1987 Minnesota Vikings season

Infobox NFL_season
team = Minnesota Vikings
year = 1987
record = 8-7
division_place = 2nd NFC Central
coach = Jerry Burns
stadium = Metrodome
playoffs = The 1987 season was the 27nd year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 68th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of eight wins and seven losses.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Postseason

NFC Wildcard Playoff Game

* Minnesota Vikings 44, New Orleans Saints 10Linescore Amfootball
Road=Vikings
R1=10
R2=21
R3=3
R4=10
RT=44
Home=Saints
H1=7
H2=3
H3=0
H4=0
HT=10

"at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana"

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
*TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Game attendance: 68,546

In the Saints' first playoff game in history, the Vikings dominated the game by recording 2 sacks, forcing 4 turnovers, and allowing only 149 yards.

NFC Divisional Playoff Game

*Minnesota Vikings 36, San Francisco 49ers 24 on January 9, 1988 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers were the NO. 1 seed in the NFC in 1987. The next team to be a NO. 1 seed and lose in the Divisional Playoff Game were the Indianapolis Colts in January of 2006. The San Francisco 49ers player, Jerry Rice, set a record for most touchdown receptions in a single season(22). A regular season consists of sixteen games. Due to the strike, Jerry Rice set the record in only twelve games. The record was broke by Randy Moss of the New England Patriots in 2007 during the NFL 2007 season.(Randy Moss was a Viking from 1998-2005) Randy Moss broke Jerry Rice' record for most touchdown receptions in a single season(23). Randy Moss did it with a full season of sixteen games. Jerry Rice was cut short of four games and would have more than 23 touchdown receptions if he had four more games in the 1987 NFL Football season. The San Francisco 49ers were 13-2 with best record of the year.

NFC Championship Game

* Washington Redskins 17, Minnesota Vikings 10Linescore Amfootball
Road=Vikings
R1=0
R2=7
R3=0
R4=3
RT=10
Home=Redskins
H1=7
H2=0
H3=3
H4=7
HT=17

"at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C."

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Referee: Ben Dreith
*Game attendance: 55,212

In a defensive battle, the Redskins played a little better by limiting the Vikings to only 76 rushing yards and forcing 8 sacks. Washington scored first on a 98-yard drive that was capped by running back Kelvin Bryant's 42-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Doug Williams. However, Minnesota tied the game before halftime with quarterback Wade Wilson's 23-yard touchdown pass to Leo Lewis. In the third quarter, Redskins linebacker Mel Kaufman returned an interception 10 yards to the Minnesota 17-yard line to set up kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh's 28-yard field goal. In the final period, Vikings kicker Chuck Nelson made an 18-yard field goal to tie the game, 10-10. The Redskins then marched 70 yards to score on Williams' 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gary Clark to take the lead, 17-10, with 5:06 remaining in the game. Minnesota then advanced to the Washington 6-yard line, but Wilson's fourth down pass, intened for running back Darrin Nelson in the end zone, was batted away from him by cornerback Darrell Green with 52 seconds remaining and the Redskins ran out the clock.

References

* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/min/1987.htm Vikings on Pro Football Reference]
* [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1987-min Vikings on jt-sw.com]