1973 Minnesota Vikings season

1973 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Bud Grant
General manager	Jim Finks
Home field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	12–2
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Redskins) 27–20 Won Conference Championship (Cowboys) 27–10 Lost Super Bowl VIII (Dolphins) 24–7

The 1973 Minnesota Vikings season was the franchise's 13th season in the National Football League. The Vikings regained the NFC Central title after a disappointing 7–7 record the previous season, as they finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses. They started the season 9–0 and looked a threat to the previous year’s Dolphins’ record of a perfect season before losing to the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals in their next three games. Their narrow 10–9 win over the Los Angeles Rams constituted the last time until 1997 that the last two unbeaten NFL teams played each other.^[1]

The Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins, 27–20, in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at home and went on to upset the Dallas Cowboys, 27–10, in Irving, Texas to win the NFC Championship, before losing Super Bowl VIII to the Miami Dolphins, 24–7 at Rice Stadium in Houston.

Offseason

1973 Draft

=Pro Bowler

1973 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order			Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Choice	Overall
1	12	12	Chuck Foreman	Running Back	Miami
2	8	34	Jackie Wallace	Defensive Back	Arizona	from Cardinals^[a]
	14	40	Traded to the New York Giants^[b]
3	13	65	Jim Lash	Wide Receiver	Northwestern
4	2	80	Mike Wells	Quarterback	Illinois	from Eagles^[c]
	11	89	Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs^[e]			from VIkings^[d] via Cardinals^[a]
5	14	118	Brent McClanahan	Running Back	Arizona State
6	9	139	Doug Kingsriter	Tight End	Minnesota	from Saints^[f]
6	13	143	Fred Abbott	Linebacker	Florida
7	12	168	Josh Brown	Running Back	Texas State
8	14	196	Craig Darling	Tackle	Iowa
9	13	221	Larry Dibbles	Defensive End	New Mexico
10	2	236	Randy Lee	Defensive Back	Tulane	from Eagles^[g]
	12	246	Dave Mason	Defensive Back	Nebraska
11	14	274	Geary Murdock	Guard	Iowa State
12	13	299	Alan Spencer	Wide Receiver	Pittsburg State
13	12	324	Ron Just	Guard	Minot State
14	14	352	Eddie Bishop	Defensive Back	Southern
15	13	377	Tony Chandler	Running Back	Missouri Valley
16	12	402	Larry Smiley	Defensive End	Texas Southern
17	13	429	Dave Winfield	Tight End	Minnesota	did not play college football^[h]

^{^[a]} St. Louis traded their 2nd round selection (34th overall), a 4th round selection (89th overall), and WR John Gilliam to Minnesota for QB Gary Cuozzo.

^{^[b]} Minnesota traded their 2nd round selection (40th overall), 1972 1st round selection (24th overall), QB Norm Snead, WR Bob Grim, and RB Vince Clements to the Giants for QB Fran Tarkenton.

^{^[c]} Philadelphia traded their 4th round selection (80th overall) to Minnesota for QB Bill Cappleman.

^{^[d]} Minnesota traded their 4th round selection (89th overall), LB Mike McGill, and DB Dale Hackbart to St. Louis for TE Bob Brown and CB Nate Wright.

^{^[e]} Minnesota traded their 4th round selection (89th overall) to Kansas City for Punter Mike Eischeid.

^{^[f]} New Orleans traded this 6th round selection (139th overall) and their 1974 4th round selection (86th overall) to Minnesota for TE Bob Brown.

^{^[g]} Philadelphia traded their 10th round selection (236th overall) to Minnesota for LB Bill Cody.

^{^[h]} Following college, Dave Winfield was drafted by four teams in three different sports. The San Diego Padres selected him as an outfielder with the fourth overall pick in the MLB draft. In basketball, both the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and the Utah Stars (ABA) drafted him. Although he never played college football, the Minnesota Vikings selected Winfield in the 17th round of the NFL draft. He is currently one of three players ever to be drafted by three professional sports (the others being Dave Logan and Mickey McCarty).^[2]

