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Minnesota Vikings
1973 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Bud Grant
General manager	Jim Finks
Home field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	12–2
Division place	1st NFC Central;
Playoff finish	; Won Divisional Playoffs (Redskins) 27–20; Won NFC Championship (at Cowboys) 27–10; Lost Super Bowl VIII (vs. Dolphins) 7–24
	; ; ← 1972; ; ; Vikings seasons; ; ; 1974 →; ; ;

The 1973 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 13th in the National Football League. With a 12–2 record, the Vikings regained the NFC Central title after having gone 7–7 the previous year. They started the season 9–0 and looked a threat to the previous year's Dolphins' record of a perfect season before losing to the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals in their next three games. Their narrow 10–9 win over the Los Angeles Rams constituted the last time until 1997 that the last two unbeaten NFL teams played each other.^[1]

The Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 27–20 in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at home and went on to upset the Dallas Cowboys 27–10 in Irving, Texas to win the NFC Championship, before losing 24–7 to the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston.

4 Regular season
- 4.1 Schedule
- 4.2 Game summaries
  - 4.2.1 Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders
  - 4.2.2 Week 2: at Chicago Bears
  - 4.2.3 Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers
  - 4.2.4 Week 4: at Detroit Lions
  - 4.2.5 Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers
  - 4.2.6 Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
  - 4.2.7 Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams
  - 4.2.8 Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
  - 4.2.9 Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions
  - 4.2.10 Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons
  - 4.2.11 Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears
  - 4.2.12 Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals
  - 4.2.13 Week 13: at Green Bay Packers
  - 4.2.14 Week 14: at New York Giants
- 4.3 Standings

5 Playoffs
- 5.1 NFC Divisional Playoff
- 5.2 NFC Championship Game
- 5.3 Super Bowl VIII

6 Statistics
- 6.1 Team leaders
- 6.2 League rankings

7 References

8 External links

Offseason

1973 Draft

	Pro Bowler

1973 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Overall	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1	12	Chuck Foreman	Running back	Miami
2	34	Jackie Wallace	Defensive back	Arizona	from Cardinals^[a]
2	40	Traded to the New York Giants^[b]
3	65	Jim Lash	Wide receiver	Northwestern
4	80	Mike Wells (quarterback)	Quarterback	Illinois	from Eagles^[c]
4	89	Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs^[e]			from Vikings^[d] via Cardinals^[a]
5	118	Brent McClanahan	Running back	Arizona State
6	139	Doug Kingsriter	Tight end	Minnesota	from Saints^[f]
6	143	Fred Abbott	Linebacker	Florida
7	168	Josh Brown	Running back	Texas State
8	196	Craig Darling	Tackle	Iowa
9	221	Larry Dibbles	Defensive end	New Mexico
10	236	Randy Lee	Defensive back	Tulane	from Eagles^[g]
10	246	Dave Mason	Defensive back	Nebraska
11	274	Geary Murdock	Guard	Iowa State
12	299	Alan Spencer	Wide receiver	Pittsburg State
13	324	Ron Just	Guard	Minot State
14	352	Eddie Bishop	Defensive back	Southern
15	377	Tony Chandler	Running back	Missouri Valley
16	402	Larry Smiley	Defensive end	Texas Southern
17	429	Dave Winfield	Tight end	Minnesota	n/a^[h]

^{^[a]} The Vikings traded quarterback Gary Cuozzo to St. Louis in exchange for St. Louis' second- and fourth-round selections (34th and 89th overall) and wide receiver John Gilliam.

^{^[b]} The Vikings traded their second-round selection (40th overall), 1972 first-round selection (24th overall), quarterback Norm Snead, wide receiver Bob Grim and running back Vince Clements to the New York Giants for quarterback Fran Tarkenton.

^{^[c]} The Vikings traded quarterback Bill Cappleman to Philadelphia in exchange for Philadelphia's fourth-round selection (80th overall).

^{^[d]} The Vikings traded their fourth-round selection (89th overall), linebacker Mike McGill and defensive back Dale Hackbart to St. Louis for tight end Bob Brown and cornerback Nate Wright.

