2004 Minnesota Vikings season

2004 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach Mike Tice
General manager Rob Brzezinski
Owner Red McCombs
Home field Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record 8–8
Division place 2nd NFC North
Playoff finish Won NFC Wild Card Playoff (at Packers) 31–17
Lost NFC Divisional Playoff (at Eagles) 14–27

The 2004 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 44th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished the 2004 season going 3–7 over the final 10 weeks, just like they did in 2003; however, they made the playoffs with an overall 8–8 record. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-level statistics, throwing for 4,717 passing yards (leading the NFL), 39 passing touchdowns (a franchise record) and 5,123 total yards (an NFL record).

In the wildcard round of the playoffs, the Vikings defeated their rival Green Bay Packers 31–17 in their first ever playoff meeting, making them the second team in NFL history to have a .500 record (8–8) in the regular season and win a playoff game (the first team to do it was the St. Louis Rams, who beat the Seattle Seahawks 27–20 the day before the Vikings–Packers game took place). In the divisional round, the Vikings were defeated 27–14 by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and did not return to the playoffs for four years.

Following the season, Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders; he returned briefly to the Vikings in 2010.

Offseason

2004 Draft

2004 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Notes
Round Overall
119Traded to the Miami Dolphins[a]
20Kenechi UdezeDefensive endUSCfrom Dolphins[a]
248Dontarrious ThomasLinebackerAuburnfrom Saints[b]
50Traded to the New Orleans Saints[b]
382Traded to the Baltimore Ravens[c]
88Darrion ScottDefensive endOhio Statefrom Ravens[c]
4115Nat DorseyOffensive tackleGeorgia Tech
119Mewelde MooreRunning backTulanefrom Dolphins[a]
5151Traded to the New Orleans Saints[b]
155Rod DavisLinebackerSouthern Mississippifrom Ravens[c]
6184Deandre EilandStrong safetySouth Carolina
7220Jeff DuganTight endMaryland
^[a] Miami traded their 1st round selection (20th overall) and 4th round selection (119th overall) to Minnesota to move up 1 spot to the 19th overall selection and draft OT Vernon Carey.
^[b] Minnesota traded their 2nd round selection (50th overall) and 5th round selection (151st overall) to New Orleans to move up 2 spots to the 48th overall selection and make this pick.
^[c] Baltimore traded their 3rd round selection (88th overall) and 5th round selection (155th overall) to Minnesota to move up 6 spots to the 82nd overall selection and draft WR Devard Darling.

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1August 14Arizona CardinalsW 23–61–0Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome63,658
2August 20at Atlanta FalconsL 24–271–1Georgia Dome70,623
3August 27San Francisco 49ersW 23–102–1Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome63,960
4September 2at Seattle SeahawksL 21–232–2Qwest Field50,198

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 12 Dallas Cowboys W 35–17 1–0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,105
2 September 20 at Philadelphia Eagles L 16–27 1–1 Lincoln Financial Field 67,676
3 September 26 Chicago Bears W 27–22 2–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,163
4 Bye
5 October 10 at Houston Texans W 34–28 (OT) 3–1 Reliant Stadium 70,718
6 October 17 at New Orleans Saints W 38–31 4–1 Louisiana Superdome 64,900
7 October 24 Tennessee Titans W 20–3 5–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,108
8 October 31 New York Giants L 13–34 5–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,012
9 November 8 at Indianapolis Colts L 28–31 5–3 RCA Dome 57,307
10 November 14 at Green Bay Packers L 31–34 5–4 Lambeau Field 70,671
11 November 21 Detroit Lions W 22–19 6–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,156
12 November 28 Jacksonville Jaguars W 27–16 7–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,004
13 December 5 at Chicago Bears L 14–24 7–5 Soldier Field 62,051
14 December 12 Seattle Seahawks L 23–27 7–6 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,110
15 December 19 at Detroit Lions W 28–27 8–6 Ford Field 62,337
16 December 24 Green Bay Packers L 31–34 8–7 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,311
17 January 2 at Washington Redskins L 18–21 8–8 FedExField 76,876

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 1: Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 7 7017
Vikings 0 14 14735

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: September 12
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Indoors, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,105
  • Referee: Peter Morelli

