1978 Minnesota Vikings season

1978 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Bud Grant
Home field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	8-7-1
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Round
Timeline
Previous season      Next season < 1977      1979 >

The 1978 Minnesota Vikings season was the team's 18th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of eight wins, seven losses, and one tie, and finished in first place in the NFC Central division.

In 2004, Football Outsiders named the 1978 Vikings as one of the "worst playoff teams ever":

A 10-10 tie against the Packers on Thanksgiving weekend helped the Vikings clinch the division. The Vikings won the first meeting between the two teams, but the Packers would eventually have a better division record (the Vikings had lost to the 5-11 Buccaneers early in the year). A win might have given the Packers the division. Green Bay led 10-3 with under two minutes to play, but Fran Tarkenton led a 57-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to Ahmad Rashad to force overtime. Both teams missed field goals in overtime, and the Vikings emerged with a better head-to-head record. The Vikings were 7-5-1 after that game and looked like a legitimate playoff team, but after a tight win against the Eagles, the team lost their final two games, including a 45-14 blowout at the hands of the Rams. The weak finish foreshadowed a quick exit from the postseason. The Rams beat the Vikings in the opening round of the playoffs 34-10, outgaining Bud Grant's team 409-244.

Were those Vikings an up-and-coming team? Just the opposite: they were a perennial Super Bowl contender on their way down. They had talent, but players like Tarkenton (38 years old), Carl Eller (36), Jim Marshall (40), Mick Tingelhoff (38) and Paul Krausse (36) were on their last legs. The Vikings had spent the early part of the 1970s beating up on the NFC Central. [...] [I]n 1975, the Vikings went 12-2, and no division opponents was above .500. In 1977 and 1978, they started falling back to earth.

The Vikings won the division despite being outscored by twelve points in the regular season.

Offseason

1978 Draft

Main article: 1978 NFL Draft

Draft order			Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Choice	Overall
1	21	21	Randy Holloway	Defensive End	Pittsburgh
2	20	48	John Turner	Defensive Back	Miami
3	19	75	Whip Walton	Linebacker	San Diego State
4	16	100	Jim Hough	Center	Utah State
5	22	132	Traded to the New York Giants
6	21	159	Traded to the San Francisco 49ers
7	20	186	Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles
8	10	204	Mike Wood	Kicker	Southeast Missouri State	from Seahawks
	19	213	Traded to the New York Jets
9	18	240	Mike Deutsch	Punter	Colorado State
10	22	272	Hughie Shaw	Running Back	Texas A&I
11	21	299	Ron Harris	Running Back	Colorado State
12	20	326	Jeff Morrow	Offensive Tackle	Minnesota

^{^[a]} Minnesota traded their 5th round selection (132nd overall) to the New York Giants for TE Bob Tucker.

^{^[b]} Minnesota traded their 6th round selection (159th overall) to San Francisco for DBs Windlan Hill and Nate Allen.

^{^[c]} Minnesota traded their 7th round selection (186th overall) for Safety Bill Bradley.

^{^[d]} Seattle traded their 8th round selection (204th overall) to Minnesota for CB Autry Beamon and LB Amos Martin.

^{^[e]} Minnesota traded their 8th round selection (213th overall) and 1979 10th round selection (263rd overall) to the New York Jets for Safety Phil Wise.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 3, 1978	at New Orleans Saints	L 31-24	54,187
2	September 11, 1978	Denver Broncos	W 12-9	46,508
3	September 17, 1978	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 16-10	46,152
4	September 25, 1978	at Chicago Bears	W 24-20	53,551
5	October 1, 1978	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 24-7	65,972
6	October 8, 1978	at Seattle Seahawks	L 29-28	62,031
7	October 15, 1978	Los Angeles Rams	L 34-17	46,551
8	October 22, 1978	Green Bay Packers	W 21-7	47,411
9	October 26, 1978	at Dallas Cowboys	W 21-10	61,848
10	November 5, 1978	Detroit Lions	W 17-7	46,008
11	November 12, 1978	Chicago Bears	W 17-14	43,286
12	November 19, 1978	San Diego Chargers	L 13-7	38,859
13	November 26, 1978	at Green Bay Packers	T 10-10 (OT)	51,737
14	December 3, 1978	Philadelphia Eagles	W 28-27	38,722
15	December 9, 1978	at Detroit Lions	L 45-14	78,685
16	December 17, 1978	at Oakland Raiders	L 27-20	44,643

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Divisional	December 31, 1978	at Los Angeles Rams	L 34-10	69,631

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA
Minnesota Vikings(3)	8	7	1	.531	5–2–1	7–4–1	294	306
Green Bay Packers	8	7	1	.531	5–2–1	6–5–1	249	269
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	4–4	5–7	290	300
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	3–5	7–5	253	274
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	.313	2–6	3–11	241	259