1978 Minnesota Vikings season

1978 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Bud Grant
General manager	Mike Lynn
Home field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	8–7–1
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Round

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":^[1]

"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 Lions. 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 Krause (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 [Sic] 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

1978 Minnesota Vikings 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^[a]
6	21	159	Traded to the San Francisco 49ers^[b]
7	20	186	Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles^[c]
8	10	204	Mike Wood	Kicker	Southeast Missouri State	from Seahawks^[d]
	19	213	Traded to the New York Jets^[e]
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) to Philadelphia 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	Venue	Attendance
1	September 3, 1978	at New Orleans Saints	L 31–24	Superdome	54,187
2	September 11, 1978	Denver Broncos	W 12–9	Met Stadium	46,508
3	September 17, 1978	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 16–10	Met Stadium	46,152
4	September 25, 1978	at Chicago Bears	W 24–20	Soldier Field	53,551
5	October 1, 1978	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 24–7	Tampa Stadium	65,972
6	October 8, 1978	at Seattle Seahawks	L 29–28	Kingdome	62,031
7	October 15, 1978	Los Angeles Rams	L 34–17	Met Stadium	46,551
8	October 22, 1978	Green Bay Packers	W 21–7	Met Stadium	47,411
9	October 26, 1978	at Dallas Cowboys	W 21–10	Texas Stadium	61,848
10	November 5, 1978	Detroit Lions	W 17–7	Met Stadium	46,008
11	November 12, 1978	Chicago Bears	W 17–14	Met Stadium	43,286
12	November 19, 1978	San Diego Chargers	L 13–7	Met Stadium	38,859
13	November 26, 1978	at Green Bay Packers	T 10–10 (OT)	Lambeau Field	51,737
14	December 3, 1978	Philadelphia Eagles	W 28–27	Met Stadium	38,722
15	December 9, 1978	at Detroit Lions	L 45–14	Silverdome	78,685
16	December 17, 1978	at Oakland Raiders	L 27–20	Oakland Coliseum	44,643

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
Divisional	December 31, 1978	at Los Angeles Rams	L 34–10	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	69,631

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings^(3)	8	7	1	.531	5–2–1	7–4–1	294	306	L2
Green Bay Packers	8	7	1	.531	5–2–1	6–5–1	249	269	L2
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	4–4	5–7	290	300	W2
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	3–5	7–5	253	274	W2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	.313	2–6	3–11	241	259	L4

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing Yards	Fran Tarkenton	3,468
Passing Touchdowns	Fran Tarkenton	25
Rushing Yards	Chuck Foreman	749
Rushing Touchdowns	Chuck Foreman	5
Receiving Yards	Ahmad Rashād	769
Receiving Touchdowns	Sammy White	9
Points	Rick Danmeier	72
Kickoff Return Yards	Kevin Miller	854
Punt Return Yards	Kevin Miller	239
Interceptions	Bobby Bryant	7

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing Offense	3,243 Yards	202.7 YPG	2nd
Rushing Offense	1,536 Yards	96.0 YPG	28th
Total Offense	4,779 Yards	298.7 YPG	17th
Passing Defense	2,690 Yards	168.1 YPG	19th
Rushing Defense	2,116 Yards	132.3 YPG	10th
Total Defense	4,806 Yards	300.4 YPG	14th

References

1. Football Outsiders: Skin of the Teeth: The Worst Playoff Teams Ever