2023 Minnesota Vikings season | |
---|---|
Owner | Zygi Wilf |
General manager | Kwesi Adofo-Mensah |
Head coach | Kevin O'Connell |
Home field | U.S. Bank Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7–10 |
Division place | 3rd NFC North |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | FB C. J. Ham (alternate) OLB Danielle Hunter (starter) LS Andrew DePaola (starter) |
AP All-Pros | LS Andrew DePaola (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
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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.
They started 0–3 for the second time in the past four seasons. They failed to improve upon their 13–4 record from 2022 after a Week 5 loss to the eventual back to back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and match that record with a Week 11 loss to the Broncos. However, after having a 1–4 record, the Vikings would win 5 games straight, going to a 6–4 record. During Minnesota's Week 8 game against their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, starting quarterback Kirk Cousins ruptured his achilles tendon, ruling him out for the rest of the season. [1] They went through a quarterback carousel for the rest of the season, going 1–6 in their last 7 games including 4 straight losses to end the season. In Week 16, they were knocked out of division contention following a loss to the Detroit Lions, and in Week 18, they were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Lions again.
For the first time since 2012, wide receiver Adam Thielen was not on the roster, as he was released on March 10. [2] Additionally, for the first time since 2016, four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook was not on the roster, as he was released on June 9. [3] This was also the first season after the death of legendary coach and team advisor Bud Grant on March 11. [4]
Position | Player | Former team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
WR | Brandon Powell | Los Angeles Rams | Signed on March 22 |
LB | Troy Reeder | Los Angeles Chargers | Signed on March 22 |
TE | Josh Oliver | Baltimore Ravens | Signed on March 15 |
DT | Dean Lowry | Green Bay Packers | Signed on March 20 |
OLB | Marcus Davenport | New Orleans Saints | Signed on March 15 |
CB | Byron Murphy | Arizona Cardinals | Signed on March 15 |
CB | Joejuan Williams | New England Patriots | Signed on April 17 |
Position | Player | New team | Date |
---|---|---|---|
WR | Adam Thielen | Carolina Panthers | Released on March 10 |
LB | Eric Kendricks | Los Angeles Chargers | Released on March 6 |
TE | Irv Smith Jr. | Cincinnati Bengals | |
CB | Kris Boyd | Arizona Cardinals | |
CB | Cameron Dantzler | Washington Commanders | |
CB | Chandon Sullivan | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
CB | Patrick Peterson | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
CB | Duke Shelley | Las Vegas Raiders | |
OLB | Za'Darius Smith | Cleveland Browns | Traded on May 16 |
DT | Dalvin Tomlinson | Cleveland Browns | |
C | Greg Mancz | Buffalo Bills | Released on January 14 |
RB | Dalvin Cook | New York Jets | Released on June 9 |
Draft trades
Name | Position | College | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Junior Aho | OLB | SMU* | [9] |
Alan Ali | C | TCU | [10] |
Calvin Avery | DT | Illinois | |
Abraham Beauplan | MLB | Marshall | |
Andre Carter II | OLB | Army | |
Jacky Chen | OT | Pace | |
C. J. Coldon | CB | Oklahoma | |
Wilson Huber | MLB | Cincinnati | |
Cephus Johnson | WR | Southeastern Louisiana | |
Malik Knowles | Kansas State | ||
Garett Maag | North Dakota | [11] | |
Zach Ojile | FB | Minnesota–Duluth | [12] |
Ivan Pace Jr. | MLB | Cincinnati | [10] |
Jack Podlesny | K | Georgia | |
Ben Sims | TE | Baylor | |
Thayer Thomas | WR | NC State | |
NaJee Thompson | CB | Georgia Southern | |
Jaylin Williams | Indiana |
* Signed from France as part of the International Player Pathway Program
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
The Vikings' preseason schedule was announced on May 11, 2023, along with the regular season schedule. They will first travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks, before returning to Minnesota for their remaining two games, first against the Tennessee Titans and then the Arizona Cardinals. [13]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 10 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–24 | 0–1 | Lumen Field | Recap |
2 | August 19 | Tennessee Titans | L 16–24 | 0–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 26 | Arizona Cardinals | L 17–18 | 0–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
Vikings | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 18 |
Vikings | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–20 | 0–1 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 14 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 28–34 | 0–2 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
3 | September 24 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 24–28 | 0–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
4 | October 1 | at Carolina Panthers | W 21–13 | 1–3 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–27 | 1–4 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 15 | at Chicago Bears | W 19–13 | 2–4 | Soldier Field | Recap |
7 | October 23 | San Francisco 49ers | W 22–17 | 3–4 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 29 | at Green Bay Packers | W 24–10 | 4–4 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
9 | November 5 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 31–28 | 5–4 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 27–19 | 6–4 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 19 | at Denver Broncos | L 20–21 | 6–5 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap |
12 | November 27 | Chicago Bears | L 10–12 | 6–6 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
13 | Bye | |||||
14 | December 10 | at Las Vegas Raiders | W 3–0 | 7–6 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 16 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–27 (OT) | 7–7 | Paycor Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 24 | Detroit Lions | L 24–30 | 7–8 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 31 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–33 | 7–9 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
18 | January 7 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–30 | 7–10 | Ford Field | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Vikings | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
Eagles | 3 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Vikings | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
Panthers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
Vikings | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
Bears | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Vikings | 7 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 22 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
Packers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 31 |
Falcons | 3 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 28 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 3 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 19 |
Vikings | 3 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Broncos | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 21 |
at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
The Vikings scored the only points of the game after both teams went over 58 minutes without scoring, in the lowest scoring NFL game since 2007. [14] The Vikings improved to 7–6 and remained in the playoff race.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Bengals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 27 |
at Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 7 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
Vikings | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 10 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 33 |
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
Lions | 13 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
With this loss, the Vikings finished the season on a four-game losing streak, their first since 2016. They were also swept by the Lions for the first time since that same season. Their 7–10 record was their first double-digit losing season since 2013, which also saw the Vikings go through a quarterback carousel driven by injuries and poor play.
