1989: Vikings Defeat Packers as Newly-Acquired Walker Stars

Three days after being in the middle of one of the biggest trades in NFL history, RB Herschel Walker (pictured above) took the field for the Minnesota Vikings as they hosted the Green Bay Packers on October 15, 1989. In a complex transaction that ultimately involved 18 players and draft picks, Walker was obtained from the Dallas Cowboys. From the perspective of the Cowboys, the deal provided the opportunity to rebuild a last-place team through the draft. For Minnesota, it was hoped that the talented Walker would be the key to reaching the Super Bowl.

Much had been expected of Walker since he first gained attention as a freshman on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team. After winning the Heisman Trophy as a junior, he made the stunning move of passing up his last collegiate season for the new United States Football League and, over the course of three years with the New Jersey Generals, rushed for 5562 yards. Moving on to the Cowboys after the demise of the USFL, he was selected to the Pro Bowl twice and, in 1988, gained 1514 yards on the ground and 2019 overall. To be sure, Walker had drawn his share of criticism for being a strictly straight-ahead, no-polish runner who had yet to fulfill gigantic expectations, but he was also a tremendous athlete with outstanding strength and speed. It was anticipated that, having practiced only twice with the team since the trade, he would see limited action in his first game with Minnesota.

Beyond Walker, the Vikings, coached by Jerry Burns, were a talented football team with an outstanding defense but an offense that seemed to be underachieving. QB Wade Wilson had a fractured hand and former starter Tommy Kramer was back behind center, and WR Anthony Carter and TE Steve Jordan were playing but hampered by injuries. Coming off an 11-5 record in ’88, Minnesota was 3-2 and willing to mortgage the future for near-term success.

The Packers, also at 3-2, were a rejuvenated team under Head Coach Lindy Infante. The offense had been highly productive with Don Majkowski taking over at quarterback, WR Sterling Sharpe breaking out as the feature receiver, and RB Brent Fullwood carrying the running load, and the defense featured pass-rushing LB Tim Harris.

There was a record crowd of 62,075 in attendance at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Packers had first possession but Minnesota got the ball on a fumble by Brent Fullwood that was recovered by DE Chris Doleman at the Green Bay 34. The Vikings were unable to capitalize, however, as they were unable to move on offense and a field goal attempt by Rich Karlis from 51 yards was wide to the right.

Green Bay responded by driving 66 yards in nine plays, the big one a pass from Don Majkowski to Sterling Sharpe that covered 51 yards to the Minnesota 10. A face mask penalty on LB Mike Merriweather helped to convert a third down and RB Herman Fontenot finally ended the series with a one-yard touchdown carry. Chris Jacke added the extra point to give the visitors the early 7-0 lead.

With the crowd cheering as he came onto the field, Herschel Walker touched the ball for the first time on the ensuing kickoff and returned it 51 yards, although it was for naught when nullified by a penalty for an illegal block. The teams exchanged punts and Walker provided some excitement when, on his first carry from scrimmage, he took off for a 47-yard gain to the Green Bay 28, losing his right shoe along the way, and this one counted. But again the Vikings came up empty when FS Ken Stills intercepted a Tommy Kramer pass on the next play.

Minnesota took charge on defense with a stuff and a sack to push the Packers back to their eight yard line to finish the opening period, and on a third-and-22 play to start the second quarter, Majkowski’s pass was intercepted by CB Reggie Rutland. The Vikings advanced 45 yards in eight plays, with Kramer completing passes to WR Hassan Jones for 19 yards and to Anthony Carter for 15, and this time Karlis got them on the board with a 28-yard field goal.

Once again the Minnesota defense pushed the Packers back, with Doleman sacking Majkowski for a seven-yard loss, and a punt was returned 17 yards by WR Leo Lewis to give the Vikings favorable starting field position at the Green Bay 49. Walker had two carries for 11 yards and, in between, Kramer connected with RB D.J. Dozier for a gain of 30 yards. FB Rick Fenney ran eight yards for a TD and, with the PAT by Karlis, Minnesota was in the lead by 10-7.