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 16	Oakland Raiders	W 24–16	1–0	Metropolitan Stadium	44,818
2	September 23	at Chicago Bears	W 22–13	2–0	Soldier Field	52,035
3	September 30	Green Bay Packers	W 11–3	3–0	Metropolitan Stadium	48,176
4	October 7	at Detroit Lions	W 23–9	4–0	Tiger Stadium	49,549
5	October 14	at San Francisco 49ers	W 17–13	5–0	Candlestick Park	56,438
6	October 21	Philadelphia Eagles	W 28–21	6–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,478
7	October 28	Los Angeles Rams	W 10–9	7–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,787
8	November 4	Cleveland Browns	W 26–3	8–0	Metropolitan Stadium	46,722
9	November 11	Detroit Lions	W 28–7	9–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,911
10	November 19	at Atlanta Falcons	L 14–20	9–1	Atlanta Stadium	56,519
11	November 25	Chicago Bears	W 31–13	10–1	Metropolitan Stadium	46,430
12	December 2	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 0–27	10–2	Riverfront Stadium	57,859
13	December 8	at Green Bay Packers	W 31–7	11–2	Lambeau Field	53,830
14	December 16	at New York Giants	W 31–7	12–2	Yale Bowl	70,041

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 1: Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	13	3	0	16
Vikings	10	0	7	7	24

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: September 16
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), Wind 8 mph
• Game attendance: 44,818
• Referee: Tommy Bell^[3]
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. MIN – John Gilliam 43-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0. Second quarter OAK – George Blanda 16-yard field goal. Vikings 10–3. OAK – George Blanda 25-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6. OAK – George Atkinson 63-yard punt return (George Blanda kick). Raiders 13–10. Third quarter OAK – George Blanda 9-yard field goal. Raiders 16–10. MIN – Chuck Foreman 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–16. Fourth quarter MIN – Bill Brown 6-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–16. Top passers OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 13/30, 183 yards MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 13/31, 187 yards, 2 TD Top rushers OAK – Clarence Davis – 12 rushes, 73 yards MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 6 rushes, 27 yards Top receivers OAK – Mike Siani – 6 rec, 111 yards MIN – John Gilliam – 4 rec, 90 yards, TD

Week 2: at Chicago Bears

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	13	0	9	22
Bears	7	3	0	3	13

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: September 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Wind 10 mph
• Game attendance: 52,035
• Referee: Jim Tunney^[4]
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CHI – Bobby Douglass 1-yard run (Mac Percival kick). Bears 7–0. Second quarter CHI – Mac Percival 31-yard field goal. Bears 10–0. MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Bears 10–3. MIN – John Beasley 3-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Tied 10–10. MIN – Fred Cox 25-yard field goal. Vikings 13–10. Third quarter None. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 14-yard field goal. Vikings 16–10. MIN – Fred Cox 11-yard field goal. Vikings 19–10. CHI – Mac Percival 12-yard field goal. Vikings 19–13. MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal. Vikings 22–13. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 12/18, 189 yards, TD CHI – Bobby Douglass – 10/19, 184 yards Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 16 rushes, 116 yards CHI – Carl Garrett – 25 rushes, 90 yards Top receivers MIN – Carroll Dale – 2 rec, 53 yards CHI – Craig Cotton – 3 rec, 88 yards

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	3	0	0	3
Vikings	0	5	3	3	11

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), Wind 10 mph
• Game attendance: 48,176
• Referee: Fred Silva
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter None. Second quarter GB – Chester Marcol 42-yard field goal. Packers 3–0. MIN – MacArthur Lane tackled in end zone for a safety. Packers 3–2. MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 5–3. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 13-yard field goal. Vikings 8–3. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 14-yard field goal. Vikings 11–3. Top passers GB – Scott Hunter – 3/6, 44 yards MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 12/16, 109 yards Top rushers GB – John Brockington – 14 rushes, 58 yards MIN – Chuck Foreman – 16 rushes, 89 yards Top receivers GB – MacArthur Lane – 3 rec, 36 yards MIN – Chuck Foreman – 5 rec, 62 yards

Week 4: at Detroit Lions

Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	14	6	0	3	23
Lions	3	3	3	0	9

at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: October 7
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Wind 8 mph
• Game attendance: 49,549
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – Ed Marinaro 12-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. MIN – Ed Marinaro 8-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–0. DET – Errol Mann 37-yard field goal. Vikings 14–3. Second quarter DET – Errol Mann 15-yard field goal. Vikings 14–6. MIN – Fred Cox 38-yard field goal. Vikings 17–6. MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal. Vikings 20–6. Third quarter DET – Errol Mann 33-yard field goal. Vikings 20–9. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 27-yard field goal. Vikings 23–9. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 17/24, 199 yards, 2 TD DET – Greg Landry – 14/24, 110 yards Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 16 rushes, 114 yards DET – Mel Farr – 11 rushes, 52 yards Top receivers MIN – John Gilliam – 5 rec, 79 yards DET – Mel Farr – 11 rec, 85 yards

