2017 Minnesota Vikings season | |
---|---|
Owner | Zygi Wilf |
General manager | Rick Spielman |
Head coach | Mike Zimmer |
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 (NFL), 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.
Pro Bowler |
Draft trades
Name | 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 |
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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.
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
Steelers | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 26 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 20 |
Bears | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 17 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 33 |
Browns | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Twickenham Stadium, London, England
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
Redskins | 10 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
Lions | 0 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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] | |||||||||||
|
Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | 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 |
Quarter | 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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 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]
The 1999 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 39th in the National Football League (NFL). After going a near perfect 15–1 record in 1998, the Vikings began the 1999 season with high expectations of another great season. Randall Cunningham resumed duties again in 1999, but after a struggling 2–4 start to the season, he was benched and Jeff George was given the starting job as quarterback.
The 2000 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 40th in the National Football League (NFL). They won the NFC Central division title with an 11–5 record. After not retaining either Randall Cunningham or Jeff George, the team was led by first-year starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper and running back Robert Smith, who ran for a then team record 1,521 yards and seven touchdowns. The Vikings started out 7–0 and were 11–2 after 14 weeks, but slumped briefly, losing their last three to the St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts while Culpepper was hampered by injury.
The 2002 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 42nd in the National Football League, and the first under head coach Mike Tice. Tice was the third of the Vikings' six head coaches to be promoted from within the team's coaching ranks but the first to have actually played for the team.
The 2003 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL). They finished second in the NFC North with a 9–7 record, behind the 10–6 Green Bay Packers, but missed the playoffs for a third straight year. Despite gaining 6,294 yards of offense over their 16 games, by far the most in the league, the team managed just 416 points, the sixth-most in the NFL. The Vikings won their first six games of the 2003 season, then lost their next four games, after which they alternated wins and losses for the remainder of the season. The Vikings were officially eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals on the last play of their final game.
The 2011 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), and the first full season under head coach Leslie Frazier, who served as the team's interim head coach for the final six games of the 2010 season. The team failed to improve on their 6–10 record from 2010, going 2–6 before their bye week, before being eliminated from playoff contention in week 12 with a 2–9 record. The team also suffered its first six-game losing streak since the 1984 season.
The 2012 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), as well as their second full season under head coach Leslie Frazier. They looked to improve upon their 3–13 season the year before, and did so after defeating the Tennessee Titans in Week 5; their win over the Houston Texans in Week 16 made this their first winning season since 2009. The Vikings also made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers to give them a 10–6 regular season record, but were defeated by the same opponents in the Wild Card playoff round the following week. Adrian Peterson was named the league's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 2,097 yards, just nine yards short of breaking the single-season record held by Eric Dickerson since 1984.
The 2015 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 55th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach Mike Zimmer. It marked the last season in which the Vikings played their home games at the University of Minnesota's on-campus TCF Bank Stadium, before moving into U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in July 2016, located on the site of the now-demolished Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
The 2016 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 56th in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coach Mike Zimmer. After starting the season with five consecutive wins prior to their bye week, the Vikings managed just three victories after the bye and were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16 with a 38–25 road loss to the Packers. They joined the 1978 Redskins, 1993 Saints, 2003 Vikings, 2009 Broncos, 2009 Giants and 2015 Falcons in missing the playoffs after starting 5–0 or better. The Vikings are the only NFL team to have more than once started 5–0 or better and missed the playoffs.
The 2017 season was the New Orleans Saints' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), their 42nd playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 11th under head coach Sean Payton. The team improved on their 7–9 output from the previous season, while achieving an eight-game winning streak after losing their first two contests, their longest streak since 2009, when they won Super Bowl XLIV. In Week 13 the Saints clinched their first winning season since 2013 and swept the Carolina Panthers for the first time since 2011. In Week 16, the Saints clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 17, the Saints clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2011 with the Panthers loss to the Falcons. This was the first of four consecutive NFC South titles for the Saints. On January 7, 2018 the Saints played their divisional rival Carolina Panthers in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They beat Carolina 31–26 in the Wild Card, but lost 29–24 to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round in a shocking ending.
The 2018 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 58th in the National Football League (NFL), their third playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their fifth under head coach Mike Zimmer.
The 2019 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 59th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their sixth under head coach Mike Zimmer. They improved on their 8–7–1 campaign from 2018 with a Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions, and returned to the playoffs following a one-year absence after the Los Angeles Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. That week, the Vikings were eliminated from contention for the NFC North division title, losing 23–10 to the Green Bay Packers. They defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–20 in overtime in the Wild Card round but lost 27–10 to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
The 2020 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 60th in the National Football League (NFL), their fifth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their seventh under head coach Mike Zimmer. This was the Vikings' first time since 2005 that long-time assistant Kevin Stefanski was not part of the Vikings coaching staff, as he left to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns on January 12, 2020. After going 1–5 in their first six games for the first time since 2013, the team failed to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2019 after a Week 11 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and failed to match their 10–6 record after a Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention following a week 16 loss to the New Orleans Saints, and ultimately finished 7–9, their first losing season since 2014. The Vikings conceded 475 points during the season, the third-highest total in franchise history, although they also managed to score 430 points, also the third-most in team history.
The 2021 season was the Chicago Bears' 102nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 103rd overall, and their fourth and final under head coach Matt Nagy. This was the first season under the NFL's new 17-game schedule.
The 2021 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 61st in the National Football League (NFL), their sixth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their eighth and final under head coach Mike Zimmer. They were eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight season following a Week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The day after the team's last game of the season, the Vikings fired Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
The 2022 season was the Chicago Bears' 103rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. They failed to improve upon their 6–11 record from the previous season.
The 2022 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their first under new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and new head coach Kevin O'Connell, following the firings of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer at the end of the 2021 season.
The 2023 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 64th overall and their eleventh under head coach Andy Reid.
The 2023 season was the Chicago Bears' 104th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles.
The 2023 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL), their eighth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The 2024 season is the Minnesota Vikings' 64th in the National Football League (NFL), their ninth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium, their 20th under the ownership of Zygi Wilf and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings improved on their 7–10 record from 2023 after a Week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans and are looking to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The Vikings started the season 5–0 for the first time since 2016 following a Week 5 victory against the New York Jets in London.