The Vikings kicked off the season hosting the Bill Parcells coached Dallas Cowboys. After an opening quarter that only saw the Cowboys recording a field goal, Daunte Culpepper caught fire, throwing two second quarter touchdowns to Onterrio Smith and Marcus Robinson. Vinny Testaverde responded down 14–3, finding Terry Glenn for a 32-yard touchdown as the half expired. Randy Moss found his groove in the third quarter, finding himself on the receiving end of two Daunte Culpepper touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys drove into the red zone down 28–17, but Antoine Winfield forced and recovered a Richie Anderson fumble, which led to Daunte Culpepper's fifth touchdown pass, via a 43 yard pass to Kelly Campbell. Onterrio Smith helped ice the game away, finishing with 76 yards rushing, giving him 139 yards from scrimmage. The Vikings defense did show some holes in the win, allowing 41-year-old Vinny Testaverde to pass for 355 yards, while also allowing 71 yards rushing on the day.

Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 3 3716
Eagles 7 3 71027

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 20
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Night game, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,676
  • Referee: Bill Carollo

The Vikings traveled to Philadelphia for a Monday night showdown with the NFC favorite Eagles. The Vikings started the game with a Morten Andersen field goal. The Eagles then responded with a strong drive by Brian Westbrook, resulting in a 11-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to L.J. Smith. The remaining second half resulted in a series of frustrations for the Vikings, twice having a first-and-goal within the 2-yard line, only to result in a field goal and a Culpepper fumble. In the second half, the Eagles scored on their opening possession, capped off with a 20-yard touchdown run by Donovan McNabb. Morten Andersen then missed a field goal with the Vikings down 17–9, which the Eagles responded to with a 45-yard touchdown reception by Terrell Owens three plays later. The Vikings finally found the end zone with 3 minutes remaining on a 4-yard Randy Moss reception to bring the Vikings within 8, only to be countered by a David Akers field goal with 1:15 remaining, putting the game away. The Vikings defense put together a second-straight poor effort, allowing 353 yards of offense. Daunte Culpepper continued his strong start in the loss, throwing for 348 yards, while also being the Vikings leading rusher, finishing with 41 yards.

Week 3: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 3: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bears 3 3 01622
Vikings 0 10 71027

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: September 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Indoors, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,163
  • Referee: Mike Carey

The Vikings returned home in week 3 to face the 1–1 Bears. The Bears scored a field goal on the opening drive, with the game devolving to a slop fest over the next quarter. The Vikings missed a field goal, responded with Lance Johnstone forcing a Rex Grossman fumble, only for Onterrio Smith to fumble on the following play. After falling behind 6–0, the Vikings finally found offensive success, with Culpepper finding Kelly Campbell for 40 yards, followed several plays later with a 3-yard Randy Moss touchdown. The Vikings extended their lead following a long third quarter drive, culminating with a 1-yard Culpepper touchdown run, giving the Vikings a 17–6 lead. After trading field goals, the Bears cut the lead to 20–16 on a Thomas Jones touchdown run. The Vikings again responded, with Culpepper throwing a 63-yard pass to Nate Burleson, setting up a 2-yard touchdown connection to Randy Moss. Rex Grossman led the Bears in their comeback attempt, as he dove for the pylon, and appeared to fumble out of the back of the end zone. A Lovie Smith challenge showed Grossman crossed the plane prior to fumbling, but Grossman tore his ACL on the play, ending his 2004 season. The Bears got the ball with 1:16 left trailing 27–22, but backup quarterback Jonathan Quinn threw three consecutive incompletions, and then be sacked on fourth down by Kevin Williams, sealing the victory for the Vikings. Daunte Culpepper continued to have stellar numbers, throwing for 360 yards, with Randy Moss having 119 yards receiving, and Onterrio Smith having 104 yards receiving, and 94 yards rushing. The defense continued to act as a sieve, with Grossman throwing for 248 yards, and running back Thomas Jones rushing for 110 yards, and adding 71 yards receiving.

