1976 Minnesota Vikings season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Minnesota Vikings 1976 11–2–1 1st NFC Central Bud Grant Mike Lynn Max Winter Metropolitan Stadium Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Redskins) 35–20Won NFC Championship(vs. Rams) 24–13Lost Super Bowl XI(vs. Raiders) 14–32 CB Bobby BryantRB Chuck ForemanDT Alan PageLB Jeff SiemonQB Fran TarkentonG Ed WhiteWR Sammy WhiteT Ron Yary T Ron Yary (1st team)RB Chuck Foreman (2nd team)DT Alan Page (2nd team) File:Vikings1975-86.png Vikings seasons The 1976 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 16th in the National Football League (NFL). The Vikings finished with an 11–2–1 record to give them their eighth NFC Central division title. The Vikings beat the Washington Redskins 35–20 in the divisional round of the playoffs, followed by a 24–13 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship, before losing 32–14 to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI. As of 2025, this is the most recent Super Bowl appearance by the franchise. 3 Offseason 1976 draft 1976 NFL draft Pro Bowler 1976 Minnesota Vikings Draft Draft order Player name Position College Notes Round Selection125James WhiteDefensive tackleOklahoma State254Sammy WhiteWide receiverGrambling State385Wes HamiltonGuardTulsa4118Leonard WillisWide receiverOhio State5133Steve WagnerSafetyWisconsinfrom FalconsThe Vikings traded RB Oscar Reed to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a fifth-round selection (133rd overall).149Keith BernetteRunning backBoston College6180Terry EgerdahlDefensive backMinnesota–Duluth7206Larry BruneDefensive backRice8235Traded to the New England PatriotsThe Vikings traded an eighth-round selection (235th overall) and a 1977 sixth-round selection (166th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for C Doug Dumler.9262Isaac HaginsWide receiverSouthern10289Bill SalmonQuarterbackNorthern Iowa11316Steve KracherRunning backMontana State12345Robert SparksDefensive backSan Francisco State13372Gary PaulsonDefensive endColorado State14401Jeff StapletonOffensive tacklePurdue15428Ron GroceRunning backMacalester16457Randy HickelDefensive backMontana State17484Dick LukowskiDefensive tackleWest Virginia Notes 1976 expansion draft 1976 NFL expansion draft + Vikings selected during the expansion draft Name Position Expansion team Joe Blahak Cornerback Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sam McCullum Wide receiver Seattle Seahawks John Ward Guard Tampa Bay Buccaneers Personnel Staff 1976 Minnesota Vikings Principal owner/president – Max Winter Chairman/treasurer – H. P. Skoglund General manager – Mike Lynn Coordinator–administration – Harley Peterson Coordinator–football operations – Jerry Reichow Director of player personnel – Frank Gilliam Head coach – Bud Grant Offensive coordinator – Jerry Burns Offensive line – John Michels Offensive backfield – Bus Mertes Defensive coordinator – Neill Armstrong Defensive line – Buddy Ryan Linebackers – Jack Nelson Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015. Roster 1976 Minnesota Vikings 17 Bob Berry American football 19 Bob Lee quarterback 10 Fran Tarkenton 44 Chuck Foreman 47 Ron Groce y 48 Sammy Johnson American football 33 Brent McClanahan 35 Robert Miller running back 26 Bob Grim American football 28 Ahmad Rashad 85 Sammy White American football y 80 Leonard Willis y 84 Steve Craig American football 83 Stu Voigt 74 Bart Buetow T 57 Doug Dumler C 68 Charlie Goodrum G 61 Wes Hamilton y G 78 Steve Riley American football T 53 Mick Tingelhoff C 62 Ed White American football G 73 Ron Yary T 81 Carl Eller DE 70 Jim Marshall defensive end DE 77 Mark Mullaney DE 88 Alan Page DT 69 Doug Sutherland American football DT 72 James White defensive tackle y DT 59 Matt Blair OLB 58 Wally Hilgenberg OLB 55 Amos Martin MLB 54 Fred McNeill OLB 50 Jeff Siemon MLB 60 Roy Winston OLB 25 Nate Allen cornerback CB 27 Autry Beamon CB/S 20 Bobby Bryant CB 40 Windlan Hall CB/S 22 Paul Krause FS 23 Jeff Wright defensive back SS 43 Nate Wright CB 12 Neil Clabo P 14 Fred Cox K 56 Scott Anderson American football C/G IR 39 Mark Kellar RB IR Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendancehttps://www.profootballarchives.com/1976nflmin.html 1976 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives 1 July 31 at Miami Dolphins L 3–16 0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 39,939 2 August 7 at Kansas City Chiefs W 13–10 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium 32,851 3 August 16 at Cleveland Browns L 7–31 1–2 Cleveland Stadium 44,336 4 August 22 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–17 2–2 Metropolitan Stadium 43,784 5 August 28 Philadelphia Eagles W 20–16 3–2 Metropolitan Stadium 46,512 6 September 5 at Denver Broncos L 17–30 3–3 Mile High Stadium 