1996 Minnesota Vikings: A Return To The Playoffs

After making the playoffs their first three seasons under Dennis Green, the Minnesota Vikings slipped to .500 in 1995. In 1996, they only modestly improved—but it was enough to get back into the playoffs and start another streak of postseason trips.

The franchise was going through some tumult at quarterback. They had acquired the veteran Hall of Famer Warren Moon in 1994. Now 40-years-old, Moon opened ’96 as the starter. But injuries ultimately sidelined him, and he wasn’t particularly effective when he did play.

That gave Brad Johnson an opportunity. Johnson’s 63 percent completion rate and 7.3 yards-per-attempt were both in the top quarter for NFL starting quarterbacks. While his 17-10 TD/INT ratio wasn’t great, a 3.2 interception rate was still middle of the league in 1996.

Cris Carter, another future Hall of Famer, made the Pro Bowl with 96 catches for 1,163 yards. Jake Reed was a big-play threat, averaging over 18 yards a pop on his 72 catches. Amp Lee came out of the backfield to catch 54 balls. When Johnson was in the lineup, the Minnesota passing game was effective.

The issue was running the ball. While Randall McDaniel was another Hall of Fame talent, and delivered another Pro Bowl campaign at age 32, the rest of the offensive line was a little more pedestrian. Moreover, Robert Smith, the focal point of the rushing attack, was injured midway through the year. The Vikes were not able to run consistently. Between that, and Moon’s struggles when he played, they only ranked 23^rd in a 30-team league for points scored.

Minnesota’s defense was basically carried by the great John Randle up front. The Hall of Fame defensive tackle was 1^st-team All-Pro and finished with 11 ½ sacks. Other than defensive end Fernando Smith, and his 9 ½ sacks, no one else stood out and the secondary was young. But even so, the Viking defense hung in well enough to finish 15^th in the NFL for points allowed.

Detroit came in for the season opener. The Lions, with the great Barry Sanders in the backfield, had made the playoffs four of the previous five years. But this year, they fell on hard times and it started in the old Metrodome. Even though Moon played poorly and was knocked out early, and even though Sanders went off for 163 yards, Minnesota had an answer. Smith ran for 113 yards and the defense forced five turnovers, including two interceptions by linebacker Jeff Brady. The Vikes won 17-13.

Atlanta was another team who had reached the postseason in 1995, but would come nowhere close this time around. Johnson started on the road and went 15/26 for 275 yards. Reed caught four balls for 148 yards. Despite trailing 17-10 after three quarters, Minnesota took over down the stretch and won 23-17.

The strong start continued at mediocre Chicago. Moon was back, and even though he threw a Pick-6, the Viking defense answered with three picks of their own. Moon threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Reed and Minnesota got a 20-14 win.

That set up a home showdown with the Green Bay Packers, who were coming into their own with Brett Favre at quarterback. The Packers were also 3-0, coming off an NFC Championship Game trip the prior year and widely expected to take the next step.

Moon threw early touchdown passes to Reed and speedy Quadry Ismail. Moon also threw another Pick-6 and Minnesota trailed 21-17. But the defensive front was dominating and Randle was a one-man wrecking crew. The Vikings got to Favre seven times, with Randle racking up 3 ½ sacks. They turned the tide late and won the game 30-21.

Riding high at 4-0, Minnesota had a letdown in the Meadowlands against a bad New York Giants team. The Vikes got a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown from David Palmer. But they did nothing else offensively. It wasted a nice defensive outing that included five more sacks, two from Smith. Minnesota took their first loss in a 15-10 decision.

Carolina was only in their second year of existence, but the Panthers were already a contender and would end up in the NFC Championship Game. Moon threw a pair of short touchdown passes to give the Vikings a quick 14-0 lead. While the offense bogged down after that, the D came up with six turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by defensive back DeWayne Washington. Minnesota got a big 14-12 win.

The ability to get turnovers disappeared on the road against a so-so Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. Moon played well, going 22/34 for 277 yards and Smith ran for 133 yards. But losing the turnover battle 3-zip led to a disappointing 24-13 loss.

Even so, the Vikings were going into their bye week at 5-2. Perhaps the old NFC Central (the four current teams of the NFC North plus Tampa Bay) wouldn’t be a Packer runaway after all.

