1991 Minnesota Vikings season

1991 Minnesota Vikings season
1991 Minnesota Vikings season
General manager	Jeff Diamond
Head coach	Jerry Burns
Home field	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd NFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	TE Steve Jordan; G Randall McDaniel; DT Henry Thomas
AP All-Pros	G Randall McDaniel (2nd team)
Uniform
	← 1990; Vikings seasons; 1992 →;

The 1991 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 31st in the National Football League. They finished with an 8–8 record, improving on their 6–10 record from the previous season, and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Head coach Jerry Burns retired at the end of 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 record a 1,000-yard season. The infamous trade that brought Walker to Minnesota never lived up to expectations and allowed the Dallas Cowboys to use two of the draft picks they received in the trade on Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson, who became part of a dominant team that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

Offseason

1991 draft

	Pro Bowler

1991 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1	11	Traded to the Dallas Cowboys^[A]
2	38	Traded to the Dallas Cowboys^[A]
3	65	Carlos Jenkins	Linebacker	Michigan State
3	68	Jake Reed	Wide receiver	Grambling State	From Cowboys^[A]
4	92	Randy Baldwin	Running back	Ole Miss
5	119	Chris Thome	Center	Minnesota
6	146	Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders^[B]
6	163	Todd Scott	Safety	Southwestern Louisiana	From Raiders^[B]
7	179	Scotty Reagan	Defensive tackle	Humboldt State
7	180	Tripp Welborne	Safety	Michigan	From Cowboys, via Raiders^[B]
8	206	Reggie Johnson	Defensive end	Arizona
9	232	Gerald Hudson	Running back	Oklahoma State
10	259	Brady Pierce	Offensive tackle	Wisconsin
11	286	Ivan Caesar	Linebacker	Boston College
12	313	Darren Hughes	Wide receiver	Carson–Newman

Draft trades

^ ^a ^b ^c These picks were involved in the Herschel Walker trade on October 12, 1989.
^ ^a ^b ^c The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (146th overall) to the Raiders in exchange for the a sixth- and seventh-round selection (163rd and 180th overall).

Staff

**1991 Minnesota Vikings staff**
	Front office President/Chief Executive Officer – Roger Headrick Head coaches Head coach – Jerry Burns Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Tom Moore Assistant offensive coordinator/passing game – Dick Rehbein Quarterbacks – Marc Trestman Running backs – John Brunner Offensive line – John Michels			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Monte Kiffin Defensive line – Paul Wiggin Linebackers – Maxie Baughan Defensive backs – Jerry Brown Special teams coaches Special teams/Tight Ends– Tom Batta

^[1]

Roster

**1991 Minnesota Vikings roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 16 Rich Gannon 12 Sean Salisbury 11 Wade Wilson Running backs (RB) 21 Terry Allen 46 Alfred Anderson FB 31 Rick Fenney FB 20 Darrin Nelson KR 34 Herschel Walker Wide receivers (WR) 81 Anthony Carter 80 Cris Carter 84 Hassan Jones 87 Leo Lewis PR 89 Terry Obee Tight ends (TE) 82 Mike Jones 83 Steve Jordan 85 Brent Novoselsky		Offensive linemen (OL) 72 Scott Adams T 74 Brian Habib G/T 76 Tim Irwin T 69 Todd Kalis G 63 Kirk Lowdermilk C 64 Randall McDaniel G 60 Adam Schreiber C/G 73 Craig Wolfley G 65 Gary Zimmerman T Defensive linemen (DL) 71 Ken Clarke DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 99 Al Noga DE 93 John Randle DE 94 Thomas Strauthers DT 97 Henry Thomas DT		Linebackers (LB) 50 Ray Berry MLB 53 Ivan Caesar OLB 91 Greg Manusky MLB 57 Mike Merriweather OLB 58 Jimmy Williams OLB Defensive backs (DB) 47 Joey Browner SS 24 Pat Eilers FS 23 Michael Mayes CB 26 Audray McMillian CB 48 Reggie Rutland CB 38 Todd Scott SS 41 Solomon Wilcots SS 22 Felix Wright FS Special teams 68 Mike Morris LS 18 Harry Newsome P 7 Fuad Reveiz K				Practice squad —- Scotty Reagan DE Reserve 59 Mark Dusbabek LB (IR) 62 Chris Foote C (IR) 51 Carlos Jenkins LB (IR) 39 Carl Lee CB (IR) 75 Keith Millard DT (IR) 86 Jake Reed WR (IR) 67 Mike Teeter DT (IR) Rookies in italics 47 active, 7 reserve, 1 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance^[2]
1	August 3	at New Orleans Saints	L 21–24	0–1	Louisiana Superdome	58,953
2	August 10	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 34–24	1–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	44,959
3	August 17	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 24–27 (OT)	1–2	Riverfront Stadium	56,358
4	August 23	Cleveland Browns	W 31–7	2–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	45,925

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 1	at Chicago Bears	L 6–10	0–1	Soldier Field	64,112
2	September 8	at Atlanta Falcons	W 20–19	1–1	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	50,936
3	September 15	San Francisco 49ers	W 17–14	2–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,148
4	September 22	at New Orleans Saints	L 0–26	2–2	Louisiana Superdome	68,591
5	September 29	Denver Broncos	L 6–13	2–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	55,031
6	October 6	at Detroit Lions	L 20–24	2–4	Pontiac Silverdome	63,423
7	October 13	Phoenix Cardinals	W 34–7	3–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	51,209
8	October 20	at New England Patriots	L 23–26 (OT)	3–5	Foxboro Stadium	45,367
9	October 27	at Phoenix Cardinals	W 28–0	4–5	Sun Devil Stadium	45,447
10	November 3	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 28–13	5–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	35,737
11	November 11	Chicago Bears	L 17–34	5–6	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,001
12	November 17	at Green Bay Packers	W 35–21	6–6	Lambeau Field	57,614
13	November 24	Detroit Lions	L 14–34	6–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	51,644
14	Bye
15	December 8	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 26–24	7–7	Tampa Stadium	41,091
16	December 15	Los Angeles Rams	W 20–14	8–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	61,518
17	December 21	Green Bay Packers	L 7–27	8–8	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	52,860
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Chicago Bears

Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	3	0	3	0	6
Bears	0	7	0	3	10

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: September 1
Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Mostly sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
Game attendance: 64,112
Referee: Tom Dooley (6)
Box score, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Fuad Reveiz 26-yard field goal, 5:50. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 5:50.