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	7	0	3	17
49ers	3	3	7	0	13

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

• Date: October 14
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), Wind 8 mph
• Game attendance: 56,438
• Referee: Norm Schachter
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – John Gilliam 12-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. SF – Bruce Gossett 28-yard field goal. Vikings 7–3. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–3. SF – Bruce Gossett 41-yard field goal. Vikings 14–6. Third quarter SF – Ken Willard 7-yard pass from Steve Spurrier (Bruce Gossett kick). Vikings 14–13. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 17–13. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/22, 136 yards, TD SF – Steve Spurrier – 31/48, 320 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 22 rushes, 71 yards, TD SF – Ken Willard – 10 rushes, 52 yards Top receivers MIN – John Gilliam – 7 rec, 107 yards, TD SF – Gene Washington – 8 rec, 118 yards

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	7	7	21
Vikings	7	7	7	7	28

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: October 21
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), Wind 13 mph
• Game attendance: 47,478
• Referee: Jack Reader
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – John Gilliam 44-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. Second quarter MIN – Oscar Reed 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–0. PHI – Po James 12-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 14–7. Third quarter MIN – John Gilliam 24-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–7. PHI – Lee Bouggess 2-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 21–14. Fourth quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–14. PHI – Charle Young 17-yard run (Tom Dempsey kick). Vikings 28–21. Top passers PHI – Roman Gabriel – 23/32, 201 yards MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 16/21, 202 yards, TD Top rushers PHI – Po James – 11 rushes, 78 yards, TD MIN – Chuck Foreman – 21 rushes, 68 yards, TD Top receivers PHI – Charle Young – 6 rec, 86 yards MIN – John Gilliam – 6 rec, 116 yards, TD

Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 7: Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	3	3	3	9
Vikings	3	7	0	0	10

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: October 28
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), Wind 18 mph
• Game attendance: 47,787
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – Fred Cox 15-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0. LA – David Ray 30-yard field goal. Vikings 10–3. Third quarter LA – David Ray 35-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6. Fourth quarter LA – David Ray 47-yard field goal. Vikings 10–9. Top passers LA – John Hadl – 10/20, 87 yards MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 8/16, 91 yards, TD Top rushers LA – Larry Smith – 16 rushes, 63 yards MIN – Chuck Foreman – 23 rushes, 86 yards Top receivers LA – Jim Bertelsen – 4 rec, 41 yards MIN – Stu Voigt – 3 rec, 40 yards

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	0	0	0	3
Vikings	3	6	7	10	26

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: November 4
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C), Wind 11 mph
• Game attendance: 46,722
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CLE – Don Cockroft 27-yard field goal. Browns 3–0. MIN – Fred Cox 16-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 23-yard field goal. Vikings 6–3. MIN – Fred Cox 33-yard field goal. Vikings 9–3. Third quarter MIN – Oscar Reed 3-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 16–3. Fourth quarter MIN – Stu Voigt 7-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 23–3. MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Vikings 26–3. Top passers CLE – Mike Phipps – 10/20, 82 yards MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 13/22, 166 yards, TD Top rushers CLE – Ken Brown – 7 rushes, 25 yards MIN – Oscar Reed – 22 rushes, 79 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Frank Pitts – 4 rec, 36 yards MIN – Ed Marinaro – 6 rec, 65 yards

Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 9: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	7	0	0	0	7
Vikings	7	7	14	0	28

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: November 11
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), Wind 10 mph
• Game attendance: 47,911
• Referee: Tommy Bell
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter DET – Ron Jessie 33-yard pass from Bill Munson (Jim O'Brien kick). Lions 7–0. MIN – Bill Brown 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Tied 7–7. Second quarter MIN – Wally Hilgenberg 2-yard fumble return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–7. Third quarter MIN – Ed Marinaro 7-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–7. MIN – John Gilliam 33-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–7. Fourth quarter None. Top passers DET – Bill Munson – 16/34, 152 yards, TD MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 11/15, 177 yards, TD Top rushers DET – Altie Taylor – 9 rushes, 49 yards MIN – Bill Brown – 19 rushes, 101 yards, TD Top receivers DET – Ron Jessie – 5 rec, 71 yards, TD MIN – John Gilliam – 5 rec, 129 yards, TD

Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 10: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	7	0	7	14
Falcons	0	17	3	0	20

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: Monday, November 19
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), Wind 5 mph
• Game attendance: 56,519
• Referee: Fred Swearingen
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter None. Second quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 25-yard field goal. Falcons 3–0. MIN – John Gilliam 39-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–3. ATL – Dave Hampton 19-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 10–7. ATL – Eddie Ray 39-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 17–7. Third quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 49-yard field goal. Falcons 20–7. Fourth quarter MIN – Bill Brown 2-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 20–14. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 17/30, 214 yards, 2 TD ATL – Bob Lee – 11/23, 171 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 9 rushes, 38 yards ATL – Dave Hampton – 23 rushes, 108 yards Top receivers MIN – John Gilliam – 4 rec, 97 yards, TD ATL – Dave Hampton – 3 rec, 55 yards, TD

Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 11: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	3	0	3	7	13
Vikings	3	7	14	7	31

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: November 25
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), Wind 8 mph
• Game attendance: 46,430
• Referee: Fred Wyant
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – Fred Cox 41-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. CHI – Mirro Roder 43-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–3. Third quarter CHI – Mirro Roder 24-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6. MIN – John Gilliam 54-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–6. MIN – Fran Tarkenton 8-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–6. Fourth quarter MIN – John Gilliam 30-yard pass from Bob Berry (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–6. CHI – Earl Thomas 29-yard pass from Gary Huff (Mirro Roder kick). Vikings 31–13. Top passers CHI – Gary Huff – 6/8, 65 yards, TD MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 11/15, 161 yards, TD Top rushers CHI – Joe Moore – 24 rushes, 75 yards MIN – Oscar Reed – 12 rushes, 97 yards Top receivers CHI – Earl Thomas – 3 rec, 43 yards, TD MIN – John Gilliam – 5 rec, 139 yards, 2 TD

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	0	0	0	0
Bengals	0	10	10	7	27

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: December 2
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), Wind 10 mph
• Game attendance: 57,859
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter None. Second quarter CIN – Horst Muhlmann 22-yard field goal. Bengals 3–0. CIN – Lemar Parrish 23-yard fumble return (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 10–0. Third quarter CIN – Essex Johnson 40-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 17–0. CIN – Horst Muhlmann 38-yard field goal. Bengals 20–0. Fourth quarter CIN – Bob Trumpy 7-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 27–0. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 11/18, 73 yards CIN – Ken Anderson – 12/17, 105 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 11 rushes, 38 yards CIN – Essex Johnson – 9 rushes, 79 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Oscar Reed – 5 rec, 30 yards CIN – Bob Trumpy – 4 rec, 37 yards, TD

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	14	14	3	0	31
Packers	0	0	0	7	7

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: Saturday, December 8
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), Wind 16 mph
• Game attendance: 53,830
• Referee: Norm Schachter
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – Stu Voigt 21-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. MIN – Bobby Bryant 46-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–0. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 50-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 21–0. MIN – John Gilliam 20-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 28–0. Third quarter MIN – Fred Cox 15-yard field goal. Vikings 31–0. Fourth quarter GB – Barry Smith 17-yard pass from Jim Del Gaizo (Chester Marcol kick). Vikings 31–7. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 8/12, 79 yards, 2 TD GB – Jerry Tagge – 10/25, 98 yards Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 19 rushes, 100 yards, TD GB – John Brockington – 27 rushes, 124 yards Top receivers MIN – John Gilliam – 2 rec, 33 yards, TD GB – Barry Smith – 4 rec, 55 yards, TD

Week 14: at New York Giants

Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	10	0	14	31
Giants	0	0	0	7	7

at Yale Bowl, New Haven, Connecticut

• Date: December 16
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C)
• Game attendance: 70,041
• Referee: John McDonough
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter MIN – Oscar Reed 9-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. Second quarter MIN – Fred Cox 22-yard field goal. Vikings 10–0. MIN – Terry Brown 63-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–0. Third quarter None. Fourth quarter MIN – Bill Brown 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–0. NYG – Ron Johnson 16-yard pass from Randy Johnson (Pete Gogolak kick). Vikings 24–7. MIN – Ed Marinaro 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–7. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/14, 130 yards NYG – Randy Johnson – 5/13, 89 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Dave Osborn – 9 rushes, 72 yards NYG – Ron Johnson – 23 rushes, 90 yards Top receivers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 2 rec, 28 yards NYG – Bob Grim – 2 rec, 54 yards

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings	12	2	0	.857	6–0	10–1	296	168	W2
Detroit Lions	6	7	1	.464	3–2–1	6–4–1	271	247	L1
Green Bay Packers	5	7	2	.429	1–4–1	4–6–1	202	259	W1
Chicago Bears	3	11	0	.214	1–5	1–9	195	334	L6

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
NFC Divisional Playoff	December 22, 1973	Washington Redskins	W 27–20	Metropolitan Stadium	45,475
Conference Championship	December 30, 1973	at Dallas Cowboys	W 27–10	Texas Stadium	60,272
Super Bowl VIII	January 13, 1974	N Miami Dolphins	L 7–24	Rice Stadium	71,882