Another short series by the Packers in which they remained bottled up inside their ten yard line was followed by a punt, but while the Vikings reached the Green Bay 30, a 47-yard field goal try by Karlis was blocked by CB Ron Pitts. RB Keith Woodside provided some offense for Green Bay by breaking away for a run of 31 yards, but Majkowski threw a pass that was picked off by Rutland. With the ball at the Green Bay 28 and 2:40 remaining in the half, the Vikings chipped away and Kramer threw to WR Jim Gustafson for a six-yard touchdown. Karlis converted and Minnesota took a 17-7 lead into halftime. Don Majkowski had completed only two of 11 passes thus far and was sacked three times.

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter. The Vikings put together an eight-play, 78-yard drive on their second possession as Kramer completed five passes, the longest to Jones for 39 yards to the Green Bay 11 and the last to Fenney for an eight-yard TD. Karlis converted and Minnesota was leading comfortably by 24-7.

The Packers once again found themselves playing deep in their own territory when a penalty on the ensuing kickoff had them starting off at their 12 and, after two passes were incomplete, Majkowski was sacked in the end zone by LB Ray Berry for a safety, thus adding two more points to Minnesota’s lead.

Following the free kick, Walker ran the ball three times for 41 yards to reach the Green Bay 27, but a fumble on an errant pitchout by Kramer was recovered by LB Brian Noble on the final play of the period.

The teams exchanged punts before the Packers, gaining possession with 4:47 left to play, put together a scoring series. Majkowski completed passes to Sharpe for 31 yards and WR Carl Bland for a 46-yard touchdown, but the try for an onside kick was recovered by the Vikings, who were able to run out the clock. Minnesota won by a final score of 26-14.

The Vikings outgained Green Bay by 398 yards to 219, with 238 of that total coming on the ground. They also had the advantage in first downs by 21 to 11. Minnesota’s defense recorded eight sacks, to one by the Packers, four of them by DT Keith Millard (pictured at right). The Packers turned the ball over three times, to two by the Vikings, and hurt themselves further with 11 penalties, at a cost of 77 yards, although Minnesota was flagged nine times.

Herschel Walker rushed for 148 yards on 18 carries, becoming the first player to debut with a hundred yards rushing in franchise history. Tommy Kramer completed 14 of 24 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, giving up one interception. Hassan Jones caught four passes for 68 yards and D.J. Dozier was right behind with four receptions for 47 yards in addition to his 31 rushing yards on 8 attempts. In addition to Millard’s four sacks, Chris Doleman had two and Najee Mustafaa accounted for both Minnesota interceptions.

For the Packers, it was a long day for Don Majkowski, who was successful on just 9 of 24 throws for 198 yards and a TD with two interceptions, in addition to the sacks. Keith Woodside led the team with 36 rushing yards on three carries as well as three pass receptions, which added another 23 yards. Sterling Sharpe gained 82 yards on his two catches.

“We didn’t anticipate him to play to that extent,” said Coach Burns of Herschel Walker. “I’m not the smartest guy, but I’m not a complete idiot, either. When I saw what he was doing out there, I said ‘hey, keep feeding him the ball.’”

Alas, the initial excitement over Walker’s impact gave way to disappointment. He never came close to the rushing yardage total of his debut in the remaining games of the season, with 89 the next week at Detroit his next best amount. In 11 games with the Vikings, Walker ran for 669 yards in 169 carries for an even 4.0 average and five touchdowns, often looking tentative in the offense. He also was rarely used as a receiver, despite great success out of the backfield in New Jersey and Dallas, catching more passes in his five games with the Cowboys (22) than with Minnesota (18). He would play two more years for the Vikings and remained a poor fit.

Minnesota played well at home (8-0) but not on the road (2-6) and, while topping the NFC Central with a 10-6 record, the Vikings lost badly to the 49ers in the Divisional playoff round. They dropped to 6-10 the following year, and rebounded only mildly to 8-8 in 1991, with the Walker trade receiving much of the blame for the club’s decline. By contrast, the Dallas Cowboys, recipients of the load of draft choices from Minnesota, they were able to move up quickly from 1-15 in 1989 to the first of three NFL titles in four years by 1992.