52,129 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 at New Orleans Saints W 40–9 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 58,156 2 September 19 Los Angeles Rams T 10–10 (OT) 1–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,310 3 September 26 at Detroit Lions W 10–9 2–0–1 Silverdome 77,292 4 October 4, 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–6 3–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,809 5 October 10 Chicago Bears W 20–19 4–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,614 6 October 17 New York Giants W 24–7 5–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,508 7 October 24 at Philadelphia Eagles W 31–12 6–0–1 Veterans Stadium 56,233 8 October 31 at Chicago Bears L 13–14 6–1–1 Soldier Field 53,602 9 November 7 Detroit Lions W 31–23 7–1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,735 10 November 14 Seattle Seahawks W 27–21 8–1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 45,087 11 November 21 at Green Bay Packers W 17–10 9–1–1 Milwaukee County Stadium 53,104 12 November 29, 1976 at San Francisco 49ers L 16–20 9–2–1 Candlestick Park 56,775 13 December 5 Green Bay Packers W 20–9 10–2–1 Metropolitan Stadium 43,700 14 December 11, 1976 at Miami Dolphins W 29–7 11–2–1 Miami Orange Bowl 46,543 Game summaries Week 1: at New Orleans Saints Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints – Game summary September 12, 1976 1:00 p.m. CDT Vikings 13 17 7 3 Saints 0 3 6 0 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 58,156 None (indoor stadium) Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter MIN – Brent McClanahan 1-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 6–0. MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 13–0. Second quarter NO – Rich Szaro 45-yard field goal. Vikings 13–3. MIN – Brent McClanahan 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 20–3. MIN – Fred Cox 24-yard field goal. Vikings 23–3. MIN – Sammy White 47-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 30–3. Third quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 6-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 37–3. NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 37–9. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal. Vikings 40–9. Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Rams Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary September 19, 1976 4:00 p.m. CDT Rams 0 0 0 10 0 Vikings 0 3 0 7 0 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 47,310 67 F C Fred Silva CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 33-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter MIN – Sammy White 56-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0. LAR – Tom Dempsey 42-yard field goal. Vikings 10–3. LAR – Jim Bertelsen 1-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Tied 10–10. Week 3: at Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary September 26, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CDT) Vikings 0 0 3 7 Lions 0 0 3 6 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 77,292 None (indoor stadium) Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter No scoring plays. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 49-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. DET – Errol Mann 49-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. Fourth quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 5-yard run (Cox kick). Vikings 10–3. DET – Charlie Sanders 1-yard pass from Greg Landry (kick failed). Vikings 10–9. Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary October 4, 1976 8:00 p.m. (CDT) Steelers 6 0 0 0 Vikings 0 7 0 10 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 47,809 65 F C Pat Haggerty ABC Howard Cosell, Alex Karras and Frank Gifford Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter PIT – Bennie Cunningham 1-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick failed). Steelers 6–0. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 8-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–6. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 4-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–6. MIN – Fred Cox 43-yard field goal. Vikings 17–6. Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary October 10, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CDT) Bears 0 0 13 6 Vikings 7 10 0 3 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 47,614 48 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 29-yard field goal. Vikings 10–0. MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–0. Third quarter CHI – Walter Payton 13-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Vikings 17–7. CHI – Walter Payton 11-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 17–13. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 39-yard field goal. Vikings 20–13. CHI – Roland Harper 7-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 20–19. Week 6: vs. New York Giants Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 6: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary October 17, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CDT) Giants 0 7 0 0 Vikings 10 7 0 7 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 46,508 37 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter MIN – Fred Cox 23-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. MIN – Nate Allen 28-yard blocked punt return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0. Second quarter NYG – Doug Kotar 3-yard run (Joe Danelo kick). Vikings 10–7. MIN – Chuck Foreman 41-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–7. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter MIN – Brent McClanahan 3-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–7. Week 7: at Philadelphia Eagles Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 7: Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary October 24, 1976 12:00 p.m. (CDT) Vikings 0 7 10 14 Eagles 0 9 0 3 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 56,233 48 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter PHI – Horst Muhlmann 19-yard field goal. Eagles 3–0. PHI – Harold Carmichael 3-yard pass from Mike Boryla (kick failed). Eagles 9–0. MIN – Ahmad Rashad 5-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Eagles 9–7. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 32-yard field goal. Vikings 10–9. MIN – Sammy White 35-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–9. Fourth quarter PHI – Horst Muhlmann 21-yard field goal. Vikings 17–12. MIN – Chuck Foreman 32-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–12. MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–12. Week 8: at Chicago Bears Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary October 31, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CDT) Vikings 0 3 3 7 Bears 7 0 0 7 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 53,602 45 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter CHI – Walter Payton 39-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–0. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 24-yard field goal. Bears 7–3. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 24-yard field goal. Bears 7–6. Fourth quarter CHI – Johnny Musso 3-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 14–6. MIN – Fran Tarkenton 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Bears 14–13. Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary November 7, 1976 3:00 p.m. (CST) Lions 3 6 7 7 Vikings 7 3 7 14 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 46,735 28 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter DET – Benny Ricardo 22-yard field goal. Lions 3–0. MIN – Sammy White 24-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–3. Second quarter DET – Lawrence Gaines 1-yard run (kick failed). Lions 9–7. MIN – Fred Cox 39-yard field goal. Vikings 10–9. Third quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–9. DET – Lawrence Gaines 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Vikings 17–16. Fourth quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–16. DET – Larry Walton 26-yard pass from Greg Landry (Benny Ricardo kick). Vikings 24–23. MIN – Sammy White 37-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–23. Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 10: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary November 14, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CST) Seahawks 7 0 7 7 Vikings 7 7 6 7 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 45,087 24 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter MIN – Brent McClanahan 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. SEA – Jim Zorn 12-yard run (John Leypoldt kick). Tied 7–7. Second quarter MIN – Sammy White 29-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–7. Third quarter SEA – Steve Raible 80-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick). Tied 14–14. MIN – Fred Cox 43-yard field goal. Vikings 17–14. MIN – Fred Cox 39-yard field goal. Vikings 20–14. Fourth quarter SEA – Sam McCullum 7-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick). Seahawks 21–20. MIN – Stu Voigt 5-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 27–21. Week 11: at Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary November 21, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CST) Vikings 3 7 0 7 Packers 3 0 7 0 Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53,104 33 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter GB – Chester Marcol 23-yard field goal. Packers 3–0. MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. Second quarter MIN – Robert Miller 4-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–3. Third quarter GB – John Brockington 1-yard run (Chester Marcol kick). Tied 10–10. Fourth quarter MIN – Ahmad Rashad 11-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–10. Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary November 29, 1976 9:00 p.m. (PST) Vikings 0 13 3 0 49ers 7 10 0 3 Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California 56,775 48 F C Don Wedge ABC Howard Cosell, Alex Karras, Frank Gifford Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter SF – Wilbur Jackson 2-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick). 49ers 7–0. Second quarter SF – Steve Mike-Mayer 45-yard field goal. 49ers 10–0. MIN – Sammy White 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). 49ers 10–7. MIN – Ahmad Rashad 8-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed). Vikings 13–10. SF – Scott Bull 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick). 49ers 17–13. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal. 49ers 17–16. Fourth quarter SF – Steve Mike-Mayer 38-yard field goal. 49ers 20–16. Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary December 5, 1976 1:00 p.m. (CST) Packers 6 0 0 3 Vikings 0 3 3 14 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 43,700 18 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter GB – Ollie Smith 12-yard pass from Carlos Brown (kick failed). Packers 6–0. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 34-yard field goal. Packers 6–3. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 30-yard field goal. Tied 6–6. Fourth quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 13–6. GB – Chester Marcol 24-yard field goal. Vikings 13–9. MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 20–9. Week 14: at Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins – Game summary December 11, 1976 12:00 p.m. (CST) Vikings 0 15 14 0 Dolphins 0 0 0 7 Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida 46,543 77 F C Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter MIN – Sammy White 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed). Vikings 6–0. MIN – Sammy White 36-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed). Vikings 12–0. MIN – Fred Cox 30-yard field goal. Vikings 15–0. Third quarter MIN – Brent McClanahan 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 22–0. MIN – Sammy White 7-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 29–0. Fourth quarter MIA – Stan Winfrey 2-yard pass from Don Strock (Garo Yepremian kick). Vikings 29–7. Standings Postseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Divisional December 18 Washington Redskins W 35–20 Metropolitan Stadium 47,221 NFC Championship December 26 Los Angeles Rams W 24–13 Metropolitan Stadium 47,191 Super Bowl XI January 9 Oakland Raiders L 14–32 Rose Bowl 100,421 Game summaries NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (#4) Washington Redskins Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Divisional Playoffs: (#4) Washington Redskins at (#1) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary December 18, 1976 12:00 p.m. CST Redskins 3 0 3 14 Vikings 14 7 14 0 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 47,221 31 F C CBS Vin Scully and Paul Hornung Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter MIN – Stu Voigt 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. WAS – Mark Moseley 47-yard field goal. Vikings 7–3. MIN – Sammy White 27-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–3. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–3. Third quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 30-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–3. WAS – Mark Moseley 35-yard field goal. Vikings 28–6. MIN – Sammy White 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 35–6. Fourth quarter WAS – Frank Grant 12-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick). Vikings 35–13. WAS – Roy Jefferson 3-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick). Vikings 35–20. Top passers WAS – Billy Kilmer – 26/49, 298 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 12/21, 170 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers WAS – Mike Thomas – 11 rushes, 45 yards MIN – Chuck Foreman – 20 rushes, 105 yards, 2 TD Top receivers WAS – Frank Grant – 6 receptions, 70 yards, TD MIN – Sammy White – 4 receptions, 64 yards, 2 TD The Vikings jumped to a 35–6 lead by the end of the third quarter, led by running backs Chuck Foreman and Brent McClanahan who each rushed for more than 100 yards. McClanahan's career-long 41-yard run on Minnesota's first play of the game set up quarterback Fran Tarkenton's 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Stu