Week 5: at Houston Texans

Week 5: Minnesota Vikings vs. Houston Texans – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Vikings 0 14 77634
Texans 0 0 721028

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Indoor, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,718
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli

The Vikings came out of their bye week to face the 2–2 Houston Texans for the first time in franchise history. The Vikings defense appeared fresh, shutting down David Carr and the Texans in the first half, while Daunte Culpepper and the Vikings offense continued humming, with Culpepper finding Nate Burleson and randy Moss for second quarter touchdowns, giving the Vikings a 14–0 halftime advantage. The Vikings defense continued strongly in the second half, forcing a three-and-out, which the Vikings followed with three Culpepper completions, capped off with a 10-yard Burleson touchdown. David Carr found some success, leading the Texans on two long scoring drives, resulting in touchdowns by Andre Johnson and Dominack Williams. The Vikings seemingly put the game out of reach on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Culpepper to Randy Moss with 6:58 remaining. David Carr continued his career best game, leading two long drives, capping them off with touchdown passes to Derrick Armstrong and David Carr, sandwiching a Vikings three-and-out, forcing overtime. In overtime, the Vikings won the toss, and the teams traded punts. On the Vikings second possession of overtime, Culpepper found Marcus Robinson on a post on 3rd-and-12 from the 50, earning the walk-off win for the Vikings. Culpepper finished with 396 yards passing and five touchdowns, with Mewelde Moore adding 92 yards rushing and 90 yards receiving. The defense ended up allowing David Carr to pass for 372 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Andre Johnson burning the Vikings for 170 yards receiving on 12 catches. The win did bring the Vikings record to 3–1.

Week 7: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 7: Tennessee Titans vs. Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Titans 3 0 003
Vikings 3 14 0320

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Indoors, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,108
  • Referee: Pete Morelli

The Vikings returned home to host the 2–4 Titans. After a Darren Bennett punt, Steve McNair led the Titans down the field, setting up a Gary Anderson 40-yard field goal. The Vikings immediately responded with an eight-minute drive of their own, resulting in a 29-yard Morten Andersen field goal. Steve McNair was injured on the ensuing drive, and was replaced by Billy Volek. Volek was overwhelmed by the Vikings defense, throwing three interceptions, and getting sacked twice. Moe Williams and Marcus Robinson scored on short touchdowns for the Vikings, and Mewelde Moore added 138 yards rushing to ice a defensive second half. The Vikings defense had their season best performance, holding the Titans to 243 yards in the victory, which improved their record to 4–1.

Standings

NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Green Bay Packers 10 6 0 .625 5–1 9–3 424 380 W2
(6) Minnesota Vikings 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 405 395 L2
Detroit Lions 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 296 350 L1
Chicago Bears 5 11 0 .313 2–4 4–8 231 331 L4

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
Wild Card January 9 at Green Bay Packers W 31–17 1–0 Lambeau Field
Division January 16 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–27 1–1 Lincoln Financial Field

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing yardsDaunte Culpepper4,717 *
Passing touchdownsDaunte Culpepper39 *
Rushing yardsOnterrio Smith544
Rushing touchdownsMoe Williams3
Receiving yardsNate Burleson1,006
Receiving touchdownsRandy Moss13
PointsMorten Andersen99
Kickoff return yardsKelly Campbell760
Punt return yardsNate Burleson215
TacklesE.J. Henderson93
SacksKevin Williams11.5
InterceptionsAntoine Winfield3
Forced fumblesLance Johnstone5
  • Vikings' single season record.

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense4,516282.22nd
Rushing offense1,823113.918th
Total offense6,339396.24th
Passing defense3,896243.529th
Rushing defense2,006125.421st
Total defense5,902368.928th

Personnel

Staff

2004 Minnesota Vikings staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Scott Linehan
  • Running Backs – Dean Dalton
  • Wide Receivers – Charlie Baggett
  • Tight Ends/Assistant Offensive Line – John Tice
  • Offensive Line – Steve Loney
  • Offensive Quality Control – Randy Hanson
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Ted Cottrell
  • Defensive Line – Brian Baker
  • Secondary – Chuck Knox, Jr.
  • Assistant Secondary – Kevin Ross
  • Defensive Assistant/Assistant Linebackers – Pete Bercich
  • Defensive Quality Control – Jim Panagos

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Kurtis Shultz
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Mark Ellis

[1]

Final roster

2004 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
 53 Active, 7 Inactive, 0 Practice squad

References

  1. ↑ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
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