1994 Minnesota Vikings season

The 1994 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 34th in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coach Dennis Green. The team finished with a 10–6 record and reached the playoffs for a third straight season, but also failed to make it out of the wild-card round for the third year in a row, losing 35–18 to their division rival Chicago Bears.

1994 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Dennis Green
Home stadium	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoffs	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Bears) 18–35
All-Pros	WR Cris Carter (1st team) G Randall McDaniel (1st team) DT John Randle (1st team) K Fuad Reveiz (2nd team)
Pro Bowlers	WR Cris Carter LB Jack Del Rio G Randall McDaniel QB Warren Moon DT John Randle K Fuad Reveiz
Uniform
← 1993 Vikings seasons 1995 →

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
QB Warren Moon (Oilers)	WR Anthony Carter (Lions)
RB Amp Lee (49ers)	DE Chris Doleman (Falcons)
T Chris Hinton (Falcons)	LB Fred Strickland (Packers)
	QB Jim McMahon (Cardinals)
	RB Barry Word (Cardinals)
	DT Brad Culpepper (Buccaneers)

1994 draft

Main article: 1994 NFL draft

Pro Bowler

1994 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection
1	18	Dewayne Washington	Cornerback	NC State	From Broncos[A]
	19	Todd Steussie	Offensive tackle	California
2	40	David Palmer	Wide receiver	Alabama	From Browns, via Eagles and Falcons[B]
	45	Traded to the Atlanta Falcons[B]			Compensatory pick
	52	Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders[C]
	55	Fernando Smith	Defensive end	Jackson State	From Raiders[C]
3	88	Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers[D]
4	119	Traded to the Houston Oilers[E]
	125	Mike Wells	Defensive tackle	Iowa	From Raiders[C]
5	134	Shelly Hammonds	Defensive back	Penn State	From Redskins[F]
	151	Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs[G]
6	179	Andrew Jordan	Tight end	Western Carolina	From Broncos[A]
	180	Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers[D]
7	211	Pete Bercich	Linebacker	Notre Dame

Notes:

1. The Vikings traded OT Gary Zimmerman to the Broncos in exchange for first- and sixth-round selections (18th and 179th overall) and a 1995 second-round selection (42nd overall).
2. The Vikings traded DE Chris Doleman and a second-round selection (45th overall) to the Falcons in exchange for a second-round selection (40th overall) and a 1995 first-round selection (11th overall).
3. The Vikings traded their second-round selection (52nd overall) to the Raiders in exchange for second- and fourth-round selections (55th and 125th overall).
4. The Vikings traded their third- and sixth-round selections (88th and 180th overall) to the Steelers in exchange for TE Adrian Cooper.
5. The Vikings traded their fourth-round selection (119th overall) and a 1995 third-round selection (89th overall) to the Oilers in exchange for QB Warren Moon.
6. The Vikings traded QB Rich Gannon to the Redskins in exchange for a conditional fifth-round selection (134th overall).
7. The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (151st overall) to the Chiefs in exchange for RB Barry Word.

Notable undrafted free agents

Player	Position	College
Tony Carter	Fullback	Minnesota
Robert Griffith	Safety	San Diego State

Staff

1994 Minnesota Vikings staff

Front office Chairman of the board – John Skoglund President/chief executive officer – Roger Headrick Head coaches Head coach – Dennis Green Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Brian Billick Running backs – Tyrone Willingham Receivers – Jerry Rhome Offensive line – Keith Rowen Assistant offensive line – Chris Foerster Offensive assistant – Carl Hargrave

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Tony Dungy Defensive line – John Teerlinck Inside linebackers – Monte Kiffin Outside linebackers – Trent Walters Defensive backs – Richard Solomon Special teams coaches Special teams – Gary Zauner Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Steve Wetzel Strength and conditioning assistant – Mike Wolf

^[1]

Roster

1994 Minnesota Vikings roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 14 Brad Johnson  1 Warren Moon 12 Sean Salisbury Running backs (RB) 21 Terry Allen 29 Chuck Evans FB 31 Scottie Graham 32 Amp Lee 26 Robert Smith KR Wide receivers (WR) 80 Cris Carter 84 Eric Guliford 82 Qadry Ismail KR 22 David Palmer PR 86 Jake Reed 81 Chris Walsh Tight ends (TE) 46 John Gerak 89 Andrew Jordan 83 Steve Jordan