But a Monday Night home game with Chicago on the far side of the bye was a mess. Moon was knocked out early and this time he was gone for the year. Even worse, Smith was lost for the year. Minnesota only ran for 11 yards. They lost 15-13.

Kansas City came in next. The Chiefs were one of the AFC’s consistent contenders in this era under Marty Schottenheimer and this game got the late Sunday afternoon TV slot. But facing a team that would uncharacteristically fade at the end of the year, the Vikings were hammered in the trenches—they lost rush yardage 202-48, didn’t even score until the issue was well decided, and lost 21-6.

Minnesota continued to be dominated up front at mediocre Seattle. They were outrushed 199-15, turned the ball over four times and lost 42-13. That 4-0 start was a distant memory. The Vikings were 5-5 and fighting for their lives as they went to Oakland for Monday Night Football.

Facing a subpar team that would miss the playoffs, Johnson hit Reed on an 82-yard touchdown strike and Minnesota built a 10-0 lead. Johnson also threw a Pick-6, and the game ended up going to overtime. In the end, Johnson finished 20/33 for 275 yards. The Vikes found a running game with Leroy Hoard gaining 108 yards. The losing streak was snapped with a 16-13 win.

Denver was on their way to the 1-seed in the AFC playoffs and they came to the Metrodome. Johnson played well, going 24/35 for 266 yards. But John Elway was better, throwing for 334 yards, and he got the last word, handing Minnesota a tough 21-17 loss.

The Vikings were 6-6 and on the outside looking in for the stretch drive. The Packers had run away with the division. Of the three wild-card spots available, two were realistically up for grabs. The NFC East was a three-team race, with the Redskins at 8-4, and both the Cowboys and Eagles 7-5. Minnesota needed to catch one of those teams to get in.

There was also the not-so-small matter of simply playing some better football. That happened at home against a pedestrian Arizona Cardinals squad. Johnson went 19/26 for 238 yards. He spread the ball around and hit four different receivers for touchdowns. Hoard ran for 94 yards and the defense shut down the Arizona ground game. The Vikings won 41-17 and kept the pressure on the NFC East contenders, where all three teams were now 8-5.

A Sunday Night trip to Detroit was enormous. The Vikings took the field knowing that the Eagles and Redskins had both lost, so Minnesota could pull even in the race for the final two spots. Johnson played efficient football, going 19/29 for 195 yards and no mistakes. Holding a 17-16 lead, he hit Carter with a 30-yard touchdown pass. The Lions rallied, with Sanders running for a touchdown. But Minnesota stopped the two-point conversion and preserved a 24-22 win.

The Viking position was now a good one. They comfortably held the tiebreaker on the Redskins, so Minnesota controlled their own destiny with two weeks to go. They hosted Tampa Bay. Hoard ran for 101 yards. While Johnson threw a couple picks, he also made some plays and Carter caught eight balls for 89 yards. The Vikings won 21-10. Later that afternoon, out west, Washington lost in Arizona. Minnesota was in.

Seeding was still up for grabs when they visited Green Bay for the finale. But the difference between the 5-seed and 6-seed was minimal at best—either way, you were going to Dallas and San Francisco, the two teams who had defined NFL life in the first part of the decade and would be heavily favored in the wild-card round. Minnesota didn’t have a lot to play for, Green Bay was playing to nail down the 1-seed, and the Packers were rolling towards what proved to be a Super Bowl title in either case. The Vikings were outrushed 233-49 and lost 38-10.

At 9-7 and the 6-seed, they were slated to play Dallas on late Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys were the defending Super Bowl champs and had won three of the last four Lombardi Trophies. Even though this year’s team looked very mortal, they weren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. Minnesota got hammered in the trenches on both sides of the football, losing rushing 255-63. They turned it over six times, losing four fumbles. It was a miserable afternoon, with the score 30-0 by halftime and ending 40-15.

It was still a return to the playoffs for the Minnesota Vikings in 1996, even if the final two games showed how large the gap was between them and the league’s elite. Johnson played well enough down the stretch that the organization parted ways with Moon. The following year, they got better, made the playoffs again, and this time advanced. The 1996 playoff trip was the first of five consecutive years in the postseason.