As for the Packers, they lost again the next week but beat the Vikings later in the season in the rematch and also finished at 10-6, although in second place and out of the postseason due to tiebreakers.

1988: Redskins Defeat Vikings in Defensive Struggle for NFC Championship

Both of the teams facing each other for the NFC Championship on January 17, 1988 had concerns coming into the postseason. While the Washington Redskins won the NFC East with an 11-4 record in the strike-affected season, Head Coach Joe Gibbs’ team had to overcome problems along the way. QB Jay Schroeder was erratic and split time with 32-year-old veteran QB Doug Williams, who took over the job in the playoffs. RB George Rogers was hampered by a toe injury, necessitating the use of unproven rookie RB Timmy Smith, who joined with veteran Kelvin Bryant, an outstanding third-down receiver out of the backfield. The receiving corps was strong, as well as the offensive line. DE Charles Mann emerged as a star across from the talented but erratic Dexter Manley and veteran CB Darrell Green was joined by talented newcomers in the defensive backfield. The Redskins got past the Bears in their Divisional Playoff game.

The Minnesota Vikings, coached by Jerry Burns, lost all three of the games that included replacement players and then barely made it into the playoffs with an 8-7 record after losing three of their last four regular season games, including one to the Redskins. However, they thrashed New Orleans in the Wild Card Playoff and then won a stunning upset over the top-ranked 49ers in the Divisional round to advance to the conference title game. QB Wade Wilson played well in place of injured starting QB Tommy Kramer and WR Anthony Carter averaged 24.3 yards per catch during the season and lit up San Francisco for 227 yards. The defensive line was outstanding and included ends Chris Doleman, a converted linebacker, and Doug Martin and tackles Keith Millard and Henry Thomas. SS Joey Browner was a solid Pro Bowl-level contributor.

It was a mostly cloudy day in the thirties with 55,212 in attendance at RFK Stadium. The Vikings drove to the Washington 35 in the first series of the game before having to punt. Bucky Scribner’s kick was downed at the two. George Rogers ran twice for 12 yards to give the Redskins some room. A Doug Williams pass to WR Gary Clark and another carry by Rogers got Washington out to the 30 before WR Ricky Sanders took off for 28 yards on a reverse. Williams tossed two incomplete passes before, on third-and-ten, he hit Kelvin Bryant for a 42-yard touchdown to complete the 98-yard drive. Ali Haji-Sheikh added the extra point to give the home team a 7-0 lead.

Minnesota went three-and-out on its next possession and, to make matters worse, Scribner’s punt traveled only 19 yards, thus giving the Redskins good field position at their 45. However, after advancing to the Minnesota 21, Haji-Sheikh missed on a 38-yard field goal attempt that hit the right upright. The score remained unchanged heading into the second quarter.

The game settled into a defensive struggle with neither club able to sustain a drive. On a first down play with just over five minutes remaining in the half, the Redskins got something going when Timmy Smith took off on a 34-yard carry to the Minnesota 31. However, they gained just two more yards before Haji-Sheikh attempted another field goal, this time from 47 yards, and failed again.

The Vikings struck back quickly as Wade Wilson threw to TE Steve Jordan for 36 yards. Three plays later, Wilson connected with WR Leo Lewis for a 23-yard TD and, with Chuck Nelson adding the point after, the score was tied at 7-7, which was the score at halftime.

The teams again traded punts during the third quarter, battling for field position, until a pass by Wilson that was tipped by DT Dave Butz was picked off by LB Mel Kaufman to give the Redskins the ball at the Minnesota 17. Four plays later, Haji-Sheikh kicked a 28-yard field goal to put Washington ahead by 10-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings put together a 10-play drive that went 52 yards. Wilson hit Anthony Carter (pictured at right) for a 23-yard gain to the Washington 30 and throws to RB Allen Rice for 15 yards and Jordan for 9 got the ball inside the ten. But with first-and-goal at the three, Minnesota was unable to cross the goal line on three running plays and settled for Nelson’s game-tying field goal from 18 yards.

