In 59 years of Minnesota Vikings football, the team has never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end. Four times, the team has lost in the Super Bowl. Since their final appearance following the 1976 season, the Vikings have consistently fielded good teams. While none of these squads reached the big dance, six of these teams have reached the NFC Championship Game. For fans young and old, many of these losses haunt not only the fan base, but also reside in NFL lore. In this series, we will look back at each of these squads. Today, we look at the 1977 Vikings, the first team in franchise history to lose an NFC Championship Game.
Championship Shortcomings: 1977 Minnesota Vikings
Record: 9-5-1 (NFC Central Champions)
Pro Bowlers
WR Sammy White
RG Ed White
RT Ron Yary
LB Matt Blair
LB Jeff Siemon
Regular Season Recap
The Vikings got off to a hot start in 1977, starting 4-1 after a thrilling overtime victory against the Chicago Bears ended when Hall of Fame safety Paul Krause (the team’s holder on kicks) took a snap on a potential game-winning kick and threw the winning touchdown pass to tight end Stu Voigt. Unfortunately, the season became a roller coaster after that. A road trip to Los Angeles saw the Vikings get whipped 35-3 by the Rams and Minnesota began a trend of winning one week and losing the next.
Midway through a 42-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton suffered a leg fracture that kept him sidelined the rest of the season. One week later, the staunch Purple People Eaters defense allowed Bears star running back Walter Payton to run for a then-NFL record 275 yards (he was sick prior to the game, too) as the Vikings lost 10-7 and fell to a record of 6-4.
After beating the Packers, Minnesota hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the first week of December. The 49ers jumped out to a 24-0 lead and the Vikings season appeared to be in jeopardy. Then, with rookie quarterback Tommy Kramer coming off the bench, the team found new life. The rookie completed 9-of-13 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns, including a 69-yard bomb to receiver Sammy White in the final minutes of the game. The victory put Minnesota in position to win a fifth-consecutive division title, and a victory over the Lions in the season-finale clinched it.
Playoff Recap
Minnesota once again went out west to face the Rams in the divisional playoffs. The Rams boasted the league’s No.4-ranked defense and No.5-ranked offense and were seeking to beat the Vikings for the first time in four attempts in the playoffs. A rain storm rolled through, though, and the game known as “The Mud Bowl” became the equalizer that the Vikings needed. Minnesota only needed five completions from backup quarterback Bob Lee as running back Chuck Foreman led the way with 101 yards and a touchdown. The defense intercepted three passes from Rams quarterback Pat Haden, and Minnesota escaped with a 14-7 victory.
The Vikings would once again seek revenge for a regular season loss, traveling to face their first opponent of the season, the Dallas Cowboys, who won the first meeting 16-10 in overtime. An extra period wouldn’t be needed in the NFC Championship, however. The Vikings were gashed for 170 yards on the ground and allowed Roger Staubach to complement the rushing attack with 165 yards in the air.
Minnesota’s offense never got going either. Bob Lee completed only 14-of-31 passes for 158 yards and an interception. Foreman ran 21 times for only 59 yards and lost two of the team’s three fumbles. The only points for the Vikings came off the foot of kicker Fred Cox, and when the final gun sounded, the Cowboys were victorious in a convincing 23-6 win.
How Bad Did This One Hurt?
Although the Vikings came up one game short of the Super Bowl for the first time in team history, this was an aging team that struggled with consistency. With that said, the spirit in the core players that made up the four Super Bowl appearances contributed to the late-season rally against the 49ers and ultimately the division title and playoff victory against the Rams.
Even with that, it was obvious the Cowboys were the best team in football, finishing the regular season 12-2 and then dismantling the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, 27-10. It would have been a tall task to beat Dallas on their home turf, and because the game was never very close, fans won’t hold much ill-will on the Vikings for this one.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