^{^[e]} The Vikings traded their fourth-round selection (89th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for punter Mike Eischeid.

^{^[f]} The Vikings traded tight end Bob Brown to New Orleans in exchange for New Orleans' sixth-round selection (139th overall) and 1974 fourth-round selection (86th overall).

^{^[g]} The Vikings traded linebacker Bill Cody to Philadelphia in exchange for Philadelphia's tenth-round selection (236th overall).

^{^[h]} Following college, Dave Winfield was drafted by four teams in three different sports. The San Diego Padres selected him as an outfielder with the fourth overall pick in the 1973 Major League Baseball draft. In basketball, both the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and the Utah Stars (ABA) drafted him. Although he never played college football, the Minnesota Vikings selected Winfield in the 17th round of the NFL draft. He is currently one of three players ever to be drafted by three professional sports (the others being Dave Logan and Mickey McCarty).^[2]

Roster

1973 Minnesota Vikings final roster

Quarterbacks

10 Fran Tarkenton

15 Mike Wells

Running backs

30 Bill Brown FB

44 Chuck Foreman

49 Ed Marinaro

41 Dave Osborn

32 Oscar Reed

Wide receivers

84 Carroll Dale

42 John Gilliam

82 Jim Lash

Tight ends

89 Doug Kingsriter

83 Stu Voigt

Offensive linemen

67 Grady Alderman T

68 Charles Goodrum G

64 Milt Sunde G

53 Mick Tingelhoff C

72 John Ward G

62 Ed White

73 Ron Yary T

51 Godfrey Zaunbrecher C

Defensive linemen

81 Carl Eller DE

77 Gary Larsen DT

70 Jim Marshall DE

88 Alan Page DT

69 Doug Sutherland DT

Linebackers

58 Wally Hilgenberg

55 Amos Martin

52 Ron Porter

50 Jeff Siemon

60 Roy Winston

Defensive backs

24 Terry Brown S

20 Bobby Bryant CB

22 Paul Krause FS

34 Al Randolph FS

23 Jeff Wright SS

43 Nate Wright CB

Special teams

14 Fred Cox K

11 Mike Eischeid P

Reserve lists

40 Charlie West CB (IR)

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

54 Active, 4 Inactive, 0 Practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance [1]
1	August 11	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 10–6	1–0	Metropolitan Stadium	46,619
2	August 18	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 13–10	2–0	Arrowhead Stadium	72,676
3	August 25	at Oakland Raiders	W 34–10	3–0	Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, CA)	57,515
4	August 31	Miami Dolphins	W 20–17	4–0	Metropolitan Stadium	46,619
5	September 8	at San Diego Chargers	W 24–16	5–0	San Diego Stadium	42,007

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 16	Oakland Raiders	W 24–16	1–0	Metropolitan Stadium	44,818
2	September 23	at Chicago Bears	W 22–13	2–0	Soldier Field	52,035
3	September 30	Green Bay Packers	W 11–3	3–0	Metropolitan Stadium	48,176
4	October 7	at Detroit Lions	W 23–9	4–0	Tiger Stadium	49,549
5	October 14	at San Francisco 49ers	W 17–13	5–0	Candlestick Park	56,438
6	October 21	Philadelphia Eagles	W 28–21	6–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,478
7	October 28	Los Angeles Rams	W 10–9	7–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,787
8	November 4	Cleveland Browns	W 26–3	8–0	Metropolitan Stadium	46,722
9	November 11	Detroit Lions	W 28–7	9–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,911
10	November 19	at Atlanta Falcons	L 14–20	9–1	Atlanta Stadium	56,519
11	November 25	Chicago Bears	W 31–13	10–1	Metropolitan Stadium	46,430
12	December 2	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 0–27	10–2	Riverfront Stadium	57,859
13	December 8	at Green Bay Packers	W 31–7	11–2	Lambeau Field	53,830
14	December 16	at New York Giants	W 31–7	12–2	Yale Bowl	70,041

Notes

Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 1: Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	13	3	0	16
Vikings	10	0	7	7	24

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: September 16

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), Wind 8 mph

Game attendance: 44,818

Referee: Tommy Bell^[3]

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.

