1970 Minnesota Vikings season

1970 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach Bud Grant
General manager Jim Finks
Home field Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record 12–2
Division place 1st NFC Central
Playoff finish Lost Divisional Playoffs (49ers) 17–14

1970 was the tenth year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 51st regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first season of play following the AFL-NFL merger, as the Vikings played in the National Football Conference. The Vikings' defense became the second defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest points allowed and fewest total yards allowed for two consecutive seasons.[1] The Vikings won the first-ever NFC Central title, as they finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, before losing to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the NFC Divisional Playoff game.

Offseason

1970 Draft

Main article: 1970 NFL draft
1970 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College
Round Choice Overall
12525John WardOffensive TackleOklahoma State
22551Bill CapplemanQuarterbackFlorida State
32577Chuck BurgoonLinebackerNorth Park
425103Traded to the New Orleans Saints[a]
525129Greg JonesRunning BackUCLA
625155Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers[b]
725181Hap FarberLinebackerMississippi
825207Mike CarrollGuardMissouri
925233George MorrowDefensive EndMississippi
1025259Stu VoigtTight EndWisconsin
1125285Godfrey ZaunbrecherCenterLouisiana State
1225311James HollandDefensive BackJackson State
1325337Robert PearceDefensive BackStephen F. Austin
1425363Tommy SpinksWide ReceiverLouisiana Tech
1525389Bennie FrancisDefensive EndChadron State
1625415Bruce CeroneWide ReceiverEmporia State
1725441Brian HealyDefensive BackMichigan
^[a] Minnesota traded their 4th round selection (103rd overall) to New Orleans for TE Kent Kramer.
^[b] Minnesota traded their 6th round selection (155th overall) to Pittsburgh for TE Tony Jeter.

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
1 September 20, 1970 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–10 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
2 September 27, 1970 New Orleans Saints W 26–0 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
3 October 4, 1970 at Green Bay Packers L 10-13 Milwaukee County Stadium
47,967
4 October 11, 1970 at Chicago Bears W 24–0 Wrigley Field
45,485
5 October 18, 1970 Dallas Cowboys W 54–13 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
6 October 26, 1970 Los Angeles Rams W 13–3 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
7 November 1, 1970 at Detroit Lions W 30–17 Tiger Stadium
58,210
8 November 8, 1970 at Washington Redskins W 19–10 RFK Stadium
50,415
9 November 15, 1970 Detroit Lions W 24–20 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
10 November 22, 1970 Green Bay Packers W 10–3 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
11 November 29, 1970 at New York Jets L 10-20 Shea Stadium
62,333
12 December 5, 1970 Chicago Bears W 16–13 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
13 December 13, 1970 at Boston Patriots W 35–14 Harvard Stadium
37,819
14 December 20, 1970 at Atlanta Falcons W 37–7 Atlanta Stadium
57,992

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
Divisional December 27, 1970 San Francisco 49ers L 14-17 Metropolitan Stadium
46,050

Standings

NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 .857 5–1 10–1 335 143 W3
Detroit Lions 10 4 0 .714 4–2 7–4 347 202 W5
Green Bay Packers 6 8 0 .429 2–4 4–7 196 293 L2
Chicago Bears 6 8 0 .429 1–5 5–6 256 261 W2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing Yards Gary Cuozzo 1,720
Passing Touchdowns Gary Cuozzo 7
Rushing Yards Dave Osborn 681
Rushing Touchdowns Clint Jones 9
Receiving Yards Gene Washington 702
Receiving Touchdowns Gene Washington 4
Points Fred Cox 125
Kickoff Return Yards Clint Jones 452
Punt Return Yards Charlie West 169
Interceptions Ed Sharockman 7

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 26)
Passing Offense 2,181 Yards 155.8 YPG 14th
Rushing Offense 1,634 Yards 116.7 YPG 14th
Total Offense 3,815 Yards 272.5 YPG 19th
Passing Defense 1,438 Yards 102.7 YPG 1st
Rushing Defense 1,365 Yards 97.5 YPG 5th
Total Defense 2,803 Yards 200.2 YPG 1st

References

  1. The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
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