Post by Purple Pain on Aug 6, 2020 10:25:17 GMT -6
VA: 5 Absolute Best Minnesota Vikings Offenses Of All-Time
5. 1988 Vikings
4. 1965 Vikings
3. 2009 Vikings
2. 1969 Vikings
Which Minnesota Vikings offenses were statistically the best in team history?
The “Purple People Eaters” were a dreaded group of men in the late 1960s and 1970s for the Minnesota Vikings. Because of their decade of domination, it’s easy to call the Vikings a defense-first franchise. To an extent, this is true.
But Minnesota has more prevalently been near the top of the NFL in offense than they have in defense. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
In 59 total seasons, the Vikings have finished in the top 10 of points-scored 27 times. That’s 46 percent of all seasons.
Conversely, Minnesota has had a top 10 points-allowed defense in 26 seasons or 44 percent. So, in many respects, the Vikings are equally an offensive franchise as they are a defensive organization. We recently covered the most dominant defenses in franchise history if you’re interested in checking that out.
It is true, though, that as of late Minnesota has been a defense-first group. The Vikings front office hired defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer away from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014 as the team’s new head coach. Zimmer is emphatically a defensively-oriented man.
Minnesota has finished in the top 11 of points allowed in every year Zimmer has been the coach. On the offensive side, the Vikings have finished in the top 10 only twice, the 2017 and 2019 seasons. In fact, last season was the team’s best offensive output to date under Zimmer.
Minnesota’s 2019 campaign was not quite that proficient to make this list of rankings. But had the list been extended, the 2019 offense would rank near the 17th slot.
Across several eras, coaches, quarterbacks, and skill position players, what are the top-five Vikings offenses in franchise history?
The “Purple People Eaters” were a dreaded group of men in the late 1960s and 1970s for the Minnesota Vikings. Because of their decade of domination, it’s easy to call the Vikings a defense-first franchise. To an extent, this is true.
But Minnesota has more prevalently been near the top of the NFL in offense than they have in defense. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
In 59 total seasons, the Vikings have finished in the top 10 of points-scored 27 times. That’s 46 percent of all seasons.
Conversely, Minnesota has had a top 10 points-allowed defense in 26 seasons or 44 percent. So, in many respects, the Vikings are equally an offensive franchise as they are a defensive organization. We recently covered the most dominant defenses in franchise history if you’re interested in checking that out.
It is true, though, that as of late Minnesota has been a defense-first group. The Vikings front office hired defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer away from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014 as the team’s new head coach. Zimmer is emphatically a defensively-oriented man.
Minnesota has finished in the top 11 of points allowed in every year Zimmer has been the coach. On the offensive side, the Vikings have finished in the top 10 only twice, the 2017 and 2019 seasons. In fact, last season was the team’s best offensive output to date under Zimmer.
Minnesota’s 2019 campaign was not quite that proficient to make this list of rankings. But had the list been extended, the 2019 offense would rank near the 17th slot.
Across several eras, coaches, quarterbacks, and skill position players, what are the top-five Vikings offenses in franchise history?
5. 1988 Vikings
4. 1965 Vikings
3. 2009 Vikings
2. 1969 Vikings
1. 1998 Vikings
Notable Key Players:
Randall Cunningham
Robert Smith
Randy Moss
Cris Carter
Jake Reed
Randall McDaniel
Team Record:
15-1
Any other consideration to top this list is absurd. The 1998 Vikings offense was the most flammable the NFL had seen to that point.
Minnesota’s 1998 team tallied a total of 556 points or 35 per game. In their 16 regular-season contests, the Vikings never scored less than 24 points in a single game.
Minnesota rookie Randy Moss grabbed 17 touchdowns in 1998, the most by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history. His 1,313 receiving yards are also the third-most by a rookie wideout ever.
The man throwing Moss the pigskin was a 35-year-old quarterback named Randall Cunningham. It would arguably be Cunningham’s best season of his career and it was also the last year he would be effective in the league.
After 1998, Cunningham went on to start 11 more games with three teams before retiring in 2002. This storybook season with the Vikings in 1998 was his swan song.
Other notables on Minnesota’s 1998 roster included Robert Smith, Cris Carter, Jake Reed, Randall McDaniel, Todd Steussie, and Jeff Christy.
This Vikings team collapsed in the 1998 NFC Championship to the Atlanta Falcons. But undeniably, this 1998 team was the best Minnesota offense ever. It likely will not be bested in this regard for decades, if ever.
Notable Key Players:
Randall Cunningham
Robert Smith
Randy Moss
Cris Carter
Jake Reed
Randall McDaniel
Team Record:
15-1
Any other consideration to top this list is absurd. The 1998 Vikings offense was the most flammable the NFL had seen to that point.
Minnesota’s 1998 team tallied a total of 556 points or 35 per game. In their 16 regular-season contests, the Vikings never scored less than 24 points in a single game.
Minnesota rookie Randy Moss grabbed 17 touchdowns in 1998, the most by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history. His 1,313 receiving yards are also the third-most by a rookie wideout ever.
The man throwing Moss the pigskin was a 35-year-old quarterback named Randall Cunningham. It would arguably be Cunningham’s best season of his career and it was also the last year he would be effective in the league.
After 1998, Cunningham went on to start 11 more games with three teams before retiring in 2002. This storybook season with the Vikings in 1998 was his swan song.
Other notables on Minnesota’s 1998 roster included Robert Smith, Cris Carter, Jake Reed, Randall McDaniel, Todd Steussie, and Jeff Christy.
This Vikings team collapsed in the 1998 NFC Championship to the Atlanta Falcons. But undeniably, this 1998 team was the best Minnesota offense ever. It likely will not be bested in this regard for decades, if ever.