The Vikings are currently owned by Zygi Wilf, Mark Wilf, Jeffrey Wilf, Leonard Wilf, David Mandelbaum, Alan Landis and Reggie Fowler.
The Vikings have been conducting summer training camp at Minnesota State University, Mankato since 1966. From 1961-65 they held camp at Bemidji State University.
10 Fran Tarkenton
53 Mick Tingelhoff
70 Jim Marshall
77 Korey Stringer
80 Cris Carter
88 Alan Page
1 - 1969 (NFL)
4 - 1969 (WFC), 1973 (NFC), 1974 (NFC), 1976 (NFC)
17 - 1968 (NFL Central), 1969 (NFL Central), 1970 (NFC Central), 1971 (NFC Central), 1973 (NFC Central), 1974 (NFC Central), 1975 (NFC Central), 1976 (NFC Central), 1977 (NFC Central), 1978 (NFC Central), 1980 (NFC Central), 1989 (NFC Central), 1992 (NFC Central), 1994 (NFC Central), 1998 (NFC Central), 2000 (NFC Central), 2008 (NFC North), 2009 (NFC North)
25 - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012
2010-Present
Leslie Frazier 16-22-0
2006-2010
Brad Childress 39-35-0
2001-2005
Mike Tice 32-33-0
1992-2001
Denny Green 97-62-0
1986-1991
Jerry Burns 55-46-0
1985
Bud Grant 7-9
1984
Les Steckel 3-13-0
1967-1983
Bud Grant 161-99-5
1961-1966
Norm Van Brocklin 29-51-4
The Minnesota Vikings are based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings
compete in the National Football Conference of the National Football League
(NFL). They have been a member of the North Division since the NFL realigned
in 2002. Prior to the realignment, they had been a member of the Central
Division, also known as the Black & Blue Division. The Vikings have won one
NFL championship (Pre-1970 AFL-NFL Merger) losing 23-7 to the Kansas City
Chiefs in Super Bowl IV and were the first team to both play in and lose
four Super Bowls. The Vikings have won their division 17 times, third most
among teams currently playing in the NFL.
The club was founded in 1961 after the ownership group withdrew membership
to the American Football League and agreed to join the NFL as an expansion
team. The team played home games at Metropolitan Stadium through the 1981
NFL season and have played their home games at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
since 1982.
1960-1969
Pro football in the Twin Cities began with the Minneapolis Marines/Red
Jackets, an NFL team that played intermittently in the 1920s-30s. However, a
new professional team in the area did not surface again until August 1959,
when three Minneapolis businessmen Bill Boyer, H. P. Skoglund and Max Winter
were awarded a franchise in the new American Football League. Five months
later in January 1960, the ownership group along with Bernie Ridder
forfeited its AFL membership and then was awarded the National Football
League's 14th franchise with play to begin in 1961. Ole Haugsrud was added
to the NFL team ownership because of an agreement he had with the NFL since
the 1920s when he sold his Duluth Eskimos team back to the league. The
agreement allowed him 10% of any future Minnesota team.
The team was officially named the Minnesota Vikings on September 27,
1960; the name is partly meant to reflect Minnesota's place as a center of
Scandinavian American culture. From the start, the Vikings embraced an
energetic marketing program that produced a first-year season ticket sales
of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent
of the capacity of 40,800 for Metropolitan Stadium. Eventually Met Stadium
capacity was increased to 47,900. The search for the first head coach had
the team court then-Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian, who according to
Minneapolis Star writer Jim Klobuchar -- the Vikings' first beat reporter
for that newspaper -- visited team management in the Twin Cities under the
condition that his visit was to be kept secret from his current employer.
His cover was blown by local columnist Sid Hartman who reported the visit
and forced Parseghian to issue denials in South Bend. Philadelphia Eagles
assistant Nick Skorich and a man with Minnesota ties who was working in the
CFL, Bud Grant, were also candidates until a different Eagle, quarterback
Norm Van Brocklin, was hired early in 1961. Van Brocklin had just finished
his career as a player on a high note, having defeated the Green Bay Packers
in the 1960 NFL championship.