The Redskins responded by going 70 yards in eight plays, the first four of which were runs by Smith. Williams then went long for Clark to pick up 43 yards to the Minnesota 11. Another Williams pass to Clark was good for a seven-yard touchdown that put Washington ahead to stay.

There were still over five minutes left on the clock as the Vikings regained possession following a 28-yard kickoff return by RB Darrin Nelson. With Wilson completing five passes along the way, Minnesota advanced to the Washington six. However, three throws fell incomplete, including the last one on fourth down that bounced off Nelson’s hands. The Redskins became NFC Champions by a score of 17-10.

Washington led in total yards (280 to 259) although the Vikings had more first downs (16 to 11). The Redskins were stronger on the ground (161 yards to 76). They also accumulated eight sacks, with two apiece by Dave Butz and Dexter Manley, while the Vikings had none (pictured at top #72 Manley and Butz at right). Minnesota also suffered the game’s only turnover.

Doug Williams completed only 9 of 26 passes for 119 yards, but two were for touchdowns while none were picked off. Timmy Smith (pictured at left taking handoff from Williams), who ran the ball a mere 29 times during the regular season, rushed for 72 yards on 13 carries while George Rogers added 46 yards on 12 attempts. Kelvin Bryant, who had just four rushing yards on four carries, led the Redskins with four catches, for 47 yards and a TD, while Gary Clark had 57 yards and the winning score on his three receptions.

For the Vikings, Wade Wilson was successful on 19 of 39 throws for 243 yards and a touchdown as well as an interception and was also the club’s leading rusher with 28 yards on four carries. Anthony Carter caught 7 passes  for 85 yards. RB Alfred Anderson had the most rushing yards of any of the team’s running backs with 25 yards on four attempts.

 “The defense was absolutely fantastic,” said an ecstatic Joe Gibbs. “They held Minnesota at bay, and they’re a great offensive team.”

“They shut us down,” said Washington’s Gary Clark of the Vikings defense, “but the defense kept holding for us and holding for us.”

“We’ve been sort of plagued by that all year – not getting the ball in the end zone,” said a disappointed Coach Jerry Burns. “We gave it everything we had. You’ve got to give some credit to the Redskins defense.”

The Redskins, in the Super Bowl for the third time in six years, exploded in the second quarter on the way to a big win over the Denver Broncos. They sagged to 7-9 in 1988. Minnesota again reached the postseason as a Wild Card team with an 11-5 record but fell to San Francisco in the Divisional playoff round. 

1988: Anthony Carter Stars as Vikings Upset 49ers in NFC Divisional Playoff Round

In what had been an odd NFL season (one game lost and three played with replacement players) due to a players’ strike in 1987, the San Francisco 49ers emerged with the best overall record at 13-2. They were 10.5-point favorites as they hosted the Minnesota Vikings in a NFC Divisional Playoff game on January 9, 1988. While the Vikings had easily dismantled the Saints in the Wild Card playoff the previous week by a 44-10 score, they had finished second in the NFC Central with a decidedly ordinary 8-7 tally.

QB Joe Montana had recovered from a severe back injury that required surgery in ’86 and led the league in passing (102.1 rating), although he was having to look over his shoulder at backup Steve Young, who played well when called upon in relief. WR Jerry Rice had a sensational season, pulling in a then-record 22 scoring catches while appearing in only 12 games. The Niners were strong on both sides of the ball and seemed a likely bet to win a third title in the coaching tenure of the innovative Bill Walsh, which had commenced in 1979.

Minnesota was coached for the second year by Jerry Burns and while the Vikings lost all three contests that involved replacement players, they also were beaten in three of their last four regular season games. QB Tommy Kramer was afflicted with a pinched nerve in his shoulder, but backup Wade Wilson performed ably in his absence. Ex-USFL star WR Anthony Carter (pictured above) averaged a NFL-leading 24.3 yards-per-catch on his 38 receptions for 922 yards and earned selection to the Pro Bowl. The defense was tough and contained Pro Bowlers in DE Chris Doleman (11 sacks in a breakout year), MLB Scott Studwell, and SS Joey Browner.

There were 62,547 in attendance at Candlestick Park on a foggy Saturday. The field was already wet and rain fell during the last three quarters of play. Because of conditions, and with Kramer still not at full strength, Minnesota’s Coach Burns decided to start Wade Wilson at quarterback.

