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1980 Minnesota Vikings season

NFL team season

NFL team season

FieldValue
teamMinnesota Vikings
year1980
record9–7
division_place1st NFC Central
coachBud Grant
general managerMike Lynn
stadiumMetropolitan Stadium
playoffsLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Eagles) 16–31
pro bowlersLB Matt Blair
WR Ahmad Rashad
AP All-prosLB Matt Blair (1st team)
uniformFile:Vikings1975-86.png
shortnavlinkVikings seasons

(at Eagles) 16–31 WR Ahmad Rashad | AP All-pros = LB Matt Blair (1st team) The 1980 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 20th in the National Football League and their 14th under head coach Bud Grant. The Vikings improved on their 7–9 record from last year with a 9–7 record, equal to that of the Detroit Lions, but won the NFC Central division title on the conference record tiebreaker. In the Divisional Playoffs, the Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 31–16.

The most dramatic game of the season came in a Week 15 home game against Cleveland, with Minnesota at 8–6. The Vikings trailed 23–9 early in the fourth quarter, but with five seconds left in regulation, despite missing two field goals and two extra points in the game, they were on the Cleveland 46-yard line, having reduced the Browns' lead to one point. Quarterback Tommy Kramer threw a Hail Mary pass that Ahmad Rashad caught at the 2-yard line before backing into the end zone to give Minnesota a 28–23 win.

Offseason

1980 draft

Main article: 1980 NFL draft

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"1980 Minnesota Vikings DraftMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Draft orderMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Player nameMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"PositionMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"CollegeMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"NotesMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"RoundMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Selection19230393656849251211226148717482049232102581128812315
Doug MartinDefensive tackleWashington
Willie TealCornerbackLSUFrom 49ers
*Traded to the San Francisco 49ers*
*Traded to the San Francisco 49ers*
Brent BoydCenterUCLAFrom Saints
Dennis JohnsonLinebackerUSC
Doug PaschalRunning backNorth Carolina
Paul JonesRunning backCaliforniaFrom Saints
Ray YakavonisDefensive endEast Stroudsburg
Henry JohnsonLinebackerGeorgia Tech
*Traded to the Seattle Seahawks*
Dennis MosleyRunning backIowaIn lieu of #231 (passed)
Kenny BrownWide receiverNebraska
Sam HarrellRunning backEast Carolina
Thomas LaneDefensive backFlorida A&M

Notes

Roster

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance1234
August 9San Diego ChargersW 21–171–0Metropolitan Stadium45,179
August 18at Kansas City ChiefsL 10–141–1Arrowhead Stadium39,879
August 23at Miami DolphinsW 17–102–1Miami Orange Bowl36,116
August 30Cleveland BrownsW 38–163–1Metropolitan Stadium47,262

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance12345678910111213141516
September 7Atlanta FalconsW 24–231–0Metropolitan Stadium44,773
September 14Philadelphia EaglesL 7–421–1Metropolitan Stadium46,460
September 21at Chicago BearsW 34–142–1Soldier Field59,983
September 28at Detroit LionsL 7–272–2Silverdome80,291
October 5Pittsburgh SteelersL 17–232–3Metropolitan Stadium47,583
October 12Chicago BearsW 13–73–3Metropolitan Stadium46,751
October 19at Cincinnati BengalsL 0–143–4Riverfront Stadium44,487
October 26at Green Bay PackersL 3–163–5Lambeau Field56,191
November 2at Washington RedskinsW 39–144–5Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium52,060
November 9Detroit LionsW 34–05–5Metropolitan Stadium46,264
November 16Tampa Bay BuccaneersW 38–306–5Metropolitan Stadium46,032
November 23Green Bay PackersL 13–256–6Metropolitan Stadium47,234
November 30at New Orleans SaintsW 23–207–6Louisiana Superdome30,936
December 7at Tampa Bay BuccaneersW 21–108–6Tampa Stadium65,649
December 14Cleveland BrownsW 28–239–6Metropolitan Stadium42,202
December 21at Houston OilersL 16–209–7Astrodome51,064

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 15: vs Cleveland Browns

Main article: Miracle at the Met

First quarter

  • CLE – Calvin Hill 18-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick). Browns 7–0. Second quarter
  • CLE – Brian Sipe 2-yard run (kick failed). Browns 13–0. Third quarter
  • MIN – Joe Senser 31-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (kick failed). Browns 13–6.
  • CLE – Don Cockroft 32-yard field goal. Browns 16–6.
  • MIN – Rick Danmeier 24-yard field goal. Browns 16–9. Fourth quarter
  • CLE – Cleo Miller 1-yard run (Don Cockroft kick). Browns 23–9.
  • MIN – Ted Brown 7-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (kick failed). Browns 23–15.
  • MIN – Ahmad Rashad 12-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick). Browns 23–22.
  • MIN – Ahmad Rashad 46-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (kick failed). Vikings 28–23. Trailing 23–9 entering the fourth quarter the Vikings came back and won on a desperation Hail Mary pass from quarterback Tommy Kramer to wide receiver Ahmad Rashad to clinch the NFC Central Division title in what became known as the "Miracle at the Met".

Standings

Postseason

WeekDateOpponentResultVenueAttendance
DivisionalJanuary 3at Philadelphia EaglesL 16–31Veterans Stadium68,434

Statistics

Team leaders

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"CategoryMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Player(s)Minnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Value
Passing yardsTommy Kramer3,582
Passing touchdownsTommy Kramer19
Rushing yardsTed Brown912
Rushing touchdownsTed Brown8
Receiving yardsAhmad Rashad1,095
Receiving touchdownsJoe Senser7
PointsRick Danmeier81
Kickoff return yardsEddie Payton1,184
Punt return yardsEddie Payton251
InterceptionsJohn Turner6

League rankings

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"CategoryMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Total yardsMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"Yards per gameMinnesota Vikingsyear=1980border=2}}"NFL rank
(out of 28)Total offense5,330333.111thTotal defense5,856366.026th
Passing offense3,688230.53rd
Rushing offense1,642102.627th
Passing defense3,400212.524th
Rushing defense2,456153.525th

References

References

  1. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012140min.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com: Cleveland Browns 23 at Minnesota Vikings 28, Sunday, December 14, 1980]
  2. "1980 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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