With the first overall selection in the 1961 NFL draft, the Vikings selected
running back Tommy Mason of Tulane. They took a young quarterback from the
University of Georgia named Fran Tarkenton in the third round. Notable
veterans acquired in the offseason were Norm Snead and Hugh McElhenny. The
Vikings won their first regular season game, defeating the Chicago Bears
37-13 on Opening Day 1961. Tarkenton came off the bench to throw four
touchdown passes and run for another to lead the upset. Reality set in as
the expansion team lost its next seven games on their way to a 3-11 record.
On March 7, 1967, quarterback Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York
Giants for a 1st and 2nd-round choice in 1967, a 1st-round choice in 1968
and a 2nd-round choice in 1969. With the picks Minnesota selected Clinton
Jones and Bob Grim in 1967, Ron Yary in 1968 and Ed White in 1969. Three
days later on March 10th, the Vikings hired new head coach Bud Grant to
replace Van Brocklin, who resigned following the 1966 NFL season. Grant came
to the Vikings from the Canadian Football League as head coach for the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who he led to four Grey Cup Championships in 10
years. During the late 1960s, the Vikings were building a powerful defense
known as the Purple People Eaters, led by Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary
Larsen, and Jim Marshall. In 1968, that stingy defense earned the Vikings
their first Central Division Title and their first playoff berth.
In 1969 the Vikings went 12-2, the best record in the NFL. The team had 12
straight victories, the longest single-season winning streak in 35 years.
The Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns, 27-7, in the NFL Championship
Game on Jan. 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium. Minnesota became the first
modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game, and earned a
berth in Super Bowl IV. The heavily favored Vikings lost that game to the
Kansas City Chiefs 23-7.
1970-1979
The team continued to shine in 1970 and 1971 as their "Purple People Eater"
defense led them back to the playoffs. In 1971 the defense was impressive
enough that Alan Page won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award given by the
Associated Press. He was only the second defensive player to win the award
(the Lions' Joe Schmidt was co AP MVP in 1960).
In 1972 the Vikings traded Norm Snead, Bob Grim, Vince Clements and a
1st-round draft choice in 1972 and 1973 to the New York Giants to reacquire
the popular Tarkenton. While the acquisitions of Fran Tarkenton and wide
receiver John Gilliam improved the passing attack, the running game was
inconsistent and the Vikings finished with a disappointing 7-7 record. The
Vikings addressed the problem by drafting running back Chuck Foreman with
their first pick in the 1973 draft. Co-owner Bill Boyer died in 1972 and was
replaced on the team's board of directors by his son-in-law Jack Steele.
The Vikings won their first 9 games of 1973 and finished the season with a
12-2 record. The Vikings then advanced to their second Super Bowl in
franchise history, Super Bowl VIII, against the Miami Dolphins at Rice
Stadium in Houston, Texas. However, the Dolphins prevailed, 24-7.
The Vikings won the Central Division again in 1974 with a 10-4 record, which
was a tie for the best record in the conference. In the playoffs they built
on their cold weather reputation, defeating both the St. Louis Cardinals
30-14 and the Los Angeles Rams 14-10 in frozen Metropolitan Stadium. The
Vikings played in their second straight Super Bowl, Super Bowl IX (3rd
overall), losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-6, at Tulane Stadium in New
Orleans on January 12, 1975.
In 1975, the Vikings, led by Tarkenton and running back Chuck Foreman, got
off to a 10-0 start and easily won another division title. However, the
Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, 17-14, on a
controversial touchdown pass from the Cowboys' quarterback Roger Staubach to
wide receiver Drew Pearson that became known as the Hail Mary. The touchdown
was controversial because many felt that Pearson pushed off on Vikings
defensive back Nate Wright, which is pass interference, a violation of the
rules. As the Metropolitan Stadium crowd was stunned to learn that no
penalty was called, debris was thrown on the field for several minutes. One
bottle struck a game official, rendering him unconscious.