The Vikings had the first possession and drove 77 yards in 15 plays, converting two third downs along the way. Wilson completed passes for first downs on each of the first two plays from scrimmage, and also ran 11 yards out of the shotgun formation to convert a third-and-seven situation. Chuck Nelson kicked a 21-yard field goal and the Vikings had an early 3-0 lead.

If the Minnesota offense set a tone with its methodical drive down the field, the defense set one on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage when Montana passed to RB Roger Craig and LB Jesse Solomon dropped him for a two-yard loss. The teams traded punts and the 49ers put together a 10-play, 74-yard series that included Montana completions of 18 yards to Craig and 33 yards to WR John Taylor. Ray Wersching booted a 43-yard field goal and the first quarter ended with the score tied at 3-3.

The Vikings broke the tie in the second quarter thanks to a 70-yard drive. Carter caught two passes that gained 12 and 11 yards and Wilson again took off and ran for 12 yards and a first down on the play before throwing a seven-yard TD pass to TE Carl Hilton.

Following a San Francisco punt, Minnesota got a big play when a third-and-10 pass from Wilson to Carter covered 63 yards. That set up a 23-yard field goal by Nelson that made it 13-3. On the next series, safety Reggie Rutland of the Vikings, used as a nickel back, intercepted a poorly-thrown pass by Montana that was intended for WR Dwight Clark and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.


Neither offense was able to move during the remainder of the half. Wersching missed a 26-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds and the teams went into halftime with Minnesota ahead by a score of 20-3 thanks to the 17-point second quarter.

The 49ers got a break early in the third quarter when SS Jeff Fuller intercepted a Wilson pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. Minnesota came right back on the next possession, however, with a 68-yard drive. Carter ran 30 yards on an end-around play and five plays later, Wilson threw over CB Don Griffin to WR Hassan Jones for a five-yard TD.

Following an exchange of punts and with 6:29 to go in the third quarter, Walsh pulled Montana in favor of Steve Young. It did help spur the sputtering offense as Young immediately threw to Craig for a 31-yard gain and the five-play drive ended with the highly-mobile quarterback running around left end for a five-yard touchdown to make it a ten-point game. But the Vikings fired right back as Wilson threw to Carter for a 40-yard gain to the San Francisco 25. Nelson booted his third field goal, of 40 yards, and when Wersching missed again for the 49ers from 48 yards on the final play of the third quarter, Minnesota went into the final period with a 30-17 lead.

The Vikings went 40 yards in eight plays, highlighted by Wilson tossing a screen pass to RB Allen Rice that gained 19 yards plus another 15 thanks to a roughing-the-passer penalty on Fuller. While DE Charles Haley sacked Wilson for a 13-yard loss two plays later, Nelson kicked another field goal, from 46 yards, to extend Minnesota’s lead to 33-17.

Young came out throwing on the next series and was intercepted by CB Carl Lee. Following a punt by the Vikings, the Niners scored again thanks to an eight-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Young passing to TE John Frank for a 16-yard touchdown. But with 3:42 remaining, the result was no longer in question. Nelson capped the scoring with a 23-yard field goal and the Vikings came away with a stunning 36-24 win.

Minnesota outgained the 49ers (397 yards to 358), both on the ground (117 to 115) and through the air (298 to 267), and had more first downs (22 to 17). San Francisco turned the ball over twice, to just one suffered by the Vikings, and was flagged eight times while Minnesota was penalized twice.

Anthony Carter was the star of the game for the Vikings as he caught 10 passes for 227 yards (a playoff record at the time) and also had 30 more yards on the ground on his one run. Wade Wilson (pictured below) completed 20 of 34 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. HB Darrin Nelson led the club in rushing with 42 yards on 11 carries while the mobile Wilson ran the ball 6 times for 30 yards. Chuck Nelson set a NFL playoff game record with his five field goals, with no misses, which was especially noteworthy since he had been successful on just 13 of 24 attempts during the regular season.


