1996 Minnesota Vikings season
| 1996 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dennis Green |
| Home field | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Cowboys) 15–40 |
The 1996 Minnesota Vikings season was the 36th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 77th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses.
For the season, the Vikings sported new uniforms, adding the team's logo to both sleeves of the jersey. These uniforms would remain in use with the Minnesota Vikings until 2005.
The Vikings season started off with a bang, winning their first four regular season games under backup quarterback Brad Johnson, who filled in for an injured Warren Moon. However, they ran into struggles as an injury to Johnson forced Moon to regain his starting position. Luckily for the Vikings, they won three of their final four games in order to clinch a playoff spot. The Vikings were crushed by the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, 40-15 in the Wildcard round, making it the fourth year that the Vikings didn't make it out of the Wildcard round in the Dennis Green era.
Offseason
1996 Draft
Main article: 1996 NFL draft
| 1996 Minnesota Vikings Draft | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | ||
| Round | Choice | Overall | ||||
| 1 | 16 | 16 | Duane Clemons | Linebacker | California | |
| 2 | 15 | 45 | James Manley | Defensive Tackle | Vanderbilt | |
| 3 | 14 | 75 | Moe Williams | Running Back | Kentucky | |
| 4 | 2 | 97 | Hunter Goodwin | Tight End | Texas A&M | from Cardinals[a] |
| 17 | 112 | Traded to the Arizona Cardinals[a] | ||||
| 5 | 5 | 137 | Traded to the Arizona Cardinals[a] | from Giants[b] | ||
| 16 | 148 | Sean Boyd | Defensive Back | North Carolina | ||
| 6 | 15 | 182 | Traded to the New York Giants[b] | |||
| 7 | 14 | 223 | Jon Merrill | Offensive Tackle | Duke | |
- ^[a] Minnesota traded their 4th round selection (112th overall) and the Giants 5th round selection (137th overall) to Arizona to move up 15 spots to the 97th overall selection and make this pick.
- ^[b] During the 1995 NFL draft, the Giants traded their 1995 6th round selection (189th overall) and 1996 5th round selection (137th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for their 1996 6th round selection (182nd overall) and Safety Vencie Glenn.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time (CT) | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1, 1996 | Detroit Lions | W 17–13 | FOX 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 2 | September 8, 1996 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 23–17 | FOX 12:00pm | Georgia Dome | |
| 3 | September 15, 1996 | at Chicago Bears | W 20–14 | FOX 12:00pm | Soldier Field | |
| 4 | September 22, 1996 | Green Bay Packers | W 30–21 | FOX 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 5 | September 29, 1996 | at New York Giants | L 15–10 | FOX 12:00pm | Giants Stadium | |
| 6 | October 6, 1996 | Carolina Panthers | W 14–12 | FOX 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 7 | October 13, 1996 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24–13 | FOX 12:00pm | Houlihan's Stadium | |
| 8 | Bye | |||||
| 9 | October 28, 1996 | Chicago Bears | L 15–13 | ABC 8:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 10 | November 3, 1996 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–6 | NBC 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 11 | November 10, 1996 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 42–23 | FOX 3:15pm | Kingdome | |
| 12 | November 17, 1996 | at Oakland Raiders | W 16–13 (OT) | ESPN 7:15pm | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | |
| 13 | November 24, 1996 | Denver Broncos | L 21–17 | NBC 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 14 | December 1, 1996 | Arizona Cardinals | W 41–17 | FOX 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 15 | December 8, 1996 | at Detroit Lions | W 24–22 | FOX 3:15pm | Silverdome | |
| 16 | December 15, 1996 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 21–10 | FOX 12:00pm | Metrodome | |
| 17 | December 22, 1996 | at Green Bay Packers | L 38–10 | FOX 12:00pm | Lambeau Field | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Green Bay Packers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 456 | 210 | W5 |
| (6) Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 298 | 315 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 283 | 305 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 221 | 293 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 302 | 368 | L5 |
Postseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time (CT) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | December 28, 1996 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 40–15 | ABC 3:00pm | |
Statistics
Team leaders
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Brad Johnson | 2,258 |
| Passing Touchdowns | Brad Johnson | 17 |
| Rushing Yards | Robert Smith | 692 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Leroy Hoard Robert Smith | 3 |
| Receiving Yards | Jake Reed | 1,320 |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Cris Carter | 10 |
| Points | Scott Sisson | 96 |
| Kickoff Return Yards | Qadry Ismail | 527 |
| Punt Return Yards | David Palmer | 216 |
| Tackles | Jeff Brady | 101 |
| Sacks | John Randle | 11.5 |
| Interceptions | Orlando Thomas | 5 |
| Forced Fumbles | John Randle | 4 |
League rankings
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 30) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Offense | 3,658 Yards | 228.6 YPG | 8th |
| Rushing Offense | 1,546 Yards | 96.6 YPG | 24th |
| Total Offense | 5,204 Yards | 325.2 YPG | 12th |
| Passing Defense | 3,121 Yards | 195.1 YPG | 9th |
| Rushing Defense | 1,966 Yards | 122.9 YPG | 24th |
| Total Defense | 5,087 Yards | 317.9 YPG | 16th |
Personnel
Staff
| 1996 Minnesota Vikings staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Final roster
References
- ↑ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
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