The Vikings played in Super Bowl XI, their third Super Bowl (4th overall) in
4 years, against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,
California,on January 9, 1977. The Vikings, however, couldn't break their
bad luck in the Super Bowl. Minnesota lost, 32-14.
In 1977, the Vikings again won the Central Division with a 9-5 record and
advanced to their 4th NFC Championship Game in 5 years, but were defeated by
the eventual Super Bowl Champion Cowboys, 23-6, at Texas Stadium. By 1978,
age was taking its toll on the Vikings, but they still made the playoffs
with an 8-7-1 record. There was no more playoff magic as the Rams finally
defeated the Vikings, 34-10 in Los Angeles. Quarterback Fran Tarkenton
retired following the season holding league passer records in attempts
(6,467), completions (3,686), yards (47,003), and touchdowns (342).
In December, 1979, ground is broken for construction of the Hubert H.
Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.
1980-1989
On May 15, 1981, the Vikings moved into a new facility in suburban Eden
Prairie that houses the team's offices, locker room and practice fields. The
complex was named "Winter Park" after Max Winter, one of the Vikings'
founders, who served as the team's president from 1965 to 1987. The Vikings
played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium on December 20th to conclude
the 1981 NFL season by losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 10-6.
The Vikings played their first game at the Metrodome in a preseason
matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, 1982 in a game Minnesota
won, 7-3. The first touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser
on an 11 yard pass from Tommy Kramer. The first regular-season game in the
Metrodome was the 1982 opener on September 12, when the Vikings defeated
Tampa Bay, 17-10. Rickey Young scored the first regular-season touchdown in
the facility on a 3 yard run in the 2nd quarter.
On January 27, 1984, Bud Grant retired as head coach of the Vikings. With a
career regular-season record of 151-87-5 (.632) in 17 seasons with
Minnesota, Grant led the franchise to 12 playoff appearances, 11 division
titles, and four Super Bowls. Les Steckel, who was an offensive assistant
with the Vikings for 5 seasons, was then named the 3rd head coach in
franchise history. Steckel, who came to the Vikings in 1979 after working as
an assistant with the 49ers, was the youngest head coach in the NFL in 1984
at age 38. However, the Vikings lost a franchise-worst 13 games. After the
season Steckel was fired, and on December 18, 1984, Bud Grant was rehired as
the head coach of the Vikings.
On January 6, 1986, following the 1985 season, Bud Grant re-retired as head
coach of the Vikings. At the time of his retirement he was the 6th
winningest coach in NFL history with 168 career wins, including playoffs. In
18 seasons, he led the Vikings to a 158-96-5 regular season record.
Longtime Vikings assistant coach Jerry Burns was named the 4th head coach in
team history on January 7, 1986. He served as the Vikings' offensive
coordinator from 1968-85, when the team won 11 division titles and played in
4 Super Bowls. In his first season, the Vikings led by the NFL Comeback
Player of the Year Tommy Kramer, went 9-7, their first winning record in 4
years. On August 2, 1986, Fran Tarkenton was the first player who played the
majority of his career with the Vikings, to be inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame.
Following the strike-shortened 1987 season, the 8-7 Vikings --- who had
finished 8-4 in regular games but 0-3 using strike-replacement players ---
pulled two upsets in the playoffs by beating the two teams with the best
regular season records. They beat the 12-3 New Orleans Saints, 44-10, at the
Superdome in the Wild Card Playoff game. The following week, in the
Divisional Playoff game, they beat the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers, 36-24, at
Candlestick Park. During that game Anthony Carter set the all-time record
for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 227 yards. The Vikings
played the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game on January 17,
1988, at RFK Stadium. Trailing 17-10, the Vikings drove to the Redskins' six
yard line with a little over a minute left in the game but failed to get the
ball into the end zone. Darren Nelson dropped a pass from Wade Wilson at the
goal line to officially end the Vikings' hopes of a Super Bowl.
