1970 Minnesota Vikings season

1970 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach Bud Grant
General manager Jim Finks
Home field Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record 12–2
Division place 1st NFC Central
Playoff finish Lost NFC Divisional Playoff (49ers) 14–17

The 1970 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 10th in the National Football League and the first season following the AFL–NFL merger. Under head coach Bud Grant, they finished with a 12–2 record and won the first ever NFC Central title before losing to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the NFC Divisional Playoff game. The Vikings' defense became the second defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest points allowed and fewest total yards allowed for two consecutive seasons.[1]

Offseason

1970 Draft

1970 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College
Round Choice Overall
12525John WardOffensive TackleOklahoma State
22551Bill CapplemanQuarterbackFlorida State
32577Chuck BurgoonLinebackerNorth Park
425103Traded to the New Orleans Saints[a]
525129Greg JonesRunning BackUCLA
625155Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers[b]
725181Hap FarberLinebackerMississippi
825207Mike CarrollGuardMissouri
925233George MorrowDefensive EndMississippi
1025259Stu VoigtTight EndWisconsin
1125285Godfrey ZaunbrecherCenterLouisiana State
1225311James HollandDefensive BackJackson State
1325337Robert PearceDefensive BackStephen F. Austin
1425363Tommy SpinksWide ReceiverLouisiana Tech
1525389Bennie FrancisDefensive EndChadron State
1625415Bruce CeroneWide ReceiverEmporia State
1725441Brian HealyDefensive BackMichigan
^[a] Minnesota traded their 4th round selection (103rd overall) to New Orleans for TE Kent Kramer.
^[b] Minnesota traded their 6th round selection (155th overall) to Pittsburgh for TE Tony Jeter.

Roster

1970 Minnesota Vikings final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists



Practice squad



Rookies in italics
 Active, Inactive, Practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance Notes
1August 8New Orleans SaintsL 13–140–1Fawcett Stadium (Canton, OH)17,932Hall of Fame Game
2August 15Pittsburgh SteelersL 13–200–2Metropolitan Stadium45,591
3August 22at Houston OilersW 14–71–2Astrodome44,563First Vikings' game on artificial turf or in a dome
4August 30New York JetsW 52–212–2Metropolitan Stadium47,900
5September 5at Cleveland BrownsW 24–213–2Cleveland Stadium83,043
6September 11at Chicago BearsW 31–304–2Soldier Field46,630

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 20, 1970 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–10 1–0 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
2 September 27, 1970 New Orleans Saints W 26–0 2–0 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
3 October 4, 1970 at Green Bay Packers L 10–13 2–1 Milwaukee County Stadium
47,967
4 October 11, 1970 at Chicago Bears W 24–0 3–1 Wrigley Field
45,485
5 October 18, 1970 Dallas Cowboys W 54–13 4–1 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
6 October 26, 1970 Los Angeles Rams W 13–3 5–1 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
7 November 1, 1970 at Detroit Lions W 30–17 6–1 Tiger Stadium
58,210
8 November 8, 1970 at Washington Redskins W 19–10 7–1 RFK Stadium
50,415
9 November 15, 1970 Detroit Lions W 24–20 8–1 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
10 November 22, 1970 Green Bay Packers W 10–3 9–1 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
11 November 29, 1970 at New York Jets L 10-20 9–2 Shea Stadium
62,333
12 December 5, 1970 Chicago Bears W 16–13 10–2 Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
13 December 13, 1970 at Boston Patriots W 35–14 11–2 Harvard Stadium
37,819
14 December 20, 1970 at Atlanta Falcons W 37–7 12–2 Atlanta Stadium
57,992

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
Divisional December 27, 1970 San Francisco 49ers L 14-17 Metropolitan Stadium 46,050

Standings

NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 .857 5–1 10–1 335 143 W3
Detroit Lions 10 4 0 .714 4–2 7–4 347 202 W5
Green Bay Packers 6 8 0 .429 2–4 4–7 196 293 L2
Chicago Bears 6 8 0 .429 1–5 5–6 256 261 W2

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

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing YardsGary Cuozzo1,720
Passing TouchdownsGary Cuozzo7
Rushing YardsDave Osborn681
Rushing TouchdownsClint Jones9
Receiving YardsGene Washington702
Receiving TouchdownsGene Washington4
PointsFred Cox125
Kickoff Return YardsClint Jones452
Punt Return YardsCharlie West169
InterceptionsEd Sharockman7

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 26)
Passing Offense2,181 Yards155.8 YPG14th
Rushing Offense1,634 Yards116.7 YPG14th
Total Offense3,815 Yards272.5 YPG19th
Passing Defense1,438 Yards102.7 YPG1st
Rushing Defense1,365 Yards97.5 YPG5th
Total Defense2,803 Yards200.2 YPG1st

References

  1. ↑ The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p. 294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
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