1968 Minnesota Vikings season

1968 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach Bud Grant
General manager Jim Finks
Home field Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record 8–6
Division place 1st NFL Central
Playoff finish Lost Divisional Playoffs (Colts) 24–14

The 1968 Minnesota Vikings season was the franchise's 54th season in the National Football League. Under head coach Bud Grant, the Vikings won the NFL Central Division title with a record of eight wins and six losses, as they qualified for postseason play for the first time in franchise history. The Vikings' first trip to the playoffs ended with a 24–14 loss in the Western Conference Championship Game to the eventual NFL champion and Super Bowl runner-up Baltimore Colts at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.

Offseason

1968 Draft

Main article: 1968 NFL draft
= Hall of Famer
1968 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Notes
Round Choice Overall
111 Ron YaryOffensive tackleUSCfrom Giants[a]
77Traded to the New Orleans Saints[b]
2633Charlie WestDefensive backTexas-El Paso
3661Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers[c]
2176Mike McGillLinebackerNotre Damefrom Cowboys[d]
4689Mike FreemanDefensive backFresno State
56117Traded to the Washington Redskins[e]
66144Bob GoodridgeWide receiverVanderbilt
72167Oscar ReedWide receiverColorado Statefrom Falcons[f]
6171Lenny SnowRunning backGeorgia Tech
86198Hank UrbanowiczDefensive tackleMiami
96225Mike DonohueTight endSan Francisco
106250Tom SakalDefensive backMinnesota
116279Bill HaasWide receiverNebraska-Omaha
126308Howie SmallCenterRhode Island
136333Dick WherryWide receiverNorthern State
146360Don EvansOffensive tackleArkansas-Pine Bluff
156387Jim HaynieQuarterbackWest Chester
166414Lary KuharichDefensive backBoston College
176441Bob LeeQuarterbackPacific
10445Bill HullGuardTennessee Techfrom Lions[g]
^[a] The New York Giants traded their 1st round selection (1st overall), 1967 1st round selection (2nd overall), 1967 2nd round selection (28th overall), and 1969 2nd round selection (39th overall) to Minnesota for QB Fran Tarkenton.
^[b] Minnesota traded their 1st round selection (7th overall) and their 1969 1st round selection (17th overall) to New Orleans for QB Gary Cuozzo.
^[c] Minnesota traded their 3rd round selection (61st overall) to PIttsburgh for CB Brady Keys.
^[d] Dallas traded their 3rd round selection (76th overall) to Minnesota for WR Lance Rentzel.
^[e] Minnesota traded their 5th round selection (117th overall) to Washington for OL Bob Breitenstein.
^[f] Atlanta traded their 7th round selection (167th overall) to Minnesota for QB Ron Vander Kelen.
^[g] Detroit traded their 17th round selection (445th overall) to Minnesota for their 1969 16th round selection (407th overall).

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
1 September 14, 1968 Atlanta Falcons W 47–7 Metropolitan Stadium 45,563
2 September 22, 1968 at Green Bay Packers W 26–13 Milwaukee County Stadium 49,346
3 September 29, 1968 Chicago Bears L 17–27 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644
4 October 6, 1968 Detroit Lions W 24–10 Metropolitan Stadium 44,289
5 October 13, 1968 at New Orleans Saints L 17–20 Tulane Stadium 71,105
6 October 20, 1968 Dallas Cowboys L 7–20 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644
7 October 27, 1968 at Chicago Bears L 24–26 Wrigley Field 46,562
8 November 3, 1968 Washington Redskins W 27–14 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644
9 November 10, 1968 Green Bay Packers W 14–10 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644
10 November 17, 1968 at Detroit Lions W 13–6 Tiger Stadium 48,654
11 November 24, 1968 at Baltimore Colts L 9–21 Memorial Stadium 60,238
12 December 1, 1968 Los Angeles Rams L 3–31 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644
13 December 8, 1968 at San Francisco 49ers W 30–20 Kezar Stadium 29,049
14 December 15, 1968 at Philadelphia Eagles W 24–17 Franklin Field 54,530

Note: The October 6 game against Detroit was originally scheduled to be played in Detroit. The game was switched with the November 17 game due to game 4 of the World Series.

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
Western Conference December 22, 1968 at Baltimore Colts L 14–24 Memorial Stadium 60,238
Playoff Bowl January 5, 1969 vs Dallas Cowboys L 13–17 Miami Orange Bowl 22,961

Standings

NFL Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings 8 6 0 .571 4–2 6–4 282 242 W2
Chicago Bears 7 7 0 .500 3–3 5–5 250 333 L1
Green Bay Packers 6 7 1 .462 1–4–1 2–7–1 281 227 W1
Detroit Lions 4 8 2 .333 3–2–1 4–5–1 207 241 L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing Yards Joe Kapp 1,695
Passing Touchdowns Joe Kapp 10
Rushing Yards Bill Brown 805
Rushing Touchdowns Bill Brown 11
Receiving Yards Gene Washington 756
Receiving Touchdowns Gene Washington 6
Points Fred Cox 88
Kickoff Return Yards Charlie West 576
Punt Return Yards Charlie West 201
Interceptions Paul Krause 7

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 16)
Passing Offense 1,685 Yards 120.4 YPG 15th
Rushing Offense 1,921 Yards 137.2 YPG 6th
Total Offense 3,606 Yards 257.6 YPG 14th
Passing Defense 1,855 Yards 132.5 YPG 3rd
Rushing Defense 1,903 Yards 135.9 YPG 11th
Total Defense 3,758 Yards 268.4 YPG 5th

External links

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