1997 Minnesota Vikings season

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 matches, 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.

1997 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Dennis Green
Home stadium	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	4th NFC Central
Playoffs	Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Giants) 23–22 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 22–38
All-Pros	DT John Randle (1st team) G Randall McDaniel (2nd team) T Todd Steussie (2nd team)
Pro Bowlers	WR Cris Carter G Randall McDaniel DT John Randle T Todd Steussie
Uniform
← 1996 Vikings seasons 1998 →

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.

Offseason

1997 draft

Main article: 1997 NFL 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

1997 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 – Brian Billick Quarterbacks – Ray Sherman Running backs – Carl Hargrave Receivers – Chip Myers Tight ends – Dave Atkins Offensive line – Mike Tice Coaching assistant – Wade Harman

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 Special teams – Gary Zauner Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Steve Wetzel Assistant strength and conditioning – Jeff Friday

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Roster

1997 Minnesota Vikings roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  8 Todd Bouman  7 Randall Cunningham  6 Jay Walker Running backs (RB) 29 Chuck Evans FB 32 Robert Green 44 Leroy Hoard 33 Harold Morrow FB 22 David Palmer 26 Robert Smith 21 Moe Williams Wide receivers (WR) 84 Tony Bland 80 Cris Carter 89 Matthew Hatchette 86 Jake Reed 81 Chris Walsh Tight ends (TE) 85 Greg DeLong 82 Andrew Glover 87 Hunter Goodwin

Offensive linemen (OL) 74 Orlando Bobo G 69 LeShun Daniels G 71 David Dixon G 61 Everett Lindsay C 64 Randall McDaniel G 68 Mike Morris 79 Eric Moss G 78 Bob Sapp G 73 Todd Steussie T 77 Korey Stringer T Defensive linemen (DL) 90 Derrick Alexander DE 96 Jerry Ball DT 92 Duane Clemons DE 99 Stalin Colinet DT 72 Jason Fisk DT 93 John Randle DT 95 Fernando Smith DE 94 Tony Williams DT

Linebackers (LB) 56 Pete Bercich MLB 50 Jeff Brady MLB 59 Dixon Edwards OLB 55 Ron George OLB 58 Ed McDaniel OLB 57 Dwayne Rudd OLB 53 Artie Ulmer MLB Defensive backs (DB) 43 Greg Briggs SS 31 Duane Butler SS 27 Corey Fuller CB 23 Torrian Gray FS 24 Robert Griffith SS 42 Orlando Thomas FS 20 Dewayne Washington CB 37 Leonard Wheeler CB Special teams (ST) 17 Mitch Berger P  3 Eddie Murray K

Practice squad 60 Ben Lynch C 19 Yo Murphy WR Reserve 30 Antonio Banks CB (IR) 62 Jeff Christy C (IR) 76 Scott Dill T (IR) 14 Brad Johnson QB (IR) 40 Anthony Prior CB (IR) 83 Robert Tate (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 6 reserve, 2 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance[2]	Notes
1	July 26	Seattle Seahawks	W 28–26	1–0	Fawcett Stadium (Canton, OH)	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

NFC Central
view talk edit	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	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 (out of 30)
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