The Vikings would make what would be considered its biggest personnel
blunder in team history. On October 12, 1989, the Vikings acquired Herschel
Walker from Dallas. The final result of the trade gave the Vikings Walker, a
3rd round choice Mike Jones, a 5th round choice Reggie Thornton and
10th-round choice Pat Newman in 1990 and a 3rd-round choice in 1991 Jake
Reed, while Dallas received Issiac Holt, David Howard, Darrin Nelson, Jesse
Solomon, Alex Stewart, a 1st, 2nd and 6th-round choice in 1990, a 1st and
2nd-round choice in 1991 and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd-round choice in 1992. Two of
those selections turned into Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson. Herschel's
performance fell short of expectations in his 3 seasons with the Vikings,
while the Cowboys rode their draft picks to 3 Super Bowl victories in the
early to mid 1990s.
1990-1999
On December 3, 1991, Jerry Burns announced his retirement. In 6 seasons as Head Coach of the Vikings, Burns compiled a career record of 52-43 (.547). He also led Minnesota to 3 playoff appearances, including a division title and an NFC Championship Game. Dennis Green was later named the 5th Head Coach in team history. He came to Minnesota after turning around a struggling Stanford University football program as head coach from 1989-91. In his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings, Green won 4 NFC Central division titles, had 8 playoff appearances, 2 NFC Championship game appearances and an all-time record of 97-62.2000
The 2000 Minnesota Vikings season was the team's 40th season in the
National Football League.
Contents
The team was led by first-year starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper and
running back Robert Smith, who ran for a team record 1,521 yards and 7
touchdowns. The Vikings started out 7-0 and were 11-2 after 14 weeks, but
slumped briefly, losing their last three to the Rams, Packers and Colts
while Culpepper was hampered by injury.
Despite the rough patch, the Vikings would return to the playoffs again for
the fifth straight year. After easily beating the Saints in the Divisional
game 34-16, they were humiliated 41-0 by the New York Giants in the
Conference Championship, and to top that, Robert Smith retired at the end of
the year, after only playing eight NFL seasons.
2001-2005
In 2001, after a disappointing 5–11 season, the Vikings bought out the
contract of Dennis Green, despite his successful coaching tenure with the
team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, losing to the Ravens 19–3.
Tice was named the permanent coach after the season, but he would not lead
the Vikings back to the playoffs until 2004.
During the 2003 season, the Vikings came close to getting into the playoffs.
However, the Arizona Cardinals completed a game-winning touchdown on
4th-and-28 with 0:00 left, knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs. The
moment of Arizona's touchdown was actually the first moment the entire
season in which the Vikings hadn't led their division. The Vikings became
the second team in football history to miss the playoffs after getting off
to a 6–0 start, following the 1978 Washington Redskins.
In 2004, Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-like statistics, throwing for 4,717
passing yards (leading the NFL), 39 passing touchdowns (a Viking record),
and 5,123 total yards (an NFL record). In the wild card game, the Vikings
defeated the rival Green Bay Packers in their first-ever playoff meeting,
31–17. In doing so, the Vikings became the second team in NFL history to
have a .500 record (8–8) in the regular season and win a playoff game (The
St. Louis Rams did the same thing only a day earlier). In the divisional
round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia
Eagles.
On March 2, 2005, Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland
Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' first round draft
pick. After struggling to a disappointing 2–5 start to the 2005 season,
Vikings lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a season-ending knee injury.
This injury was a very significant part to this Minnesota Vikings team due
to the fact they also lost Moss. The dynamic duo from years earlier were now
gone and a new leader would eventually emerge. The Vikings finished the 2005
season with a 9–7 record. However, this season would be more notable for
off-the-field events. In October, 17 team members were part of a party of
about 90 that went out on a pleasure cruise on local Lake Minnetonka. The
incident erupted into scandal when media reported that a number of the
players had performed sex acts and that prostitutes had been flown in. Four
players were ultimately charged with misdemeanors related to the party.
Mike Tice was let go after the 2005 season and was replaced by Brad
Childress. This was one of many significant front office moves made by the
new ownership team, led by Zygi Wilf.