Joe Montana had an uncharacteristically dismal performance for the 49ers as he was successful on just 12 of his 26 throws for 109 yards with one intercepted – he was also sacked four times (twice by Chris Doleman). Steve Young was 12 of 17 passing for 158 yards with a TD and one picked off and also led the team in rushing with 72 yards on 6 carries that included a touchdown. Roger Craig gained just 17 yards on 7 runs but led the Niners with 9 pass receptions for 78 yards. The Vikings secondary did a good job of shutting down Jerry Rice, who caught only 3 passes for 28 yards. Montana repeatedly looked for him but found him to be consistently double- and even triple-covered.

“I went with Wade because I thought the field would be heavy, and Tommy wasn’t 100 percent yet,” Jerry Burns explained afterward as to his decision to go with Wilson over Kramer. “Wade's ability to scramble and run got us out of some tough spots.”

“I've never seen Carter play any greater,” added Burns. “He’s a big-play guy in a big game.”

Minnesota’s postseason run came to an end the next week with a 17-10 loss to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship game. Anthony Carter had another fine performance with 7 catches for 85 yards, but the Vikings were forced to punt 10 times.

Joe Montana erased any questions regarding his ability to still win big games in 1988 as the 49ers again won their division (with a lesser record) and successfully advanced to the Super Bowl, winning a dramatic contest against the Bengals. Along the way, they again met up with the Vikings, who again qualified as a wild card, in the Divisional round and avenged their 1987 defeat by a convincing 34-9 score.

1989: Karlis & Vikings Defense Sink the Bengals, Secure Playoff Spot

The two teams meeting at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis on Christmas night, December 25, 1989, were both trying to secure playoff spots in the season’s final week of play. The Minnesota Vikings, under Head Coach Jerry Burns, had been tied with Green Bay atop the NFC Central at 9-6 and, with the Packers having won the day before, needed a victory to win the division (they had the advantage over Green Bay in the division record tiebreaker and would not be able to gain wild card entry with a second place finish). The visiting Cincinnati Bengals, coached by Sam Wyche, were 8-7 and couldn’t win the AFC Central, but still had a chance at a wild card spot.

The Vikings had been underachieving contenders the previous two years, considering the talent on the roster, and had swung a huge deal during the season to obtain RB Herschel Walker from Dallas (ultimately, the Cowboys profited far more than Minnesota). But while unbeatable in the Metrodome, they had gone 2-6 on the road, including an overtime loss the previous week at Cleveland. After making an initial splash, Walker proved to be ill-suited in an offense which further suffered from QB Wade Wilson’s inconsistency and injury-plagued performances by WR Anthony Carter and TE Steve Jordan, who had held out during training camp (contract issues were a significant behind-the-scenes problem). Defense had kept the Vikings alive, in particular the play of DE Chris Doleman (pictured at top) and DT Keith Millard, who led an outstanding pass rush.


Cincinnati had won the AFC Championship in 1988, losing a close Super Bowl contest to the 49ers, but FB Ickey Woods, the key to the ground game in ’88, went down for the year in the season’s second contest. After getting off to a 4-1 start, the Bengals played inconsistently despite the presence of QB Boomer Esiason (pictured at left), wide receivers Eddie Brown and Tim McGee, TE Rodney Holman, and RB James Brooks. The undersized defensive line had difficulty mounting a pass rush, although the backfield, led by SS David Fulcher, was formidable.

The Vikings started off well as Wilson passed to RB Rick Fenney for a 26-yard gain on the game’s first play from scrimmage and proceeded to drive 65 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a 31-yard field goal by Rich Karlis. Following a Cincinnati punt, Minnesota marched to another Karlis field goal, of 37 yards, and held a 6-0 lead after one quarter.

It appeared that Minnesota might take decisive control in the second quarter as Karlis booted two more field goals, from 22 and 42 yards, and in between, following an interception of an Esiason pass by safety Darrell Fullington, Wilson tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Fenney. The score was 19-0 midway through the period. The Bengals finally got on the board, however, thanks to a 10-play, 77-yard drive that was capped by Esiason’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Brown.

