1984 Minnesota Vikings season
1984 Minnesota Vikings season | |
---|---|
General manager | Mike Lynn |
Head coach | Les Steckel |
Home stadium | Metrodome |
Results | |
Record | 3–13 |
Division place | 5th NFC Central |
Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | K Jan Stenerud |
All-Pros | K Jan Stenerud (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
|
The 1984 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 24th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a 3–13 record, their worst record since the AFL–NFL merger, later equaled by the 2011 team, and the team's second worst overall record by win percentage (only 1962 was worse).
The Vikings' 484 points allowed (30.3 average points per game) was the most by any NFL team between 1983 and 2000,[1] and the most any Vikings team allowed in one season. At the time, it was the third-most allowed in a 16-game season, trailing only the 1981 Baltimore Colts (533, still the record going into the 2021 season) and 1980 New Orleans Saints (487).
The team was coached by Les Steckel after Bud Grant retired; after the bad season, Steckel was fired and Bud Grant was re-hired.
Offseason
[edit ]1984 draft
[edit ]1984 Minnesota Vikings Draft | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | |
Round | Selection | ||||
1 | 13 | Keith Millard | Defensive tackle | Washington State | |
2 | 40 | Traded to the Houston Oilers [A] | |||
3 | 67 | Alfred Anderson | Running back | Baylor | |
4 | 100 | Traded to the Houston Oilers [A] | |||
5 | 127 | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders [B] | |||
140 | Allen Rice | Running back | Baylor | from Raiders [B] | |
6 | 154 | Dwight Collins | Wide receiver | Pittsburgh | |
7 | 181 | John Haines | Defensive tackle | Texas | |
196 | Lloyd Lewis | Guard | Texas A&I | from Raiders [B] | |
8 | 208 | Paul Sverchek | Defensive tackle | Cal Poly | |
9 | 235 | Keith Kidd | Wide receiver | Arkansas | |
10 | 268 | James Spencer | Linebacker | Oklahoma State | |
11 | 295 | Edgar Pickett | Linebacker | Clemson | |
308 | Lawrence Thompson | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | from Raiders [B] | |
12 | 321 | Mike Jones | Running back | North Carolina A&T | Originally Packers pick[C] |
Notes
- ^ a b The Vikings traded their second- and fourth-round selections (40th and 100th overall) to the Oilers in exchange for QB Archie Manning and TE Dave Casper.
- ^ a b c d The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (127th overall) to the Raiders in exchange for the a fifth-, seventh-, and 11th-round selections (140th, 196th and 308th overall).
- ^ The Vikings were due to pick 322nd overall but the Packers passed, allowing the Vikings to move up one spot.
1984 supplemental draft
[edit ]1984 Minnesota Vikings Supplemental USFL/CFL Draft | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Pro team | |
Round | Selection | ||||
1 | 13 | Allanda Smith | Cornerback | TCU | Los Angeles Express |
2 | 40 | Robert Smith | Defensive end | Grambling State | Arizona Wranglers |
3 | 67 | David Howard | Linebacker | Long Beach State | Los Angeles Express |
Preseason
[edit ]Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 4 | Atlanta Falcons | W 37–6 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,693 |
2 | August 11 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–29 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,003 |
3 | August 18 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–31 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,743 |
4 | August 24 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–31 | 1–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 31,210 |
Regular season
[edit ]Schedule
[edit ]Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 2 | San Diego Chargers | L 13–42 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,276 |
2 | September 9 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–19 | 0–2 | Veterans Stadium | 55,942 |
3 | September 16 | Atlanta Falcons | W 27–20 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,955 |
4 | September 23 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–28 | 2–2 | Silverdome | 57,511 |
5 | September 30 | Seattle Seahawks | L 12–20 | 2–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,171 |
6 | October 7 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 31–35 | 2–4 | Tampa Stadium | 47,405 |
7 | October 14 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 20–23 | 2–5 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 49,276 |
8 | October 21 | Detroit Lions | L 14–16 | 2–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,953 |
9 | October 28 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–16 | 2–7 | Soldier Field | 57,517 |
10 | November 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–24 | 3–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,949 |
11 | November 11 | at Green Bay Packers | L 17–45 | 3–8 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 52,931 |