MIN – John Gilliam 43-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0.

Second quarter

OAK – George Blanda 16-yard field goal. Vikings 10–3.

OAK – George Blanda 25-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6.

OAK – George Atkinson 63-yard punt return (George Blanda kick). Raiders 13–10.

Third quarter

OAK – George Blanda 9-yard field goal. Raiders 16–10.

MIN – Chuck Foreman 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–16.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Bill Brown 6-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–16.

Top passers

OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 13/30, 183 yards

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 13/31, 187 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

OAK – Clarence Davis – 12 rushes, 73 yards

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 6 rushes, 27 yards

Top receivers

OAK – Mike Siani – 6 receptions, 111 yards

MIN – John Gilliam – 4 receptions, 90 yards, TD

Week 2: at Chicago Bears

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	13	0	9	22
Bears	7	3	0	3	13

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: September 23

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Wind 10 mph

Game attendance: 52,035

Referee: Jim Tunney^[4]

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

CHI – Bobby Douglass 1-yard run (Mac Percival kick). Bears 7–0.

Second quarter

CHI – Mac Percival 31-yard field goal. Bears 10–0.

MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Bears 10–3.

MIN – John Beasley 3-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Tied 10–10.

MIN – Fred Cox 25-yard field goal. Vikings 13–10.

Third quarter

None.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 14-yard field goal. Vikings 16–10.

MIN – Fred Cox 11-yard field goal. Vikings 19–10.

CHI – Mac Percival 12-yard field goal. Vikings 19–13.

MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal. Vikings 22–13.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 12/18, 189 yards, TD

CHI – Bobby Douglass – 10/19, 184 yards

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 16 rushes, 116 yards

CHI – Carl Garrett – 25 rushes, 90 yards

Top receivers

MIN – Carroll Dale – 2 receptions, 53 yards

CHI – Craig Cotton – 3 receptions, 88 yards

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	3	0	0	3
Vikings	0	5	3	3	11

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: September 30

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), Wind 10 mph

Game attendance: 48,176

Referee: Fred Silva

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

None.

Second quarter

GB – Chester Marcol 42-yard field goal. Packers 3–0.

MIN – MacArthur Lane tackled in end zone for a safety. Packers 3–2.

MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 5–3.

Third quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 13-yard field goal. Vikings 8–3.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 14-yard field goal. Vikings 11–3.

Top passers

GB – Scott Hunter – 3/6, 44 yards

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 12/16, 109 yards

Top rushers

GB – John Brockington – 14 rushes, 58 yards

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 16 rushes, 89 yards

Top receivers

GB – MacArthur Lane – 3 receptions, 36 yards

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 5 receptions, 62 yards

Week 4: at Detroit Lions

Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	14	6	0	3	23
Lions	3	3	3	0	9

at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan

Date: October 7

Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Wind 8 mph

Game attendance: 49,549

Referee: Bob Frederic

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Ed Marinaro 12-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0.

MIN – Ed Marinaro 8-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–0.

DET – Errol Mann 37-yard field goal. Vikings 14–3.

Second quarter

DET – Errol Mann 15-yard field goal. Vikings 14–6.

MIN – Fred Cox 38-yard field goal. Vikings 17–6.

MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal. Vikings 20–6.

Third quarter

DET – Errol Mann 33-yard field goal. Vikings 20–9.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 27-yard field goal. Vikings 23–9.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 17/24, 199 yards, 2 TD

DET – Greg Landry – 14/24, 110 yards

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 16 rushes, 114 yards

DET – Mel Farr – 11 rushes, 52 yards

Top receivers

MIN – John Gilliam – 5 receptions, 79 yards

DET – Mel Farr – 11 receptions, 85 yards

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	7	0	3	17
49ers	3	3	7	0	13

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Date: October 14

Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), Wind 8 mph

Game attendance: 56,438

Referee: Norm Schachter

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – John Gilliam 12-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0.