Second quarter

CHI – Tom Waddle 37-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Kevin Butler kick), 14:05. Bears 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 98 yards, 5:38.

Third quarter

MIN – Fuad Reveiz 24-yard field goal, 9:31. Bears 7–6. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:20.

Fourth quarter

CHI – Kevin Butler 22-yard field goal, 9:06. Bears 10–6. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:58.

Top passers

MIN – Wade Wilson – 21/36, 248 yards, 3 INT
CHI – Jim Harbaugh – 17/24, 186 yards, TD

Top rushers

MIN – Herschel Walker – 20 rushes, 86 yards
CHI – Neal Anderson – 23 rushes, 58 yards

Top receivers

MIN – Steve Jordan – 8 receptions, 89 yards
CHI – Tom Waddle – 2 receptions, 48 yards, TD

Week 6: at Detroit Lions

Week 6: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	7	3	3	20
Lions	0	3	0	21	24

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Date: October 6
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 63,423
Referee: Dick Hantak (105)
Box score, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Darrin Nelson 11-yard run (Fuad Reveiz kick), 9:41. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards.

Second quarter

MIN – Steve Jordan 2-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Fuad Reveiz kick), 11:08. Vikings 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards.
DET – Eddie Murray 47-yard field goal, 0:00. Vikings 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 13 yards.

Third quarter

MIN – Fuad Reveiz 42-yard field goal, 2:50. Vikings 17–3. Drive: 11 plays, 46 yards.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Fuad Reveiz 25-yard field goal, 8:38. Vikings 20–3. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards.
DET – Robert Clark 68-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Eddie Murray kick), 6:50. Vikings 20–10. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards.
DET – Willie Green 16-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Eddie Murray kick), 4:22. Vikings 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards.
DET – Barry Sanders 15-yard run (Eddie Murray kick), 0:36. Lions 24–20. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards.

Top passers

MIN – Rich Gannon – 10/23, 105 yards, TD
DET – Rodney Peete – 24/38, 281 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

MIN – Terry Allen – 15 rushes, 41 yards
DET – Barry Sanders – 25 rushes, 116 yards, TD

Top receivers

MIN – Steve Jordan – 4 receptions, 44 yards, TD
DET – Robert Clark – 2 receptions, 83 yards, TD

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽²⁾ Detroit Lions	12	4	0	.750	6–2	8–4	339	295	W6
⁽⁴⁾ Chicago Bears	11	5	0	.688	7–1	9–3	299	269	L1
Minnesota Vikings	8	8	0	.500	3–5	8–6	301	306	L1
Green Bay Packers	4	12	0	.250	3–5	3–9	273	313	W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3	13	0	.188	1–7	2–10	199	365	W1

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Rich Gannon	2,166
Passing touchdowns	Rich Gannon	12
Rushing yards	Herschel Walker	825
Rushing touchdowns	Herschel Walker	10
Receiving yards	Cris Carter	962
Receiving touchdowns	Anthony Carter Cris Carter	5
Points	Fuad Reveiz	85
Kickoff return yards	Darrin Nelson	682
Punt return yards	Leo Lewis	225
Tackles	Chris Doleman	101
Sacks	John Randle	9.5
Interceptions	Joey Browner	5
Forced fumbles	John Randle	2

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing offense	2,883	180.2	21st
Rushing offense	2,201	137.6	4th
Total offense	5,084	317.8	10th
Passing defense	3,179	198.7	13th
Rushing defense	1,837	114.8	20th
Total defense	5,016	313.5	14th

References

^ 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
^ "1991 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".

External links

1991 Minnesota Vikings Statistics & Players on Pro-Football-Reference

[Cowboys-1] These picks were involved in the Herschel Walker trade on October 12, 1989.

[Raiders_trade-2] The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (146th overall) to the Raiders in exchange for the a sixth- and seventh-round selection (163rd and 180th overall).

[3] 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

[4] "1991 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".

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v t e Minnesota Vikings
Founded in 1961 Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota Headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota
Franchise	Franchise History Expansion draft All-time roster First-round draft picks Quarterbacks Head coaches Seasons Statistics Draft Broadcasters Ownership Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center
Stadiums	Metropolitan Stadium Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome TCF Bank Stadium U.S. Bank Stadium
Culture	Purple People Eaters "Skol, Vikings" How I Met Your Mother "Little Minnesota" "Tailgate" Cheerleaders Alan Roach Truth Hurts (song) Quarterback "Higher" (Creed song)
Lore	The Wrong Way Run Hail Mary Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy Santa Claus game Miracle at the Met Herschel Walker trade Gary Anderson's missed field goal Love Boat scandal Minneapolis Miracle 33–0
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Rams New Orleans Saints
Division championships (21)	1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1989 1992 1994 1998 2000 2008 2009 2015 2017 2022
Conference championships (4)	1969 1973 1974 1976
League championships (1)	1969
Retired numbers	10 53 70 77 80 88
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: North Division

v t e Minnesota Vikings seasons
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–) appearance