2017 Minnesota Vikings season | |
---|---|
Owner | Zygi Wilf |
Head coach | Mike Zimmer |
General manager | Rick Spielman |
Home field | U.S. Bank Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 13–3 |
Division place | 1st NFC North |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Saints) 29–24 Lost NFC Championship (at Eagles) 7–38 |
Pro Bowlers | 7 |
AP All-Pros | 4
|
Uniform | |
The 2017 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 57th in the National Football League, and their fourth under head coach Mike Zimmer. With the team's home stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium, scheduled to host Super Bowl LII at the end of the season, the Vikings attempted to make history as the first team to play the Super Bowl on their home field; in recording their best regular season record since 1998, they clinched a first-round bye for the first time since 2009 and became the eighth team in the Super Bowl era to qualify for the playoffs in a season in which their stadium hosted the Super Bowl. They defeated the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round 29–24 on a walk-off play referred to as the "Minneapolis Miracle", but lost 38–7 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
This was the first season since 2006 without star running back Adrian Peterson on the roster, as the team declined his contract option in February.
Main article: 2017 NFL Draft |
Pro Bowler |
Draft trades
Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|
Wes Lunt | QB | Illinois |
Terrell Newby | RB | Nebraska |
R.J. Shelton | WR | Michigan State |
Josiah Price | TE | Michigan State |
Aviante Collins | OT | TCU |
Nick Fett | OT | Iowa State |
Freddie Tagaloa | OT | Arizona |
Tashawn Bower | DE | LSU |
Caleb Kidder | DE | Montana |
Sam McCaskill | DE | Boise State |
Dylan Bradley | DT | Southern Miss |
Eric Wilson | LB | Cincinnati |
Shaan Washington | LB | Texas A&M |
Horace Richardson | CB | SMU |
Tommy Armstrong Jr. | S | Nebraska |
Date | Player name | Position | Contract terms |
---|---|---|---|
January 2, 2017 | Moritz Böhringer | WR | [RFC][4] |
Kyle Carter | TE | ||
Cayleb Jones | WR | ||
Marquis Lucas | OT | ||
Tre Roberson | CB | ||
Bishop Sankey | RB | ||
Sterling Bailey | DT | ||
Austin Shepherd | OT | ||
Cedric Thompson | S | ||
March 8, 2017 | Jeremiah Sirles | OT | 1 year / $690,000[5] |
March 15, 2017 | Terence Newman | CB | 1 year / $3.25 million[6] |
Adam Thielen | WR | 3 years / $17 million[7] | |
March 24, 2017 | Brian Robison | DE | 2 years / $7.5 million[8] |
Date | Player name | Position | Note | New team |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 10, 2017 | Brandon Fusco | G | Released[9] | San Francisco 49ers |
Mike Harris | G | |||
March 6, 2017 | Chad Greenway | OLB | Retired[10] | |
March 9, 2017 | Rhett Ellison | TE | UFA | New York Giants[11] |
Matt Kalil | OT | Carolina Panthers[12] | ||
Jeff Locke | P | Indianapolis Colts[13] | ||
March 10, 2017 | Charles Johnson | WR | Carolina Panthers[14] | |
Captain Munnerlyn | CB | Carolina Panthers[15] | ||
March 11, 2017 | Audie Cole | LB | Jacksonville Jaguars[16] | |
March 13, 2017 | Cordarrelle Patterson | WR/KR | Oakland Raiders[17] | |
March 14, 2017 | Andre Smith | OT | Cincinnati Bengals | |
March 24, 2017 | Scott Crichton | DT | Released | |
May 4, 2017 | Marquis Lucas | OT | Waived | |
Sterling Bailey | DE | |||
Cedric Thompson | S | |||
May 16, 2017 | B. J. Dubose | DT | Waived | [18] |
May 17, 2017 | Toby Johnson | DT | Waived | |
May 27, 2017 | Matt Asiata | RB | UFA | Detroit Lions |
May 31, 2017 | Mitch Mathews | WR | Waived[19] |
Date | Player name | Position | Previous team | Contract terms |
---|---|---|---|---|
January 3, 2017 | Reid Fragel | OT | Kansas City Chiefs | [RFC][20] |
Marshall Koehn | K | Miami Dolphins | ||
Taylor Symmank | P | |||
March 9, 2017 | Riley Reiff | OT | Detroit Lions | 5 years / $58.75 million[21] |
March 10, 2017 | Mike Remmers | OT | Carolina Panthers | 5 years / $30 million[22] |
March 14, 2017 | Datone Jones | DE | Green Bay Packers | 1 year / $3.75 million[23] |
March 16, 2017 | Latavius Murray | RB | Oakland Raiders | 3 years / $15.0 million[24] |
March 30, 2017 | Terrell Sinkfield | CB | BC Lions (CFL) | [25] |
Mitch Mathews | WR | Cleveland Browns | ||
Nick Truesdell | TE | Cleveland Gladiators (AFL) | ||
March 31, 2017 | Case Keenum | QB | Los Angeles Rams | 1 year / $2.0 million[26] |
April 3, 2017 | Ryan Quigley | P | Arizona Cardinals | 1 year / $2.0 million[27] |
May 10, 2017 | Michael Floyd | WR | New England Patriots | 1 year / $1.5 million |
May 17, 2017 | Will Sutton | DT | Chicago Bears |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