NFC North | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(3) Detroit Lions | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 461 | 395 | W1 |
(7) Green Bay Packers | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 383 | 350 | W3 |
Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 344 | 362 | L4 |
Chicago Bears | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 360 | 379 | L1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 [lower-alpha 1] | San Francisco 49ers | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .509 | .475 | L1 |
2 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .446 | .392 | W2 |
3 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] | Detroit Lions | North | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .481 | .436 | W1 |
4 [lower-alpha 3] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .481 | .379 | W1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .481 | .476 | L2 |
6 | Los Angeles Rams | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .529 | .453 | W4 |
7 [lower-alpha 4] [lower-alpha 5] | Green Bay Packers | North | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .474 | .458 | W3 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8 [lower-alpha 4] [lower-alpha 5] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .512 | .392 | W1 |
9 [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .433 | .340 | W2 |
10 [lower-alpha 6] [lower-alpha 7] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .509 | .454 | L4 |
11 [lower-alpha 7] [lower-alpha 8] | Chicago Bears | North | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .464 | .370 | L1 |
12 [lower-alpha 6] [lower-alpha 8] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .429 | .462 | L2 |
13 | New York Giants | East | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .353 | W1 |
14 [lower-alpha 9] | Washington Commanders | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 2–10 | .512 | .338 | L8 |
15 [lower-alpha 9] | Arizona Cardinals | West | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 3–9 | .561 | .588 | L1 |
16 | Carolina Panthers | South | 2 | 15 | 0 | .118 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .522 | .500 | L3 |
Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 10] | |||||||||||
|
Category | Player(s) | Total |
---|---|---|
Passing yards | Kirk Cousins | 2,331 |
Passing touchdowns | Kirk Cousins | 18 |
Rushing yards | Alexander Mattison | 700 |
Rushing touchdowns | Ty Chandler Joshua Dobbs | 3 |
Receptions | T. J. Hockenson | 95 |
Receiving yards | Justin Jefferson | 1,074 |
Receiving touchdowns | Jordan Addison | 10 |
Points | Greg Joseph | 108 |
Kickoff return yards | Kene Nwangwu | 380 |
Punt return yards | Brandon Powell | 289 |
Tackles | Camryn Bynum | 137 |
Sacks | Danielle Hunter | 16.5 |
Interceptions | Byron Murphy | 3 |
Forced fumbles | Danielle Hunter Josh Metellus | 4 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com [15]
Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
---|---|---|---|
Passing offense | 4,359 | 256.4 | 5th |
Rushing offense | 1,553 | 91.4 | 29th |
Total offense | 5,912 | 347.8 | 10th |
Passing defense | 3,986 | 234.5 | 24th |
Rushing defense | 1,678 | 98.7 | 8th |
Total defense | 5,664 | 333.2 | 16th |
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 2001 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 41st in the National Football League (NFL). Despite having a 12th ranked offense, the Vikings finished 5–11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Before the end of the season, the team fired head coach Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force among the Vikings fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
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 2004 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 44th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished the 2004 season going 3–7 over the final 10 weeks, just like they did in 2003; however, they made the playoffs with an overall 8–8 record. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-level statistics, throwing for 4,717 passing yards, 39 passing touchdowns and 5,123 total yards.
The 2005 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), and Mike Tice's fourth and final season as head coach. The Vikings finished the season with a 9–7 record and missed the playoffs despite going 8–3 over the final 11 weeks. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper was injured after seven games, resulting in Brad Johnson taking over as starter. The loss of Culpepper and the departure of Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders resulted in the Vikings dropping from 2nd in passing offense in 2004 to 20th in 2005.
The 1996 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 27th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 37th overall. Following their loss to the Colts in the playoffs the year before, the Chiefs failed to improve their 13–3 record from 1995 and finishing 9–7 record and second-place finish in the AFC West. Despite being predicted as one of the eventual winners of Super Bowl XXXI by Sports Illustrated, the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989.
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 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.
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 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 New Orleans Saints' 57th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 48th to host games at the Caesars Superdome and the second under head coach Dennis Allen. The team improved on their 7–10 record from 2022, but missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Saints finished tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South division title, as well as in a three-way tie with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks for the last Wild Card spot; however, the Saints lost both tiebreakers.