2006-2008
Minnesota began the 2006 season 4–2 (Childress became the first coach in
Vikings history to start 2–0 in his first year), but would finish the year
at 6–10, receiving the 7th pick in the NFL Draft; with it, the Vikings
selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma.
Peterson's first career touchdown was a 60-yard screen pass in his first
career game against the Atlanta Falcons. When the Vikings played the Chicago
Bears in the first of their two games, Peterson broke the record for single
game All-Purpose (rushing, receiving, kick returning) yards (361 total
yards, 224 rushing). In Week 9 of the 2007 season, Peterson broke the NFL
record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 for most rushing yards in one game by
rushing for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers. Despite a strong push
in the middle of the 2007 season, winning five straight games, the Vikings
lost their final two games to finish the season at 8–8, missing the
playoffs. In Week 13 of the 2008 season against the Bears, Gus Frerotte
hooked up with Bernard Berrian for a 99-yard touchdown pass after a goal
line stand by the Vikings defense. This was the longest play in Vikings
history. That season, Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1760 rushing yards,
breaking the franchise record. The Vikings clinched the NFC North
championship for the first time after defeating the New York Giants 20–19 in
Week 17, when kicker Ryan Longwell made the game-winning field goal.
Peterson had 19 carries for 109 yards and added a touchdown during the game.
On January 4, 2009, the NFC North champion Vikings hosted the Philadelphia
Eagles for the Wild Card round, their first home playoff game in eight
years. The Vikings held the Eagles 14–16 at halftime, but the Eagles, coming
off of a 44–6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, defeated the Vikings, 26–14.
The Eagles would go on to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion New York
Giants in the Divisional round, only to lose to the Arizona Cardinals in the
NFC Championship Game.
Since 2006, the Vikings have been known especially for their strong run
defense (#1 in the NFL in 2006, 2007, and 2008; they are the first NFL team
to accomplish this since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970), anchored by the
Williams Wall consisting of defensive tackle Kevin Williams and nose tackle
Pat Williams (no relation). With the addition of sack-leader Jared Allen in
2008, the dominant front four began being called by several nicknames,
including "Thunder and Plunder" and "Shock and AWE" (an acronym of their
surname initials).
2009-2010
On August 18, 2009, after months of speculation and negotiations,
twice-retired veteran quarterback Brett Favre, who until 2007 played 16
years for division arch rival Green Bay Packers, signed a two-year, $25
million deal with the Vikings, starting what many Vikings fans refer to as
"The Brett Favre Era". Favre is universally acknowledged to be a future Hall
of Fame player, holding many NFL career passing records. Coincidentally, in
2007, he broke the record for career touchdown passes (previously held by
Dan Marino with 421) in the Metrodome while playing for the Packers.
On October 5, 2009, the Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers as Favre played
his former team for the first time. With a 30–23 victory on Monday Night
Football, the Vikings moved to a 4–0 record. Favre became the only player in
NFL history to defeat all 32 current teams as a starter. Over 21.8 million
viewers tuned in to watch the game, beating the previous record for a cable
television program set by a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the
Dallas Cowboys in 2008 (18.6 million viewers).
The Vikings beat the New York Giants, 44–7, in Week 17 to help the team
clinch the 2nd seed in the conference and a 1st round-bye with an Eagles
loss later that same day. The Vikings ended with a 12–4 record, their best
record since 2000 and the first 11-plus win season since the record-setting
1998 season. The Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round
on January 17, 2010, and won the game by a score of 34–3, advancing the
Vikings to the NFC Championship game, the ninth in franchise history. This
would also be the first NFC Championship game for the team since 2001.
Minnesota would travel to New Orleans the following week to face the
top-seeded Saints in the first conference championship game held at the
Superdome. Despite out-gaining the Saints on offense by nearly a twofold
margin, the Vikings were severely hindered by five turnovers, including a
Favre interception in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter (in Saints
territory). They were ousted in overtime, 31–28, on a 40-yard field goal
after losing the coin toss.
