1997 Minnesota Vikings season
1997 was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth. 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 defeat the Giants 23-22. It was their first playoff victory since 1988 and their first under head coach Dennis Green. In the Divisional round, the Vikings were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers, 38-22.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Personnel
Staff
| 1997 Minnesota Vikings staff |
Front Office
- Chairman of the Board – John Skoglund
- President/Chief Executive Officer – Roger Headrick
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
|
|
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
Strength and Conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning – Steve Wetzel
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jeff Friday
|
[1]
Regular season
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1 |
August 31, 1997 |
at Buffalo Bills |
W 34-13 |
79,139
|
| 2 |
September 7, 1997 |
at Chicago Bears |
W 27-24 |
59,263
|
| 3 |
September 14, 1997 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
L 28-14 |
63,697
|
| 4 |
September 21, 1997 |
at Green Bay Packers |
L 38-32 |
60,115
|
| 5 |
September 28, 1997 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
W 28-19 |
55,149
|
| 6 |
October 5, 1997 |
at Arizona Cardinals |
W 20-19 |
45,550
|
| 7 |
October 12, 1997 |
Carolina Panthers |
W 21-14 |
62,625
|
| 8 |
Bye |
| 9 |
October 26, 1997 |
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
W 10-6 |
66,815
|
| 10 |
November 2, 1997 |
New England Patriots |
W 23-18 |
62,917
|
| 11 |
November 9, 1997 |
Chicago Bears |
W 29-22 |
63,443
|
| 12 |
November 16, 1997 |
at Detroit Lions |
L 38-15 |
68,910
|
| 13 |
November 23, 1997 |
at New York Jets |
L 23-21 |
70,131
|
| 14 |
December 1, 1997 |
Green Bay Packers |
L 27-11 |
64,001
|
| 15 |
December 7, 1997 |
at San Francisco 49ers |
L 28-17 |
55,761
|
| 16 |
December 14, 1997 |
Detroit Lions |
L 14-13 |
60,982
|
| 17 |
December 21, 1997 |
Indianapolis Colts |
W 39-28 |
54,107
|
Standings
Roster
|
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Playoffs
Awards and records
- David Palmer, NFL Kickoff Return Leader
References
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
|
|
|
|
| Franchise |
|
|
| Stadiums |
|
|
| Culture |
|
|
| Rivalries |
|
|
| Lore |
|
|
| Head coaches |
|
|
| Division championships (18) |
1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2009
|
|
| League championship |
|
|
| Super Bowl appearances (4) |
|
|
| Retired numbers |
|
|
| Seasons |
|
|
| Current league affiliations |
|
|