Cincinnati got the ball back once more in the last two minutes of the half, and Esiason came out throwing but, after the Bengals had driven into Minnesota territory at the 43, he was intercepted by LB Scott Studwell. A 50-yard pass play from Wilson to WR Hassan Jones got the Vikings down to the Cincinnati seven, and Karlis, who had already tied the existing league record with a seven-field goal performance earlier in the season, booted his fifth, from 24 yards. It was 22-7 at the half, but could have been far more lopsided.

Three plays into the third quarter, the margin narrowed as Esiason connected with Holman for a 65-yard touchdown. While it was now 22-14, both offenses bogged down, and the Vikings sacked Esiason three times and forced two fumbles. After the second fumble recovery, Minnesota drove to the Cincinnati 15 but Fenney fumbled and DE Jason Buck recovered for the Bengals to snuff out the threat.

Near the end of the period, Vikings LB Mark Dusbabek intercepted Esiason at the Cincinnati 43, but the ensuing possession failed to add to the Minnesota lead when, now into the fourth quarter, Karlis missed a 52-yard field goal that hit the right upright and bounced away.

The Bengals drove down the field, converting a third-and-fifteen situation with an Esiason completion to McGee for 18 yards. Five plays later, the quarterback threw to RB Craig Taylor for an 18-yard touchdown, and with the successful extra point by Jim Breech, Minnesota’s lead was now down to one point at 22-21.

It was the turn of the Vikings to put together a long drive and, helped along by three penalties on the Bengals, they got down to the one yard line. On a fourth-and-goal play, Coach Burns passed up the easy field goal and chose to go for the touchdown - he was rewarded when Wilson completed a pass to reserve TE Brent Novoselsky for a TD. The successful PAT by Karlis put Minnesota up by eight points.

The teams traded punts and, with just over three minutes remaining, Cincinnati took over on its own five yard line and began to move methodically down the field. Esiason was successful on his first eight passes and a 17-yard completion to McGee on fourth-and-two took the Bengals to the Minnesota 22 yard line. The drive stalled, however, and an apparent fourth-down scoring pass to Brown was wiped out by a penalty. The Vikings held on to win by a score of 29-21.

The Bengals outgained Minnesota (309 yards to 274) and had the edge in first downs (26 to 24), but also gave up five turnovers, as opposed to one by the Vikings. Minnesota’s pass rushers sacked Esiason six times (Chris Doleman accounted for four of them), although the Bengals got to Wilson on four occasions (LB Reggie Williams had two).


Wade Wilson (pictured at right) completed 19 of 35 passes for 303 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Anthony Carter caught 7 passes for 118 yards and Hassan Jones added another 90 yards on four receptions. Rick Fenney led the team in rushing with 62 yards on 17 attempts and also grabbed 5 passes for another 51 yards and a TD. Herschel Walker gained just 43 yards on 12 carries.

Boomer Esiason, playing catchup almost all the way and being hit often, went to the air 54 times and had 31 completions for 367 yards with three touchdowns but also three interceptions. James Brooks had a typically productive day leading the team with 93 yards on 15 carries and also catching 12 passes for 66 more yards. Eddie Brown gained 109 yards on 6 catches with a TD and Rodney Holman contributed 84 yards on his three receptions that included a touchdown.

Minnesota won the NFC Central with the resulting 10-6 record but lost badly to the 49ers in the Divisional playoff. At 8-8, Cincinnati ended up not only out of the postseason but at the bottom of the AFC Central (the three other teams all made it into the playoffs, although Houston and Pittsburgh were only a game better than the Bengals at 9-7. The Steelers would have been eliminated had Cincinnati won).

Boomer Esiason was the top-rated passer in the AFC (92.1 rating) and also threw the most touchdown passes (28). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.

James Brooks ran for a career-high 1239 yards on 221 carries for an AFC-leading 5.6 average (the highest among NFL running backs as Eagles QB Randall Cunningham led the league with a 6.0 average). His 1545 yards from scrimmage ranked fifth in the NFL. He, too, went to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive time and third of an eventual four.

Chris Doleman led the NFL with 21 sacks and was a consensus first team All-NFL selection as well as being named to the Pro Bowl for the third (of an eventual four) straight years. Teammate Keith Millard ranked third with 18 as Minnesota ended up recording a total of 71 sacks, the second-most in NFL history.