The Vikings' preliminary preseason schedule was announced on April 10.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 10 | at Buffalo Bills | W 17–10 | 1–0 | New Era Field | 60,459 | Recap |
2 | August 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–20 | 1–1 | CenturyLink Field | 68,550 | Recap |
3 | August 27 | San Francisco 49ers | W 32–31 | 2–1 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,551 | Recap |
4 | August 31 | Miami Dolphins | L 9–30 | 2–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,409 | Recap |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
Vikings | 0 | 0 | 17 | 15 | 32 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
Vikings | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 11 | New Orleans Saints | W 29–19 | 1–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,606 | Recap |
2 | September 17 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 9–26 | 1–1 | Heinz Field | 65,971 | Recap |
3 | September 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 34–17 | 2–1 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,390 | Recap |
4 | October 1 | Detroit Lions | L 7–14 | 2–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,730 | Recap |
5 | October 9 | at Chicago Bears | W 20–17 | 3–2 | Soldier Field | 61,834 | Recap |
6 | October 15 | Green Bay Packers | W 23–10 | 4–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,848 | Recap |
7 | October 22 | Baltimore Ravens | W 24–16 | 5–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,751 | Recap |
8 | October 29 | at Cleveland Browns | W 33–16 | 6–2 | Twickenham Stadium (London, England) |
74,237 | Recap |
9 | Bye | ||||||
10 | November 12 | at Washington Redskins | W 38–30 | 7–2 | FedExField | 74,476 | Recap |
11 | November 19 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–7 | 8–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,809 | Recap |
12 | November 23 | at Detroit Lions | W 30–23 | 9–2 | Ford Field | 66,613 | Recap |
13 | December 3 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 14–9 | 10–2 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 71,185 | Recap |
14 | December 10 | at Carolina Panthers | L 24–31 | 10–3 | Bank of America Stadium | 73,728 | Recap |
15 | December 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–7 | 11–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,833 | Recap |
16 | December 23 | at Green Bay Packers | W 16–0 | 12–3 | Lambeau Field | 78,092 | Recap |
17 | December 31 | Chicago Bears | W 23–10 | 13–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,802 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 19 |
Vikings | 3 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 29 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
Steelers | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 26 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
Vikings | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 14 |
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 20 |
Bears | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 17 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Vikings | 0 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
Vikings | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 24 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 33 |
Browns | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Twickenham Stadium, London, England
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
Redskins | 10 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
Lions | 0 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Falcons | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 24 |
Panthers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Vikings | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Packers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Vikings | 7 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
NFC North | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) Minnesota Vikings | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 382 | 252 | W3 |
Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 410 | 376 | W1 |
Green Bay Packers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 320 | 384 | L3 |
Chicago Bears | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 0–6 | 1–11 | 264 | 320 | L1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1[a] | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .461 | .433 | L1 |
2[a] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .447 | W3 |
3[b] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .504 | .460 | L1 |
4[b][c] | New Orleans Saints | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .535 | .483 | L1 |
Wild Cards | |||||||||||
5[c] | Carolina Panthers | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .539 | .500 | L1 |
