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1997 Minnesota Vikings season

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1997 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coachDennis Green
Home fieldHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record9–7
Division place4th NFC Central
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs (at Giants) 23–22
Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 22–38

The 1997 Minnesota Vikings season was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth. In the wild card round against the New York Giants, the Vikings came back from a 22–13 deficit with 90 seconds to play to defeat the Giants 23–22. It was their first playoff victory since 1988 and their first under head coach Dennis Green. In the Divisional round, the Vikings were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers, 38–22.

The season is notable for John Randle leading the league in sacks (15.5).

Before the season, the Vikings acquired Randall Cunningham after being out of football last season. This move reunited Cunningham with former Philadelphia teammate Cris Carter.

Offseason

1997 Draft

Main article: 1997 NFL draft
1997 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Notes
Round Choice Overall
1 20 20 Dwayne Rudd Linebacker Alabama
2 19 49 Torrian Gray Safety Virginia Tech
3 18 78 Stalin Colinet Defensive End Boston College
4 17 113 Antonio Banks Defensive Back Virginia Tech
5 21 151 Tony Williams Defensive Tackle Memphis
6 20 183 Robert Tate Wide Receiver Cincinnati
7 19 220 Artie Ulmer Linebacker Valdosta State
34 235 Matthew Hatchette Wide Receiver Langston Compensatory pick

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
1 August 31, 1997 at Buffalo Bills W 34–13 Rich Stadium
79,139
2 September 7, 1997 at Chicago Bears W 27–24 Soldier Field
59,263
3 September 14, 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 28–14 Metrodome
63,697
4 September 21, 1997 at Green Bay Packers L 38–32 Lambeau Field
60,115
5 September 28, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles W 28–19 Metrodome
55,149
6 October 5, 1997 at Arizona Cardinals W 20–19 Sun Devil Stadium
45,550
7 October 12, 1997 Carolina Panthers W 21–14 Metrodome
62,625
8 Bye
9 October 26, 1997 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–6 Houlihan's Stadium
66,815
10 November 2, 1997 New England Patriots W 23–18 Metrodome
62,917
11 November 9, 1997 Chicago Bears W 29–22 Metrodome
63,443
12 November 16, 1997 at Detroit Lions L 38–15 Silverdome
68,910
13 November 23, 1997 at New York Jets L 23–21 Giants Stadium
70,131
14 December 1, 1997 Green Bay Packers L 27–11 Metrodome
64,001
15 December 7, 1997 at San Francisco 49ers L 28–17 3com Park
55,761
16 December 14, 1997 Detroit Lions L 14–13 Metrodome
60,982
17 December 21, 1997 Indianapolis Colts W 39–28 Metrodome
54,107

Standings

NFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 .813 422 282 W5
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 6 0 .625 299 263 W1
(5) Detroit Lions 9 7 0 .563 379 306 W2
(6) Minnesota Vikings 9 7 0 .563 354 359 W1
Chicago Bears 4 12 0 .250 263 421 L1

Postseason

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
Wildcard December 27, 1997 at New York Giants W 23–22 Giants Stadium
77,497
Division January 3, 1998 at San Francisco 49ers L 38–22 3com Park
65,018

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing Yards Brad Johnson 3,036
Passing Touchdowns Brad Johnson 20
Rushing Yards Robert Smith 1,266
Rushing Touchdowns Robert Smith 6
Receiving Yards Jake Reed 1,138
Receiving Touchdowns Cris Carter 13
Points Cris Carter 84
Kickoff Return Yards David Palmer 711
Punt Return Yards David Palmer 444
Tackles Robert Griffith 114
Sacks John Randle 15.5
Interceptions Dewayne Washington 4
Forced Fumbles Derrick Alexander 3

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 30)
Passing Offense 3,313 Yards 207.1 YPG 14th
Rushing Offense 2,041 Yards 127.6 YPG 6th
Total Offense 5,354 Yards 334.6 YPG 8th
Passing Defense 3,704 Yards 231.5 YPG 29th
Rushing Defense 1,983 Yards 123.9 YPG 23rd
Total Defense 5,687 Yards 355.4 YPG 29th

Personnel

Staff

colspan="7" style="background: #4F2683; color:white; border:2px solid
  1. FFFFFF; text-align: center;"|1997 Minnesota Vikings staff
Front Office
  • Chairman of the Board – John Skoglund
  • President/Chief Executive Officer – Roger Headrick

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

 

Defensive Coaches

  • Defensive Coordinator – Foge Fazio
  • Defensive Line – John Levra
  • Inside Linebackers – Tom Olivadotti
  • Outside Linebackers – Trent Walters
  • Defensive Backs – Richard Solomon

Special Teams Coaches

Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Steve Wetzel
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jeff Friday

[1]

Final roster

1997 Minnesota Vikings roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve

Rookies in italics
52 active, 9 reserve, 0 practice squad

Awards and records

  • David Palmer, NFL Kickoff Return Leader

References

  1. ^ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
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