The 1991 Minnesota Vikings season was the 31st year season play for the team and the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of eight wins and eight losses. Head coach Jerry Burns retired after the season.
Herschel Walker, going into his third year with Minnesota, went through another season of frustration and he was released following the season. In his two and a half seasons with the Vikings, he failed to reach 1,000 yards. The Walker trade to Minnesota never lived up to expectations and this allowed the Dallas Cowboys to use two draft picks (Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson) to become a dominant team that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.
Offseason
1991 Draft
- ^[a] These picks were involved in the Herschel Walker trade on October 12, 1989.
- ^[b] The Raiders traded their 6th round selection (163rd overall) and a 7th round selection (180th overall) to Minnesota to move up 17 spots to the 146th overall selection and draft DT Nolan Harrison.
Personnel
Staff
1991 Minnesota Vikings staff |
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Front office
- President/Chief Executive Officer – Roger Headrick
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
- Special Teams – Tom Batta
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Final roster
1991 Minnesota Vikings final roster |
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
47 Active, 6 Inactive, 0 Practice squad |
Regular season
Schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Record |
Venue |
Attendance |
1 |
September 1, 1991 |
at Chicago Bears |
L 10–6 |
0-1 |
Soldier Field |
64,112 |
2 |
September 8, 1991 |
at Atlanta Falcons |
W 20–19 |
1-1 |
Atlanta Fulton County Stadium |
50,936 |
3 |
September 15, 1991 |
San Francisco 49ers |
W 17–14 |
2-1 |
Metrodome |
59,148 |
4 |
September 22, 1991 |
at New Orleans Saints |
L 26–0 |
2-2 |
Louisiana Superdome |
68,591 |
5 |
September 29, 1991 |
Denver Broncos |
L 13–6 |
2-3 |
Metrodome |
55,031 |
6 |
October 6, 1991 |
at Detroit Lions |
L 24–20 |
2-4 |
Silverdome |
63,423 |
7 |
October 13, 1991 |
Phoenix Cardinals |
W 34–7 |
3-4 |
Metrodome |
51,209 |
8 |
October 20, 1991 |
at New England Patriots |
L 26–23 (OT) |
3-5 |
Foxboro Stadium |
45,367 |
9 |
October 27, 1991 |
at Phoenix Cardinals |
W 28–0 |
4-5 |
Sun Devil Stadium |
45,447 |
10 |
November 3, 1991 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
W 28–13 |
5-5 |
Metrodome |
35,737 |
11 |
November 11, 1991 |
Chicago Bears |
L 34–17 |
5-6 |
Metrodome |
59,001 |
12 |
November 17, 1991 |
at Green Bay Packers |
W 35–21 |
6-6 |
Lambeau Field |
57,614 |
13 |
November 24, 1991 |
Detroit Lions |
L 34–14 |
6-7 |
Metrodome |
51,644 |
14 |
Bye |
15 |
December 8, 1991 |
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
W 26–24 |
7-7 |
Tampa Stadium |
41,091 |
16 |
December 15, 1991 |
Los Angeles Rams |
W 20–14 |
8-7 |
Metrodome |
61,518 |
17 |
December 21, 1991 |
Green Bay Packers |
L 27–7 |
8-8 |
Metrodome |
52,860 |
Statistics
League rankings
Category |
Total yards |
Yards per game |
NFL rank (out of 28) |
Passing Offense | 2,883 Yards | 180.2 YPG | 21st |
Rushing Offense | 2,201 Yards | 137.6 YPG | 4th |
Total Offense | 5,084 Yards | 317.8 YPG | 10th |
Passing Defense | 3,179 Yards | 198.7 YPG | 13th |
Rushing Defense | 1,837 Yards | 114.8 YPG | 20th |
Total Defense | 5,016 Yards | 313.5 YPG | 14th |
References
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Franchise | |
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Stadiums | |
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Culture | |
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Lore | |
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Rivalries | |
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Division championships (20) | |
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Conference championships (4) | |
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League championships (1) | 1969 |
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Retired numbers | |
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Current league affiliations | |
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Seasons (57) | |
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Championship seasons in bold |