NFC Divisional Playoff

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	7	3	10	20
Vikings	0	3	7	17	27

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: Saturday, December 22
• Game time: 1:00 PM
• Game weather: 19 °F (−7 °C), wind 11 mph, wind chill 7 °F (−14 °C), relative humidity 71%
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First Quarter None. Second Quarter MIN – Fred Cox 19-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0 WAS – Larry Brown 3-yard run (Curt Knight kick). Redskins 7–3 Third Quarter MIN – Bill Brown 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–7 WAS – Curt Knight 52-yard field goal. Tied 10–10 Fourth Quarter WAS – Curt Knight 42-yard field goal. Redskins 13-10 MIN – John Gilliam 28-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–13 MIN – John Gilliam 6-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–13 WAS – Roy Jefferson 28-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick). Vikings 24–20 MIN – Fred Cox 30-yard field goal. Vikings 27–20 Top passers WAS – Billy Kilmer – 13/24, 159 yards, TD MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 16/28, 222 yards, 2 TD Top rushers WAS – Larry Brown – 29 rushes, 115 yards, TD MIN – Oscar Reed – 17 rushes, 95 yards Top receivers WAS – Roy Jefferson – 6 rec, 84 yards, TD MIN – Oscar Reed – 5 rec, 76 yards

NFC Championship Game

Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	3	7	7	10	27
Cowboys	0	0	10	0	10

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

• Date: December 30
• Game time: 1:00 PM
• Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), wind 13 mph, relative humidity 60%
• Referee: Norm Schachter
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First Quarter MIN – Fred Cox 44-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0 Second Quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0 Third Quarter DAL – Golden Richards 63-yard punt return (Toni Fritsch kick). Vikings 10–7 MIN – John Gilliam 54-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–7 DAL – Toni Fritsch 17-yard field goal. Vikings 17–10 Fourth Quarter MIN – Bobby Bryant 63-yard interception return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–10 MIN – Fred Cox 34-yard field goal. Vikings 27-10 Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/21, 133 yards, TD DAL – Roger Staubach – 10/21, 89 yards Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 19 rushes, 76 yards, TD DAL – Robert Newhouse – 14 rushes, 50 yards Top receivers MIN – John Gilliam – 2 rec, 63 yards, TD DAL – Bob Hayes – 2 rec, 25 yards

Super Bowl VIII

Minnesota Vikings vs. Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings (NFC)	0	0	0	7	7
Dolphins (AFC)	14	3	7	0	24

at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas

• Date: January 13, 1974
• Game time: 3:50 p.m. EST/2:50 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C)
• Game attendance: 71,882
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (CBS): Ray Scott, Pat Summerall and Bart Starr
• Pro Football Reference.com

Game information

First Quarter MIA – Larry Csonka 5-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 7–0 MIA – Jim Kiick 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 14–0 Second Quarter MIA – Garo Yepremian 28-yard field goal. Dolphins 17–0 Third Quarter MIA – Larry Csonka 2-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 24–0 Fourth Quarter MIN – Fran Tarkenton 4-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Dolphins 24–7 Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 18/28, 182 yards MIA – Bob Griese – 6/7, 73 yards Top rushers MIN – Oscar Reed – 11 rushes, 32 yards MIA – Larry Csonka – 33 rushes, 145 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MIN – Stu Voigt – 3 rec, 46 yards MIA – Paul Warfield – 2 rec, 33 yards

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing Yards	Fran Tarkenton	2,113
Passing Touchdowns	Fran Tarkenton	15
Rushing Yards	Chuck Foreman	801
Rushing Touchdowns	Chuck Foreman	4
Receiving Yards	John Gilliam	907
Receiving Touchdowns	John Gilliam	8
Points	Fred Cox	96
Kickoff Return Yards	Brent McClanahan	410
Punt Return Yards	Bobby Bryant	140
Interceptions	Bobby Bryant	7

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 26)
Passing Offense	1,956 Yards	139.7 YPG	14th
Rushing Offense	2,275 Yards	162.5 YPG	6th
Total Offense	4,231 Yards	302.2 YPG	7th
Passing Defense	1,894 Yards	135.3 YPG	12th
Rushing Defense	1,974 Yards	141.0 YPG	11th
Total Defense	3,868 Yards	276.3 YPG	12th

References

1. Last Undefeated NFL teams by Year
2. The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks Baseball Club – "Home of Midnight Sun Baseball"
3. 1973 Minnesota Vikings highlight film
4. 1973 Minnesota Vikings highlight film

External links

• Team roster