The 1997 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 37th in the National Football League (NFL) and their sixth under head coach Dennis Green. Despite an 8–2 start, the Vikings would go on to lose five consecutive games, finishing fourth in the division. The team ultimately won their final game of the regular season, matching their 9–7 record from 1996 and claiming the 6th seed in the playoffs for a second consecutive year. 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 win 23–22, their first playoff victory since 1988. In the Divisional Round, the Vikings were defeated 38–22 by the San Francisco 49ers.
Vikings defensive tackle John Randle led the league in sacks with 15.5. Wide receiver Cris Carter's 13 touchdown receptions also were most in the league.
Before the season, the Vikings acquired Randall Cunningham after a year out of the game, a move that reunited Cunningham with his former Philadelphia Eagles teammate Cris Carter.
One notable moment from the season, was in the Week 7 game against the Carolina Panthers, Brad Johnson threw a touchdown pass to himself, making it the first time in NFL history that it happened. It would not happen again until Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans did it in the 2017 AFC Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs.https://sports.yahoo.com/wow-marcus-mariotas-first-playoff-touchdown-pass-goes-marcus-mariota-235344969.html
Offseason
1997 draft
1997 Minnesota Vikings Draft Draft order Player name Position College Notes Round Selection 1 20 Dwayne Rudd Linebacker Alabama 2 49 Torrian Gray Safety Virginia Tech 3 78 Stalin Colinet Defensive end Boston College 4 113 Antonio Banks Defensive back Virginia Tech 5 151 Tony Williams Defensive tackle Memphis 6 183 Robert Tate Wide receiver Cincinnati 7 220 Artie Ulmer Linebacker Valdosta State 235 Matthew Hatchette Wide receiver Langston Compensatory pick
Staff
Roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Notes 1 July 26 Seattle Seahawks W 28–26 1–0 Fawcett Stadium 23,846 Hall of Fame Game 2 August 2 St. Louis Rams W 26–6 2–0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 36,971 3 August 8 at Buffalo Bills L 3–19 2–1 Rich Stadium 32,559 4 August 16 at Cincinnati Bengals L 13–37 2–2 Cinergy Field 44,316 5 August 22 San Diego Chargers W 28–22 3–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 44,300
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 31 at Buffalo Bills W 34–13 1–0 Rich Stadium 79,139 2 September 7 at Chicago Bears W 27–24 2–0 Soldier Field 59,263 3 September 14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 28–14 2–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,697 4 September 21 at Green Bay Packers L 38–32 2–2 Lambeau Field 60,115 5 September 28 Philadelphia Eagles W 28–19 3–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 55,149 6 October 5 at Arizona Cardinals W 20–19 4–2 Sun Devil Stadium 45,550 7 October 12 Carolina Panthers W 21–14 5–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 62,625 8 Bye 9 October 26 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–6 6–2 Houlihan's Stadium 66,815 10 November 2 New England Patriots W 23–18 7–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 62,917 11 November 9 Chicago Bears W 29–22 8–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,443 12 November 16 at Detroit Lions L 38–15 8–3 Silverdome 68,910 13 November 23 at New York Jets L 23–21 8–4 Giants Stadium 70,131 14 December 1 Green Bay Packers L 27–11 8–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,001 15 December 7 at San Francisco 49ers L 28–17 8–6 3Com Park 55,761 16 December 14 Detroit Lions L 14–13 8–7 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 60,982 17 December 21 Indianapolis Colts W 39–28 9–7 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 54,107 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Postseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Wild Card December 27 at New York Giants W 23–22 1–0 Giants Stadium 77,497 Division January 3 at San Francisco 49ers L 38–22 1–1 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 Passing offense 3,313 207.1 14th Rushing offense 2,041 127.6 6th Total offense 5,354 334.6 8th Passing defense 3,704 231.5 29th Rushing defense 1,983 123.9 23rd Total defense 5,687 355.4 29th
References