Offensive linemen (OL) 62 Jeff Christy C 75 Bernard Dafney G 71 David Dixon G 78 Chris Hinton T 64 Randall McDaniel G 60 Reggie McElroy G/T 63 Mike Ruether C 73 Todd Steussie T Defensive linemen (DL) 92 Roy Barker DE 99 James Harris DE 90 Robert Harris DE 91 Martin Harrison DE 79 Roosevelt Nix DE 93 John Randle DT 95 Fernando Smith DE 97 Henry Thomas DT 98 Esera Tuaolo DT

Linebackers (LB) 50 Bobby Abrams OLB 52 Richard Brown MLB 55 Jack Del Rio MLB 54 Dave Garnett OLB 51 Carlos Jenkins OLB 58 Ed McDaniel OLB 59 Ashley Sheppard OLB 57 William Sims MLB Defensive backs (DB) 36 Malik Boyd CB 34 Brian Davis CB 25 Vencie Glenn FS 24 Robert Griffith FS 37 Lamar McGriggs SS 27 Anthony Parker CB 38 Todd Scott SS 20 Dewayne Washington CB Special teams (ST) 68 Mike Morris LS  7 Fuad Reveiz K  4 Mike Saxon P

Practice squad 56 Pete Bercich LB -- Shelly Hammonds CB/S -- Royce Nelson G -- Robert Staten FB Reserve -- Frank Boudreaux DT (PUP) 87 Adrian Cooper TE (IR) -- Donald Jones LB (IR) 61 Everett Lindsay G (IR) 85 Brent Novoselsky TE (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 5 reserve, 4 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance[2]	Notes
1	July 31	at Dallas Cowboys	L 9–17	0–1	Texas Stadium	59,062
2	August 7	Kansas City Chiefs	W 17–9	1–1	Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)	49,555	American Bowl
3	August 13	New Orleans Saints	W 21–17	2–1	Metrodome	46,067
4	August 20	at Seattle Seahawks	L 19–30	2–2	Husky Stadium	45,797
5	August 26	Miami Dolphins	W 31–16	3–2	Metrodome	46,933

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	at Green Bay Packers	L 16–10	0–1	Lambeau Field	59,487
2	September 11	Detroit Lions	W 10–3	1–1	Metrodome	57,349
3	September 18	at Chicago Bears	W 42–14	2–1	Soldier Field	61,073
4	September 25	Miami Dolphins	W 38–35	3–1	Metrodome	64,035
5	October 2	at Arizona Cardinals	L 17–7	3–2	Sun Devil Stadium	67,950
6	October 10	at New York Giants	W 27–10	4–2	Giants Stadium	77,294
7	Bye
8	October 20	Green Bay Packers	W 13–10 (OT)	5–2	Metrodome	63,041
9	October 30	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 36–13	6–2	Tampa Stadium	42,110
10	November 6	New Orleans Saints	W 21–20	7–2	Metrodome	57,564
11	November 13	at New England Patriots	L 26–20 (OT)	7–3	Foxboro Stadium	58,382
12	November 20	New York Jets	L 31–21	7–4	Metrodome	60,687
13	November 27	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 20–17 (OT)	7–5	Metrodome	47,259
14	December 1	Chicago Bears	W 33–27 (OT)	8–5	Metrodome	61,483
15	December 11	at Buffalo Bills	W 21–17	9–5	Rich Stadium	66,501
16	December 17	at Detroit Lions	L 41–19	9–6	Silverdome	73,881
17	December 26	San Francisco 49ers	W 21–14	10–6	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	63,326

Game summaries

Week 13: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Buccaneers	7	7	0	3	3	20
Vikings	0	9	0	8	0	17

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: November 27, 1994
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
• Game attendance: 47,250
• Referee: Red Cashion (43)
• TV: Fox
• Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL Game Book

Game information

First quarter TB – Errict Rhett 1-yard run (Michael Husted kick), 11:14. Buccaneers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:26. Second quarter MIN – Fuad Reveiz 23-yard field goal, 13:36. Buccaneers 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:10. MIN – Fuad Reveiz 21-yard field goal, 8:16. Buccaneers 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 2:58. TB – Courtney Hawkins 14-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Michael Husted kick), 5:13. Buccaneers 14–6. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:03. MIN – Fuad Reveiz 51-yard field goal, 0:33. Buccaneers 14–9. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 2:41. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter TB – Michael Husted 27-yard field goal, 5:24. Buccaneers 17–9. Drive: 14 plays, 86 yards, 7:58. MIN – Qadry Ismail 40-yard pass from Warren Moon (Warren Moon–Cris Carter pass), 1:27. Tied 17–17. Drive: 3 plays, 52 yards, 0:31. Overtime TB – Michael Husted 22-yard field goal, 12:52. Buccaneers 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:08. Top passers TB – Craig Erickson – 20/38, 254 yards, TD, INT MIN – Warren Moon – 24/46, 286 yards, TD, INT Top rushers TB – Errict Rhett – 24 rushes, 55 yards, TD MIN – Terry Allen – 16 rushes, 54 yards Top receivers TB – Courtney Hawkins – 6 receptions, 80 yards, TD MIN – Qadry Ismail – 6 receptions, 101 yards, TD