SF – Bruce Gossett 28-yard field goal. Vikings 7–3.

Second quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–3.

SF – Bruce Gossett 41-yard field goal. Vikings 14–6.

Third quarter

SF – Ken Willard 7-yard pass from Steve Spurrier (Bruce Gossett kick). Vikings 14–13.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 17–13.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/22, 136 yards, TD

SF – Steve Spurrier – 31/48, 320 yards, TD

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 22 rushes, 71 yards, TD

SF – Ken Willard – 10 rushes, 52 yards

Top receivers

MIN – John Gilliam – 7 receptions, 107 yards, TD

SF – Gene Washington – 8 receptions, 118 yards

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	7	7	21
Vikings	7	7	7	7	28

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: October 21

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT

Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), Wind 13 mph

Game attendance: 47,478

Referee: Jack Reader

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – John Gilliam 44-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0.

Second quarter

MIN – Oscar Reed 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–0.

PHI – Po James 12-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 14–7.

Third quarter

MIN – John Gilliam 24-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–7.

PHI – Lee Bouggess 2-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 21–14.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–14.

PHI – Charle Young 17-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 28–21.

Top passers

PHI – Roman Gabriel – 23/32, 201 yards

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 16/21, 202 yards, TD

Top rushers

PHI – Po James – 11 rushes, 78 yards, TD

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 21 rushes, 68 yards, TD

Top receivers

PHI – Charle Young – 6 receptions, 86 yards

MIN – John Gilliam – 6 receptions, 116 yards, TD

Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 7: Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	3	3	3	9
Vikings	3	7	0	0	10

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: October 28

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), Wind 18 mph

Game attendance: 47,787

Referee: Ben Dreith

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 15-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.

Second quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0.

LA – David Ray 30-yard field goal. Vikings 10–3.

Third quarter

LA – David Ray 35-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6.

Fourth quarter

LA – David Ray 47-yard field goal. Vikings 10–9.

Top passers

LA – John Hadl – 10/20, 87 yards

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 8/16, 91 yards, TD

Top rushers

LA – Larry Smith – 16 rushes, 63 yards

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 23 rushes, 86 yards

Top receivers

LA – Jim Bertelsen – 4 receptions, 41 yards

MIN – Stu Voigt – 3 receptions, 40 yards

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	0	0	0	3
Vikings	3	6	7	10	26

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: November 4

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C), Wind 11 mph

Game attendance: 46,722

Referee: Dick Jorgensen

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

CLE – Don Cockroft 27-yard field goal. Browns 3–0.

MIN – Fred Cox 16-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.

Second quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 23-yard field goal. Vikings 6–3.

MIN – Fred Cox 33-yard field goal. Vikings 9–3.

Third quarter

MIN – Oscar Reed 3-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 16–3.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Stu Voigt 7-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 23–3.

MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Vikings 26–3.

Top passers

CLE – Mike Phipps – 10/20, 82 yards

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 13/22, 166 yards, TD

Top rushers

CLE – Ken Brown – 7 rushes, 25 yards

MIN – Oscar Reed – 22 rushes, 79 yards, TD

Top receivers

CLE – Frank Pitts – 4 receptions, 36 yards

MIN – Ed Marinaro – 6 receptions, 65 yards

Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 9: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	7	0	0	0	7
Vikings	7	7	14	0	28

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: November 11

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), Wind 10 mph

Game attendance: 47,911

Referee: Tommy Bell

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

DET – Ron Jessie 33-yard pass from Bill Munson (Jim O'Brien kick). Lions 7–0.

MIN – Bill Brown 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Tied 7–7.

Second quarter

MIN – Wally Hilgenberg 2-yard fumble return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–7.

Third quarter

MIN – Ed Marinaro 7-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–7.

MIN – John Gilliam 33-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–7.

Fourth quarter

None.

