1988 Minnesota Vikings season
NFL team season
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The 1988 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 28th in the National Football League. They finished with an 11–5 record, and finished second to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Central division.
| 1988 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Mike Lynn |
| Head coach | Jerry Burns |
| Offensive coordinator | Bob Schnelker |
| Defensive coordinator | Floyd Peters |
| Home stadium | Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Rams) 28–17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 9–34 |
| All-Pros | S Joey Browner (1st team) CB Carl Lee (1st team) DT Keith Millard (1st team) T Gary Zimmerman (1st team) |
| Pro Bowlers | S Joey Browner WR Anthony Carter DE Chris Doleman TE Steve Jordan CB Carl Lee DT Keith Millard LB Scott Studwell QB Wade Wilson T Gary Zimmerman |
| Uniform | |
| |
The Vikings had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 1988. The team allowed 4,091 total yards, 4.3 yards per play, and 243 first downs, all best in the league. The Vikings also had a league-best 53 takeaways.[1] Opposing quarterbacks had a league-worst 41.2 passer rating against the Vikings' defense, the lowest total of the 1980s and fifth all-time for the Super Bowl era.[2]
The Vikings made the postseason for the second consecutive time under coach Jerry Burns. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28–17 in the wildcard round, but lost 34–9 in the divisional round to the San Francisco 49ers, who went on to win their third Super Bowl. This was the last time the Vikings won a playoff game until 1997.
Offseason
1988 draft
| Hall of Famer |
| 1988 Minnesota Vikings Draft | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | |
| Round | Selection | ||||
| 1 | 19 | Randall McDaniel | Guard | Arizona State | |
| 2 | 45 | Traded to the Denver Broncos[A] | |||
| 54 | Brad Edwards | Safety | South Carolina | From Broncos[A] | |
| 3 | 71 | Al Noga | Defensive end | Hawaii | |
| 4 | 97 | Traded to the New England Patriots[B] | |||
| 108 | Todd Kalis | Guard | Arizona State | From Broncos[A] | |
| 5 | 124 | Darrell Fullington | Safety | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 156 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins[C] | |||
| 164 | Derrick White | Defensive back | Oklahoma | From Broncos[A] | |
| 7 | 183 | Brad Beckman | Tight end | Nebraska–Omaha | |
| 8 | 210 | Joe Cain | Linebacker | Oregon Tech | |
| 9 | 237 | Paul McGowan | Linebacker | Florida State | |
| 10 | 264 | Brian Habib | Offensive tackle | Washington | |
| 11 | 296 | Norman Floyd | Safety | South Carolina | From Vikings,[B] via Patriots[D] |
| 12 | 323 | Traded to the New York Giants[E] | |||
Notes:
- The Vikings traded their second-round selection (45th overall) to the Broncos in exchange for the second-, fourth- and sixth-round selections (54th, 108th and 164th overall).
- The Vikings traded their fourth- and 11th-round selections (97th and 294th overall) to the Patriots in exchange for QB Rich Gannon.
- The Vikings traded their 12th-round selection (323rd overall) to the Giants in exchange for C Chris Foote.
Supplemental draft
| Round | Name | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Ryan Bethea | Defensive back | South Carolina | Resulted in forfeiture of 1989 fifth-round selection. |
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Furlong | Guard | Wisconsin–Stevens Point |
| Mike Greenfield | Quarterback | Northwestern |
| Darryl Harris | Running back | Arizona State |
| Van Sheppard | Wide receiver | Nebraska |
| Reggie Ward | Wide receiver | Notre Dame |
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[4] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 7 | New Orleans Saints | L 20–23 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 47,624 | |
| 2 | August 14 | Chicago Bears | W 28–21 | 1–1 | Ullevi Stadium (Gothenburg, Sweden) | 33,115 | Volvo American Football Classic |
| 3 | August 21 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 19–16 (OT) | 2–1 | Sun Devil Stadium | 45,429 | |
| 4 | August 26 | Miami Dolphins | W 24–17 | 3–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,463 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | at Buffalo Bills | L 10–13 | 0–1 | Rich Stadium | 76,783 |
| 2 | September 11 | New England Patriots | W 36–6 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,545 |
| 3 | September 18 | at Chicago Bears | W 31–7 | 2–1 | Soldier Field | 63,990 |
| 4 | September 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–21 | 3–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 56,012 |
| 5 | October 2 | at Miami Dolphins | L 7–24 | 3–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 59,867 |
| 6 | October 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 14–13 | 4–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,274 |
| 7 | October 16 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–34 | 4–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 59,053 |
| 8 | October 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 49–20 | 5–3 | Tampa Stadium | 48,020 |
| 9 | October 30 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 21–24 | 5–4 | Candlestick Park | 60,738 |
| 10 | November 6 | Detroit Lions | W 44–17 | 6–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,573 |
| 11 | November 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 43–3 | 7–4 | Texas Stadium | 57,830 |
| 12 | November 20 | Indianapolis Colts | W 12–3 | 8–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,342 |
| 13 | November 24 | at Detroit Lions | W 23–0 | 9–4 | Silverdome | 46,379 |
| 14 | December 4 | New Orleans Saints | W 45–3 | 10–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 61,215 |
| 15 | December 11 | at Green Bay Packers | L 6–18 | 10–5 | Lambeau Field | 48,892 |
| 16 | December 19 | Chicago Bears | W 28–27 | 11–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 62,067 |
Game summaries
Week 5: at Miami Dolphins
Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C)
- Game attendance: 59,867
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit (9)
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts
- Pro-Football-Reference
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 17 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 43 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Date: November 13
- Game time: 7:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C)
- Game attendance: 57,830
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Chicago Bears(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 312 | 215 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 406 | 233 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4–4 | 4–8 | 261 | 350 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–11 | 220 | 315 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 240 | 313 | W2 |
Playoffs
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Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 26 | Los Angeles Rams (5) | W 28–17 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,666 |
| Divisional | January 1 | at San Francisco 49ers (2) | L 9–34 | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,848 |
Game summaries
NFC Wild Card: vs. (#5) Los Angeles Rams
NFC Wild Card Playoff: (#5) Los Angeles Rams at (#4) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| Vikings | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: December 26, 1988
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 57,666
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (#2) San Francisco 49ers
NFC Divisional Playoff: (#4) Minnesota Vikings at (#2) San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| 49ers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 34 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: January 1, 1989
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
- Game attendance: 61,848
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics
Team leaders
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Wade Wilson | 2,746 |
| Passing touchdowns | Wade Wilson | 15 |
| Rushing yards | Darrin Nelson | 380 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Alfred Anderson | 7 |
| Receiving yards | Anthony Carter | 1,225 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Anthony Carter | 6 |
| Points | Chuck Nelson | 108 |
| Kickoff return yards | Darryl Harris | 833 |
| Punt return yards | Leo Lewis | 550 * |
| Tackles | Jesse Solomon | 124 |
| Sacks | Chris Doleman Keith Millard | 8.0 |
| Interceptions | Carl Lee | 8 |
| Forced fumbles | Henry Thomas | 4 |
* Vikings single season record
League rankings
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,789 | 236.8 | 4th |
| Rushing offense | 1,806 | 112.9 | 20th |
| Total offense | 5,595 | 349.7 | 7th |
| Passing defense | 2,489 | 155.6 | 2nd |
| Rushing defense | 1,602 | 100.1 | 5th |
| Total defense | 4,091 | 255.7 | 1st |