Voigt. Washington defensive back Eddie Brown gave his team some early scoring opportunities with big special teams plays, first returning the kickoff 26 yards to the 38-yard line, and later returning a punt 17 yards to the Vikings 45. But the team was unable to capitalize. All they could do after the kickoff return was go three-and-out, and on the first play after his big punt return, Billy Kilmer threw a pass that was intercepted by Bobby Bryant. Now momentum seemed slipping away, but on the first play after Bryant's pick, Washington took the ball right back with an interception by safety Jake Scott, who returned it 17 yards to the Minnesota 34-yard line. Three plays later, Mark Moseley kicked a 47-yard field goal that cut the Washington deficit to 7–3. Later in the quarter, Minnesota drove 66 yards and scored when Tarkenton threw a 27-yard pass to Sammy White. Safety Ken Houston deflected the ball, but it still bounced to White, who made a diving, juggling catch for a touchdown to put the Vikings up 14–3. By the end of the first quarter, the Vikings had gained 143 yards, while holding Washington to 18 yards and no first downs. The situation only got worse for Washington in the second quarter. A promising drive for them into Vikings territory ended with no points when Moseley missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. Minnesota then drove 66 yards, featuring a 35-yard completion from Tarkenton to Ahmad Rashad, to score on Foreman's 2-yard touchdown run, putting them up 21–3. The Redskins next drive ended with an interception by Vikings defensive back Nate Wright. On the next play, Houston intercepted the ball from Tarkenton and returned it 8 yards to the Vikings 38. But Washington was unable to move the ball and had to punt. In the final seconds of the half, Washington had a chance for a touchdown with a deep throw from Kilmer to receiver Frank Grant. Grant had broken open in the end zone, but was unable to make the catch and the pass fell incomplete. Washington had to punt on the first drive of the second half, and Leonard Willis returned it 10 yards to the Vikings 48, where Minnesota proceeded to drive to a 28–3 lead on a 30-yard touchdown burst by Foreman. This time the Redskins were able to respond, converting a 20-yard catch by tight end Jean Fugett, a 20-yard run by Mike Thomas, and a 10-yard reception by fullback John Riggins into a 35-yard Moseley field goal, making the score 28–6. But after this, the Vikings drove 77 yards and scored on a 9-yard pass from Tarkenton to White. By the time Kilmer completed two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, the game was already out of reach. NFC Championship: vs. (#3) Los Angeles Rams Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Championship Game: (#3) Los Angeles Rams at (#1) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary December 26, 1976 12:00 p.m. CST Rams 0 0 13 0 Vikings 7 3 7 7 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 48,379 Sunny, 19 F C Dick Jorgensen CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Boxscore First quarter MIN – Bobby Bryant 90-yard blocked field goal return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 25-yard field goal. Vikings 10–0. Third quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–0. LA – Lawrence McCutcheon 10-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 17–6. LA – Harold Jackson 5-yard pass from Pat Haden (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 17–13. Fourth quarter MIN – Sammy Johnson 12-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–13. Top passers LA – Pat Haden – 9/22, 161 yards, TD, 2 INT MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 12/27, 143 yards, 1 INT Top rushers LA – Lawrence McCutcheon – 26 rushes, 128 yards, TD MIN – Chuck Foreman – 15 rushes, 118 yards, TD Top receivers LA – Harold Jackson – 4 receptions, 70 yards, TD MIN – Chuck Foreman – 5 receptions, 81 yards The Vikings forced a blocked field goal, a blocked punt, and two interceptions en route to the victory over the Rams. On offense, running back Chuck Foreman rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries while also catching 5 passes for 81 yards. In the first quarter, the Rams got off to a good start as they marched down the field to the Viking 2-yard line. The drive stalled there, and coach Chuck Knox, recalling the NFC championship game in Minnesota two years ago (when the Rams were intercepted in the end zone after driving to the Viking 2-yard line) ordered a field goal attempt. Nate Allen blocked the field goal attempt, and the ball bounced off the ground right into the waiting arms of Bobby Bryant, who returned it 90 yards for a Minnesota touchdown. The first quarter ended with the Rams dominating the stat sheet. They had run 22 plays