Jan. 17, 1999, might be the worst date in Minnesota’s pro sports history. Reliving that NFL playoff game against Atlanta makes a person believe in curses.

There was the Drew Pearson catch in a 1975 NFC divisional round game. Of course he pushed off.

There was the 41-0 loss to the Giants in the NFC Championship Game following the 2000 season. Of course New York stole the playbook.

There was “Bountygate” in the NFC Championship Game after the 2009 season. Of course the Saints played dirty in injuring Brett Favre.

Every fan base has experienced some sort of sports heartbreak. It comes with the job description. As fans, we deal with the lows because, eventually, there will be highs that will mitigate years of despair.

Except when it comes to Vikings fans. They seem to be cursed. Those three aforementioned events are only trailers for the feature presentation: Nothing suggested the football gods weren’t (aren’t?) fans of the Purple more than what happened 25 years ago on Wednesday.

Gary Anderson. Wide left.

The most entertaining team in franchise history blew a fourth-quarter lead in the NFC Championship Game to a resilient Atlanta Falcons team as Anderson — the Vikings kicker who was a perfect 35-for-35 on field-goal attempts during the regular season — missed a 38-yarder in the fourth quarter that would have iced the game.

For new owner Red McCombs, it turned a moment of Purple Pride into a Purple Gut Punch.

This was a high-flying team led by Randall Cunningham, Cris Carter, Robert Smith and some young guy named Randy Moss. Coach Dennis Green’s offensive wizardry propelled the Vikings to a 15-1 regular-season record. They outscored opponents 556-296 during the regular season, with the only loss coming 27-24 at Tampa Bay.

Moss was a rookie on a mission after dropping to 21st in the NFL draft. On Thanksgiving Day at Dallas, Moss caught three passes for 51, 56 and 56 yards, all for touchdowns. The Vikings won 46-36. The team flew home following the game, and several players immediately headed for Champps Sports Bar in Eden Prairie for what turned out to be an impromptu and spirited celebration with fans. Good thing social media and selfies weren’t big then.

No one was thinking about the division title. The town was thinking about a Super Bowl trip to Miami that year, with a chance to win a title that had eluded them in four previous trips.