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(3) Minnesota Vikings	10	6	0	.625	356	314	W1
(4) Green Bay Packers	9	7	0	.563	382	287	W3
(5) Detroit Lions	9	7	0	.563	357	342	L1
(6) Chicago Bears	9	7	0	.563	271	307	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6	10	0	.375	251	351	L1

Postseason

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (#6) Chicago Bears

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (#6) Chicago Bears at (#3) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	14	7	14	35
Vikings	3	6	3	6	18

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: January 1
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
• Game attendance: 60,347
• Referee: Red Cashion (43)
• TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden
• Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL Game Book

Game information

First quarter MIN – Fuad Reveiz 29-yard field goal, 8:01. Vikings 3–0. 4 plays, −6 yards, 1:20. Second quarter CHI – Lewis Tillman 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick), 11:46. Bears 7–3. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 8:51. CHI – Keith Jennings 9-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Kevin Butler kick), 8:03. Bears 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 2:02. MIN – Cris Carter 4-yard pass from Warren Moon (pass failed), 0:19. Bears 14–9. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 1:26. Third quarter CHI – Raymont Harris 29-yard run (Kevin Butler kick), 12:57. Bears 21–9. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:03. MIN – Fuad Reveiz 48-yard field goal, 0:05. Bears 21–12. Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 0:54. Fourth quarter CHI – Jeff Graham 21-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Kevin Butler kick), 12:42. Bears 28–12. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:23. MIN – Amp Lee 11-yard pass from Warren Moon (pass failed), 5:36. Bears 28–18. Drive: 16 plays, 76 yards, 7:06. CHI – Kevin Miniefield 48-yard fumble return (Kevin Butler kick), 3:05. Bears 35–18. Top passers CHI – Steve Walsh – 15/23, 221 yards, 2 TD, INT MIN – Warren Moon – 29/52, 292 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers CHI – Raymont Harris – 13 rushes, 67 yards, TD MIN – Terry Allen – 12 rushes, 27 yards Top receivers CHI – Jeff Graham – 4 receptions, 108 yards, TD MIN – Amp Lee – 11 receptions, 159 yards, TD

The Bears picked off Warren Moon twice while Steve Walsh threw two touchdowns, backs Raymont Harris and Lewis Tillman added rushing scores, and Kevin Miniefield ran back a Vikings fumble for a touchdown.

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Warren Moon	4,264
Passing touchdowns	Warren Moon	18
Rushing yards	Terry Allen	1,031
Rushing touchdowns	Terry Allen	8
Receptions	Cris Carter	122 *
Receiving yards	Cris Carter	1,256
Receiving touchdowns	Cris Carter	7
Points	Fuad Reveiz	132
Kickoff return yards	Qadry Ismail	807
Punt return yards	David Palmer	193
Tackles	Jack Del Rio	128
Sacks	John Randle	13.5
Interceptions	Vencie Glenn Anthony Parker	4
Forced fumbles	John Randle	3

* Vikings single season record (tie).

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing offense	4,324	270.2	3rd
Rushing offense	1,524	95.2	20th
Total offense	5,848	365.5	3rd
Passing defense	3,652	228.2	21st
Rushing defense	1,090	68.1	1st
Total defense	4,742	296.4	5th

Awards and honors

• Cris Carter, Led NFL in receptions
• Cris Carter, All-Pro selection
• Cris Carter, Pro Bowl selection
• Warren Moon, Pro Bowl selection 1994
• Warren Moon, NFL leader, passing yards, (4,264)

Milestones

• Cris Carter, 100 reception season (Carter finished the season with 122 receptions) ^[3]
• Warren Moon, 3rd 4,000-yard passing season
• Warren Moon, 5th 400-yard passing game (November 6)
• Warren Moon, 6th 400-yard passing game (November 20)