Top passers

DET – Bill Munson – 16/34, 152 yards, TD

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 11/15, 177 yards, TD

Top rushers

DET – Altie Taylor – 9 rushes, 49 yards

MIN – Bill Brown – 19 rushes, 101 yards, TD

Top receivers

DET – Ron Jessie – 5 receptions, 71 yards, TD

MIN – John Gilliam – 5 receptions, 129 yards, TD

Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 10: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	7	0	7	14
Falcons	0	17	3	0	20

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: Monday, November 19

Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), Wind 5 mph

Game attendance: 56,519

Referee: Fred Swearingen

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

None.

Second quarter

ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 25-yard field goal. Falcons 3–0.

MIN – John Gilliam 39-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–3.

ATL – Dave Hampton 19-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 10–7.

ATL – Eddie Ray 39-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 17–7.

Third quarter

ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 49-yard field goal. Falcons 20–7.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Bill Brown 2-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 20–14.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 17/30, 214 yards, 2 TD

ATL – Bob Lee – 11/23, 171 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 9 rushes, 38 yards

ATL – Dave Hampton – 23 rushes, 108 yards

Top receivers

MIN – John Gilliam – 4 receptions, 97 yards, TD

ATL – Dave Hampton – 3 receptions, 55 yards, TD

Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 11: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	3	0	3	7	13
Vikings	3	7	14	7	31

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: November 25

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), Wind 8 mph

Game attendance: 46,430

Referee: Fred Wyant

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.

CHI – Mirro Roder 43-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.

Second quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–3.

Third quarter

CHI – Mirro Roder 24-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6.

MIN – John Gilliam 54-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–6.

MIN – Fran Tarkenton 8-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–6.

Fourth quarter

MIN – John Gilliam 30-yard pass from Bob Berry (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–6.

CHI – Earl Thomas 29-yard pass from Gary Huff (Mirro Roder kick). Vikings 31–13.

Top passers

CHI – Gary Huff – 6/8, 65 yards, TD

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 11/15, 161 yards, TD

Top rushers

CHI – Joe Moore – 24 rushes, 75 yards

MIN – Oscar Reed – 12 rushes, 97 yards

Top receivers

CHI – Earl Thomas – 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD

MIN – John Gilliam – 5 receptions, 139 yards, 2 TD

The day of this game was declared "Karl Kassulke Day" in honor of former Viking safety Karl Kassulke, who was left paralyzed in a motorcycle accident just before the beginning of training camp.^[5]

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	0	0	0	0
Bengals	0	10	10	7	27

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Date: December 2

Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), Wind 10 mph

Game attendance: 57,859

Referee: Pat Haggerty

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

None.

Second quarter

CIN – Horst Muhlmann 22-yard field goal. Bengals 3–0.

CIN – Lemar Parrish 23-yard fumble return (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 10–0.

Third quarter

CIN – Essex Johnson 40-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 17–0.

CIN – Horst Muhlmann 38-yard field goal. Bengals 20–0.

Fourth quarter

CIN – Bob Trumpy 7-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 27–0.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 11/18, 73 yards

CIN – Ken Anderson – 12/17, 105 yards, TD

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 11 rushes, 38 yards

CIN – Essex Johnson – 9 rushes, 79 yards, TD

Top receivers

MIN – Oscar Reed – 5 receptions, 30 yards

CIN – Bob Trumpy – 4 receptions, 37 yards, TD

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	14	14	3	0	31
Packers	0	0	0	7	7

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: Saturday, December 8

Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), Wind 16 mph

Game attendance: 53,830

Referee: Norm Schachter

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Stu Voigt 21-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0.

MIN – Bobby Bryant 46-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–0.

Second quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 50-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–0.

MIN – John Gilliam 20-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–0.

Third quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 15-yard field goal. Vikings 31–0.