12 | November 18 | at Denver Broncos | L 21–42 | 3–9 | Mile High Stadium | 74,716 |
13 | November 25 | Chicago Bears | L 3–34 | 3–10 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 56,881 |
14 | November 29 | Washington Redskins | L 17–31 | 3–11 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,017 |
15 | December 8 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 7–51 | 3–12 | Candlestick Park | 56,670 |
16 | December 16 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–38 | 3–13 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,197 |
Game summaries
[edit ]Week 3: vs Atlanta Falcons
[edit ]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
Vikings | 3 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 27 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 53,955
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- Box Score, Box Score
Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers
[edit ]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
49ers | 14 | 17 | 6 | 14 | 51 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
- Date: December 8, 1984
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C)
- Game attendance: 56,670
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber (play-by-play) and Dick Vermeil (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database
Game information |
---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Standings
[edit ]NFC Central | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Chicago Bears (3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 325 | 248 | W1 |
Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 390 | 309 | W3 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 5–9 | 335 | 380 | W2 |
Detroit Lions | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 3–5 | 4–7–1 | 283 | 408 | L3 |
Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 276 | 484 | L6 |
Staff
[edit ]Front office
- President – Max Winter
- General manager – Mike Lynn
Head coaches
- Head coach – Les Steckel
Offensive coaches
- Offensive coordinator – Jerry Burns
- Offensive backfield – John Michels
- Receivers – Bob Leahy
- Offensive line – Dan Radakovich
- Special assistant – Dick Rehbein
- Quality control – Bus Mertes
- Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers – Floyd Reese
- Defensive line – Tom Batta
- Defensive backfield – Ross Fichtner
- Quality control – Bob Hollway
Special teams coaches
- Special teams/outside linebackers coach – Mike Sweatman
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and conditioning – Bud Bjornaraa
- Strength and conditioning – Dean Brittenham
Roster
[edit ]- 12 Steve Dils
- 9 Tommy Kramer
- 4 Archie Manning
- 11 Wade Wilson
Running backs (RB)
- 46 Alfred Anderson FB
- 23 Ted Brown
- 20 Darrin Nelson
- 32 David Nelson
- 36 Allen Rice
- 24 Maurice Turner
Wide receivers (WR)
- 84 Dwight Collins
- 89 Mike Jones
- 87 Leo Lewis
- 85 Sammy White
Tight ends (TE)
- 88 Don Hasselbeck
- 83 Steve Jordan
- 86 Mike Mularkey
- 81 Joe Senser
- 56 Malcolm Carson G
- 64 Grant Feasel C
- 61 Wes Hamilton G
- 60 Matt Hernandez T
- 76 Tim Irwin T
- 78 Steve Riley T
- 68 Curtis Rouse G
- 67 Ron Sams C
- 66 Terry Tausch G
Defensive linemen (DL)
- 69 Hasson Arbubakrr DE
- 63 Robert Cobb DE
- 73 Neil Elshire DE
- 90 John Haines DE
- 65 Charlie Johnson DT
- 79 Doug Martin DE
- 91 Greg Smith DT
- 60 Paul Sverchek DT
- 69 Ruben Vaughan DE
- 58 Walker Lee Ashley
- 59 Matt Blair
- 50 Dennis Fowlkes
- 52 Dennis Johnson
- 94 Chris Martin
- 54 Fred McNeill
- 57 Robin Sendlein
- 55 Scott Studwell
Defensive backs (DB)
- 21 Rufus Bess CB
- 47 Joey Browner CB
- 43 Jeff Colter
- 25 Marcellus Greene
- 45 Tom Hannon SS
- 39 Carl Lee FS
- 29 John Swain CB
- 37 Willie Teal CB
- 34 Danny Wagoner
Special teams (ST)
- 8 Greg Coleman P
- 3 Jan Stenerud K
Reserve
- 51 Jim Hough C (IR)
- -- Keith Kidd WR (IR)
- 77 Mark Mullaney DE (IR)
- 49 Keith Nord FS (PUP)
- -- James Spencer LB (PUP)
Statistics
[edit ]Team leaders
[edit ]Category | Player(s) | Value |
---|---|---|
Passing yards | Tommy Kramer | 1,678 |
Passing touchdowns | Tommy Kramer | 9 |
Rushing yards | Alfred Anderson | 773 |
Rushing touchdowns | Ted Brown Darrin Nelson |
3 |
Receiving yards | Leo Lewis | 830 |
Receiving touchdowns | Leo Lewis | 4 |
Points | Jan Stenerud | 90 |
Kickoff return yards | Darrin Nelson | 891 |
Punt return yards | Darrin Nelson | 180 |
Tackles | Carl Lee | 100 |
Sacks | Randy Holloway | 5 |
Interceptions | Rufus Bess | 3 |
League rankings
[edit ]Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
---|---|---|---|
Passing offense | 2,872 | 179.5 | 22nd |
Rushing offense | 1,844 | 115.2 | 18th |
Total offense | 4,716 | 294.8 | 25th |
Passing defense | 3,779 | 236.2 | 26th |
Rushing defense | 2,573 | 160.8 | 27th |
Total defense | 6,352 | 397.0 | 28th |
References
[edit ]- ^ Most Points Allowed: 1983 to 2000
- ^ "1984 Minnesota Vikings". The Pro Football Archives. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^ 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.