for 89 yards and 7 first downs, while holding the Vikings to 5 plays, one first down, and 17 yards, but they still trailed 7–0. In the second quarter, linebacker Matt Blair blocked and recovered a punt on the Rams 10-yard line to set up Fred Cox's 25-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 10–0 lead before halftime. Then in the third period, Foreman rushed 62 yards to the Los Angeles 2-yard line, and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run two plays later to increase the lead 17–0. The Rams rallied back with two quick touchdowns in the third quarter. After a chance to put the game away was wiped out by Monte Jackson's interception of a Tarkenton pass in the end zone, Pat Haden led the Rams on an 80-yard drive highlighted by a 40-yard pass to Harold Jackson, and culminating in a 10-yard touchdown run by Lawrence McCutcheon. Rams kicker Tom Dempsey missed the extra point. Dempsey had missed nine extra points during the season. Announcers Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier speculated that Haden was feeling pressure on this drive because Knox had James Harris warming up on the sidelines. On the Vikings' next drive, Fred Dryer hit Fran Tarkenton on a sack, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jack Youngblood at the Viking 8-yard line. Three plays later, Haden hit Jackson for a 5-yard touchdown pass. Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings defense snuffed out two big chances for LA to take the lead. With 7 minutes left, the Rams drove to a third down on the Vikings 33, but Minnesota linebacker Wally Hilgenberg sacked Haden and forced a punt. With 2:40 left in the game, Los Angeles advanced to the Minnesota 39-yard line. On fourth down and needing more than a field goal, Haden thought he had Jackson open deep near the goal line, but Bryant intercepted the pass (his second of the game) rather than batting it down. A few plays later, Tarkenton dumped a short pass off to Foreman, which he turned into a 57-yard gain. Foreman was injured on the play, but backup running back Sammy Johnson scored the clinching touchdown from 12 yards out. This turned out to be the last playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings played four playoff games between 1977 and 1981, all on the road. Minnesota's next home playoff game came after the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Vikings' first in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. They would next host an outdoor home playoff game in January 2016. To date, this is the most recent NFC Championship that the Vikings have won. Super Bowl XI: vs. (#1) Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI Minnesota Vikings 1976 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Super Bowl XI: Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14 – Game summary January 9, 1977 12:50 p.m. (PST) Raiders 0 16 3 13 Vikings 0 0 7 7 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California 53 F C NBC Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter OAK – Errol Mann 24-yard field goal. Raiders 3–0. OAK – Dave Casper 1-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 10–0. OAK – Pete Banaszak 1-yard run (kick failed). Raiders 16–0. Third quarter OAK – Errol Mann 40-yard field goal. Raiders 19–0. MIN – Sammy White 8-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Raiders 19–7. Fourth quarter OAK – Pete Banaszak 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 26–7. OAK – Willie Brown 75-yard interception return (kick failed). Raiders 32–7. MIN – Stu Voigt 13-yard pass from Bob Lee (Fred Cox kick). Raiders 32–14. Top passers OAK – Ken Stabler – 12/19, 180 yards, TD MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 17/35, 205 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers OAK – Clarence Davis – 16 rushes, 137 yards MIN – Chuck Foreman – 17 rushes, 44 yards Top receivers OAK – Fred Biletnikoff – 4 receptions, 79 yards MIN – Chuck Foreman – 5 receptions, 62 yards Statistics Team leaders Category Player(s) Value Passing yards Fran Tarkenton 2,961 Passing touchdowns Fran Tarkenton 17 Rushing yards Chuck Foreman 1,155 Rushing touchdowns Chuck Foreman 13 Receiving yards Sammy White 906 Receiving touchdowns Sammy White 10 Points Fred Cox 89 Kickoff return yards Leonard Willis 552 Punt return yards Leonard Willis 207 Interceptions Nate Wright 7 League rankings Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank(out of 28) Passing offense 2,855 203.9 4th Rushing offense 2,003 143.1 18th Total offense 4,858 347.0 6th Passing defense 1,575 112.5 1st Rushing defense 2,096 149.7 17th Total defense 3,671 262.2 6th References Category:Minnesota Vikings seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons Minnesota Category:NFC Central championship seasons Minnesota Vikings