Allen.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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