6 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .543 | .475 | W1 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
7[d] | Detroit Lions | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .496 | .368 | W1 |
8[d] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .492 | .444 | L1 |
9[d] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .496 | .438 | W1 |
10 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .488 | .406 | W2 |
11[e] | Green Bay Packers | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .539 | .357 | L3 |
12[e] | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .539 | .429 | L1 |
13 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .438 | W5 |
14[f] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .555 | .375 | W1 |
15[f] | Chicago Bears | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .559 | .500 | L1 |
16 | New York Giants | East | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .531 | .458 | W1 |
Tiebreakers[g] | |||||||||||
|
See also: 2017–18 NFL playoffs |
Playoff round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | First-round bye | |||||
Divisional | January 14 | New Orleans Saints (4) | W 29–24 | 1–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
NFC Championship | January 21 | at Philadelphia Eagles (1) | L 7–38 | 1–1 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
Main article: Minneapolis Miracle |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
Vikings | 10 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 29 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Eagles | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
With their win against the Saints in the NFC Divisional Round, Minnesota became the first team in the Super Bowl era to advance to the conference championship game the same year they hosted the Super Bowl. Despite going to Lincoln Financial Field as three-point favorites, primarily due to a general lack of confidence in Eagles second-string quarterback Nick Foles, the Vikings lost in a massive upset to the number 1 seeded Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 38–7. Although the Vikings took an early lead on their opening drive via a pass from Case Keenum to Kyle Rudolph, the Eagles leveled the scores on a 50-yard Patrick Robinson interception return before scoring a further 31 unanswered points over the final three-quarters. This loss extended the Vikings' NFC title drought to 41 seasons, second only to the Detroit Lions' 48.
Four Vikings players were elected to the Pro Bowl when the rosters were announced on December 19, 2017, with three-time selection Everson Griffen, two-time selection Xavier Rhodes and first-timer Adam Thielen all named as starters, while Griffen's fellow third-timer Anthony Barr was named on the bench at outside linebacker behind the Cardinals' Chandler Jones and the Redskins' Ryan Kerrigan.[29][30] Safety Harrison Smith was rated as the best safety in the league by Pro Football Focus over the course of the season, but was not included in the roster for the Pro Bowl, leading to some considering him to be one of the biggest snubs of the season.[31][32][33]
Smith was eventually named to the NFC's Pro Bowl roster on January 22, after New York Giants safety Landon Collins withdrew due to injury. Kyle Rudolph was also included after Jimmy Graham pulled out with an injury, while Linval Joseph took the place of the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles' Fletcher Cox. Smith will be appearing in his third straight Pro Bowl, while Rudolph and Joseph are appearing in their second career Pro Bowls.[34] Barr and Griffen also pulled out of the Pro Bowl due to injury, replaced by Thomas Davis and Michael Bennett respectively.[35]
Category | Player(s) | Total |
---|---|---|
Passing yards | Case Keenum | 3,547 |
Passing touchdowns | Case Keenum | 22 |
Rushing yards | Latavius Murray | 842 |
Rushing touchdowns | Latavius Murray | 8 |
Receptions | Adam Thielen | 91 |
Receiving yards | Adam Thielen | 1,276 |
Receiving touchdowns | Stefon Diggs Kyle Rudolph |
8 |
Points | Kai Forbath | 130 |
Kickoff return yards | Jerick McKinnon | 312 |
Punt return yards | Marcus Sherels | 372 |
Tackles | Eric Kendricks | 113 |
Sacks | Everson Griffen | 13.0 |
Interceptions | Harrison Smith | 5 |
Forced fumbles | Everson Griffen | 3 |
Source: Minnesota Vikings' official website[36]
Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
---|---|---|---|
Passing offense | 3,753 | 234.6 | 11th |
Rushing offense | 1,957 | 122.3 | 7th |
Total offense | 5,710 | 356.9 | 11th |
Passing defense | 3,078 | 192.4 | 2nd |
Rushing defense | 1,337 | 83.6 | 2nd |
Total defense | 4,415 | 275.9 | 1st |
Source: NFL.com[37]