Fourth quarter

GB – Barry Smith 17-yard pass from Jim Del Gaizo (Chester Marcol kick). Vikings 31–7.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 8/12, 79 yards, 2 TD

GB – Jerry Tagge – 10/25, 98 yards

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 19 rushes, 100 yards, TD

GB – John Brockington – 27 rushes, 124 yards

Top receivers

MIN – John Gilliam – 2 receptions, 33 yards, TD

GB – Barry Smith – 4 receptions, 55 yards, TD

Week 14: at New York Giants

Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	10	0	14	31
Giants	0	0	0	7	7

at Yale Bowl, New Haven, Connecticut

Date: December 16

Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST

Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C)

Game attendance: 70,041

Referee: John McDonough

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Oscar Reed 9-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0.

Second quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 10–0.

MIN – Terry Brown 63-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–0.

Third quarter

None.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Bill Brown 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–0.

NYG – Ron Johnson 16-yard pass from Randy Johnson (Pete Gogolak kick). Vikings 24–7.

MIN – Ed Marinaro 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–7.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/14, 130 yards

NYG – Randy Johnson – 5/13, 89 yards, TD

Top rushers

MIN – Dave Osborn – 9 rushes, 72 yards

NYG – Ron Johnson – 23 rushes, 90 yards

Top receivers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 2 receptions, 28 yards

NYG – Bob Grim – 2 receptions, 54 yards

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings	12	2	0	.857	6–0	10–1	296	168	W2
Detroit Lions	6	7	1	.464	3–2–1	6–4–1	271	247	L1
Green Bay Packers	5	7	2	.429	1–4–1	4–6–1	202	259	W1
Chicago Bears	3	11	0	.214	1–5	1–9	195	334	L6

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
NFC Divisional Playoff	December 22, 1973	Washington Redskins	W 27–20	1–0	Metropolitan Stadium	45,475
Conference Championship	December 30, 1973	at Dallas Cowboys	W 27–10	2–0	Texas Stadium	60,272
Super Bowl VIII	January 13, 1974	Miami Dolphins	L 7–24	2–1	Rice Stadium	71,882

NFC Divisional Playoff

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	7	3	10	20
Vikings	0	3	7	17	27

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Date: Saturday, December 22

Game time: 1:00 PM

Game weather: 19 °F (−7 °C), wind 11 mph, wind chill 7 °F (−14 °C), relative humidity 71%

Referee: Jim Tunney

TV announcers (CBS): Wayne Walker, Tommy Mason, Jack Whitaker, Bruce Roberts (field)

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

None.

Second quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 19-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.

WAS – Larry Brown 3-yard run (Curt Knight kick). Redskins 7–3.

Third quarter

MIN – Bill Brown 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–7.

WAS – Curt Knight 52-yard field goal. Tied 10–10.

Fourth quarter

WAS – Curt Knight 42-yard field goal. Redskins 13–10.

MIN – John Gilliam 28-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–13.

MIN – John Gilliam 6-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–13.

WAS – Roy Jefferson 28-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick). Vikings 24–20.

MIN – Fred Cox 30-yard field goal. Vikings 27–20.

Top passers

WAS – Billy Kilmer – 13/24, 159 yards, TD

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 16/28, 222 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

WAS – Larry Brown – 29 rushes, 115 yards, TD

MIN – Oscar Reed – 17 rushes, 95 yards

Top receivers

WAS – Roy Jefferson – 6 receptions, 84 yards, TD

MIN – Oscar Reed – 5 receptions, 76 yards

NFC Championship Game

Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	3	7	7	10	27
Cowboys	0	0	10	0	10

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Date: December 30

Game time: 1:00 PM

Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), wind 13 mph, relative humidity 60%

Referee: Norm Schachter

TV: CBS

Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Fred Cox 44-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.

Second quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0.

Third quarter

DAL – Golden Richards 63-yard punt return (Toni Fritsch kick). Vikings 10–7.

MIN – John Gilliam 54-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–7.

DAL – Toni Fritsch 17-yard field goal. Vikings 17–10.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Bobby Bryant 63-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–10.