Despite playing in just 13 games, the barefoot-kicking Rich Karlis (pictured at left) had a career-year in leading the NFL with 31 field goals, out of 39 attempts. He had played seven seasons with the Broncos but was a late preseason cut following a contract dispute. Following his big year, Karlis held out again in 1990 and the Vikings, after picking up Donald Igwebuike off waivers from Tampa Bay, chose to let him go. He signed on with the Lions during the season, covering for injured veteran Eddie Murray for six games, but was let go when Murray returned. It proved to be his final year in the NFL.

1986: Schroeder and Redskins Overcome Kramer and Missed PATs

The game between the Minnesota Vikings (5-3) and host Washington Redskins (6-2) on November 2, 1986 at RFK Stadium was a hard-fought battle that went into overtime. Ultimately, it was a heartbreaking loss on a record-setting day for Vikings QB Tommy Kramer. The Redskins, who came into the Week 9 matchup in a three-way tie atop the NFC East, skirted with defeat but managed to come from behind to force OT and eke out the win.

Washington struck first with a two-yard TD run by RB George Rogers and a 25-yard Max Zendejas field goal to take a 10-0 lead. But the Vikings answered with two touchdowns of their own, including a 67-yard pass play from Kramer to WR Leo Lewis to lead 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Redskins DE Dexter Manley returned a fumble 26 yards for a TD in the second quarter, but the extra point attempt failed. A 39-yard field goal by Minnesota’s Chuck Nelson made the score 17-16 in favor of the Vikings at the half.

Kramer had two more long TD pass plays in the third quarter, first to TE Steve Jordan for 68 yards and the second to Leo Lewis once again, this time for 76 yards. In between, Washington added a field goal and 40-yard TD run by Rogers to make the score 31-26 at the end of three quarters.

When Tommy Kramer tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the day, this time a short one of only a yard to RB Darrin Nelson, the Vikings appeared to be in control with a 38-26 lead and just 5:16 remaining on the clock. But Washington QB Jay Schroeder hit WR Art Monk for a 34-yard touchdown (again the PAT attempt was missed) and, with 1:03 remaining in regulation, Rogers scored his third TD of the game from two yards out. However, for the third time the extra point attempt failed, thus taking the game into sudden death.

A Schroeder to WR Gary Clark pass play of 38 yards ended the struggle and gave Washington a 44-38 win. Drained Head Coach Joe Gibbs said afterward “I feel like we’ve been playing for twelve hours….like we won, lost, won, lost, and won all at the same time”. For Vikings Head Coach Jerry Burns it was a bitter defeat, “a very tough loss to take. I thought we had it.”

Tommy Kramer set a Minnesota team record with 490 passing yards, completing 20 of 35 passes with 4 TDs and an interception. Including the two long touchdowns, Leo Lewis ended up with 159 yards on just three receptions, but he wasn’t the highest yardage producer of the receivers – that was Steve Jordan with 179 yards on six catches and a long score of his own.

Both of Washington’s starting wide receivers, Gary Clark (123 yards) and Art Monk (102) reached triple figures, each with six catches. Schroeder, the second year quarterback, completed 24 of 47 passes for 378 yards with two TDs and an INT. George Rogers was the game’s leading rusher with 88 yards on 19 carries, including the three scoring runs.

The gunslinging Kramer ended up with an even 3000 yards in 1986 and led the NFL with a passer rating of 92.6, with an uncharacteristically strong ratio of 24 TD passes to 10 interceptions. Minnesota ended up with a 9-7 record, in second place in the NFC Central.

The Redskins went 12-4 and were a wild card entry in a postseason that saw them advance all the way to the NFC Championship before falling to the division rival Giants. Kicker Max Zendejas, of the three missed PATs, did not last that far – he was replaced prior to the regular season finale. Second-year quarterback Jay Schroeder had the best of his three seasons with Washington, passing for 4109 yards, although tossing as many interceptions as touchdown passes (22 each). On this day, he had skill enough to bring his team back from the brink and pull out a victory.