In the first week of the 2010 NFL regular season, the Vikings played the
defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings lost
14–9. In Week 2, the Vikings played the Miami Dolphins and lost 14–10. The
Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 24–10 in the third week of the season.
After a week four bye-week, the Vikings received star wide receiver Randy
Moss in a trade with the New England Patriots. Even with the addition of
Moss, the Vikings lost to the New York Jets 29–20 in Week 5. The Vikings won
a crucial victory against another struggling team in the form of the Dallas
Cowboys 24–21, but in Week 7 the Vikings lost to the arch-rival Green Bay
Packers 28–24. In Week 9, the Vikings played the Arizona Cardinals at home
and won 27–24 in overtime. Favre threw for a career-high 446 passing yards.
The Vikings then went on to face their other divisional rival the Chicago
Bears, but were defeated, and then went on to be blown out 31–3 in a rematch
with the Packers the following game. The team then proceeded to fire Brad
Childress not long after. With Leslie Frazier filling in for the fired
Childress, the Vikings won two games in a row. One against the Washington
Redskins on the road, and a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills at home.
After a winter storm dropped nearly 17 inches of snow in the Minneapolis/St
Paul area the Saturday prior to the Vikings December 12 home game versus the
New York Giants and 30 mph gusts drove snow removers off the dome's roof
overnight, several panels were damaged as the weight of the snow caused the
roof to collapse. After viewing the damage, Vikings management and the NFL
decided to move the game to Monday and play it at Ford Field in Detroit,
Michigan. Because of on-going repairs to the roof of the Metrodome, the
Vikings played their December 20 game versus the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank
Stadium (the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers). The game
was played 29 years to the day after the last outdoor game at old Met
Stadium. On December 26, the NFL announced that the game versus the
Philadelphia Eagles was being postponed to Tuesday, December 28, 2010
because of blizzard conditions. This marks the third consecutive venue or
date change for a Vikings game and was the first NFL game played on a
Tuesday since 1964. The Vikings proceeded to upset the dynamic Eagles
offense, led by a resurgent Michael Vick, 24–14 with rookie Joe Webb at the
helm. The Vikings finished the season with a 20–13 loss against the Detroit
Lions.
2011-Present
The 2010 season was a step down for the Minnesota Vikings. After coming
within a few plays of Super Bowl XLIV, Minnesota ended the 2010 season with
a 6–10 record and a last place finish in the NFC North for the first time
since 1990. During the season, the Vikings had many distractions, including
trading for Randy Moss and then waiving him only a month later, Brett
Favre's NFL investigation for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages
to Jets' employee Jenn Sterger while he was with the team in 2008, the
Metrodome's collapse and resulting venue changes, and finally head coach
Brad Childress' firing on November 22 following a 31–3 loss at the hands of
the rival Green Bay Packers.
After serving as the interim head coach for the final six games of the
season (finishing with a 3–3 record), defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier
was officially named the head coach on January 3, 2011, after signing a
three-year contract. On January 17, Brett Favre retired for the third, and
officially last, time, leaving the team in search for a long term
replacement at the quarterback position. Wasting no time after being
appointed head coach, Frazier began to restructure the team's coaching
staff, including letting go of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and
hiring Mike Singletary as linebackers coach and Bill Musgrave as the new
offensive coordinator. Their first round draft pick was Christian Ponder, a
quarterback from Florida State University. The team finished with a
franchise tying worst 3-13 record. During the 2012 NFL Draft, the team
selected USC lineman Matt Kalil with the 4th overall pick after a trade with
the Cleveland Browns, and Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith in the first
round. Both players were instrumental in helping the Vikings reach the
playoffs for the 27th time in franchise history, as was fellow draftee,
sixth-round selection Blair Walsh. After beating the Packers in the final
game of 2012 to reach the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed, the Vikings lost
24–10 to the Packers in the rematch at Lambeau Field in the Wild Card round.
The team was forced to play back up Joe Webb during the game after Ponder
was sidelined due to an arm injury sustained from the previous week.
Peterson was later named the league's MVP.