MIN – Fred Cox 34-yard field goal. Vikings 27–10.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/21, 133 yards, TD

DAL – Roger Staubach – 10/21, 89 yards

Top rushers

MIN – Chuck Foreman – 19 rushes, 76 yards, TD

DAL – Robert Newhouse – 14 rushes, 50 yards

Top receivers

MIN – John Gilliam – 2 receptions, 63 yards, TD

DAL – Bob Hayes – 2 receptions, 25 yards

Super Bowl VIII

Minnesota Vikings vs. Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings (NFC)	0	0	0	7	7
Dolphins (AFC)	14	3	7	0	24

at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: January 13, 1974

Game time: 3:50 p.m. EST/2:50 p.m. CST

Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C)

Game attendance: 71,882

Referee: Ben Dreith

TV announcers (CBS): Ray Scott, Pat Summerall and Bart Starr

Pro Football Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

MIA – Larry Csonka 5-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 7–0.

MIA – Jim Kiick 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 14–0.

Second quarter

MIA – Garo Yepremian 28-yard field goal. Dolphins 17–0.

Third quarter

MIA – Larry Csonka 2-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 24–0.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Fran Tarkenton 4-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Dolphins 24–7.

Top passers

MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 18/28, 182 yards

MIA – Bob Griese – 6/7, 73 yards

Top rushers

MIN – Oscar Reed – 11 rushes, 32 yards

MIA – Larry Csonka – 33 rushes, 145 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

MIN – Stu Voigt – 3 receptions, 46 yards

MIA – Paul Warfield – 2 receptions, 33 yards

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Fran Tarkenton	2,113
Passing touchdowns	Fran Tarkenton	15
Rushing yards	Chuck Foreman	801
Rushing touchdowns	Chuck Foreman	4
Receiving yards	John Gilliam	907
Receiving touchdowns	John Gilliam	8
Points	Fred Cox	96
Kickoff return yards	Brent McClanahan	410
Punt return yards	Bobby Bryant	140
Interceptions	Bobby Bryant	7

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 26)
Passing offense	1,956	139.7	14th
Rushing offense	2,275	162.5	6th
Total offense	4,231	302.2	7th
Passing defense	1,894	135.3	12th
Rushing defense	1,974	141.0	11th
Total defense	3,868	276.3	12th

References

^ Last Undefeated NFL teams by Year

^ The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks Baseball Club – "Home of Midnight Sun Baseball"

^ 1973 Minnesota Vikings highlight film

^ 1973 Minnesota Vikings highlight film

^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FLNPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-AUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2833%2C5824531

External links

Team roster

[1] Last Undefeated NFL teams by Year

[2] The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks Baseball Club – "Home of Midnight Sun Baseball"

[3] 1973 Minnesota Vikings highlight film

[4] 1973 Minnesota Vikings highlight film

[5] ttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FLNPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-AUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2833%2C5824531

v t e Minnesota Vikings
Founded in 1961 Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Franchise	Franchise History Expansion draft Players First-round draft picks Quarterbacks Head coaches Seasons Statistics Draft Broadcasters
Stadiums	Metropolitan Stadium Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome TCF Bank Stadium U.S. Bank Stadium
Culture	Purple People Eaters "Skol, Vikings" Herschel Walker trade Love Boat scandal "Little Minnesota" (How I Met Your Mother episode) Cheerleaders
Lore	The Wrong Way Run Hail Mary Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy Miracle at the Met Gary Anderson's missed field goal 2010 Metrodome roof collapse Minneapolis Miracle
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers
Division championships (20)	1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1989 1992 1994 1998 2000 2008 2009 2015 2017
Conference championships (4)	1969 1973 1974 1976
League championships (1)	1969
Retired numbers	10 53 70 77 80 88
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: North Division
Seasons (57)	1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Championship seasons in bold

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1973 Minnesota Vikings season

Contents

Offseason

1973 Draft

Roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 2: at Chicago Bears

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 4: at Detroit Lions

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 14: at New York Giants

Standings

Playoffs

NFC Divisional Playoff

NFC Championship Game

Super Bowl VIII

Statistics

Team leaders

League rankings

References

External links

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v t e Minnesota Vikings seasons
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–) appearance