The 1982 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in the newly constructed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The team was looking to improve on its 7–9 record from 1981. However, a players strike meant seven of the team's 16 games were canceled, and each NFL team was only able to play nine games. The Vikings won their opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before losing the next week to the Buffalo Bills, a game in which they had a 19–0 lead before the Bills pulled off a comeback to win 23–22.
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After the strike ended, the Vikings lost 26–7 to the Packers in Green Bay before beating the Bears 35–7 the following week to sit at 2–2. After a loss to the Dolphins, the Vikings won their next two games to sit at 4–3. In their final game of the season, they upset the Dallas Cowboys 31–27 to clinch the NFC's fourth place spot in the playoffs[lower-roman 1] In the playoffs, the Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 to reach the divisional round. However, in that game, they lost 21–7 to the eventual champion Redskins.
The Vikings opened their new stadium with a 17–10 win over Tampa Bay in the season opener. A close loss to Buffalo on the road followed.
The season was then interrupted by the players' 57-day strike that reduced the NFL regular season to nine games. Upon resumption of play in November, the Vikings went 4–3 to close out the abbreviated regular season and closed the campaign with a 5–4 record. Games against Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, New Orleans, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Washington were canceled.
As three of Minnesota's losses were to AFC opponents, their 4–1 conference record put them at the top of a logjam of teams with similar records in the playoff seedings. In 1982, the NFL took the top eight teams from each conference regardless of division record for playoff consideration. The Vikings earned the #4 seed based on this tiebreaker and home field advantage in round one.
In their opening round playoff game, the Vikings took on the Atlanta Falcons. The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Minnesota take a 13–7 halftime lead, only to see the Falcons retake the lead late in the final period on a 41-yard field goal by Mick Luckhurst. With just under two minutes remaining, the Vikings began a game-winning drive that culminated in a Ted Brown 5-yard touchdown run to win the game and send the Vikings on to round two.
In the second round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, 21–7, at RFK Stadium. The Vikings trailed 14–0 after one quarter. Ted Brown's touchdown run in the second period cut it to 14–7, but Joe Theismann hit Alvin Garrett late in the quarter with an 18-yard touchdown strike to make it 21–7. Neither team scored in the second half.
QB Tommy Kramer threw for 2,037 yards and 15 touchdowns in the short season. RB Ted Brown had 515 yards to lead all rushers, and WR Sammy White tallied 503 yards and five touchdowns to lead receivers.
LB Matt Blair anchored the Vikings defense and also made the 1982 Pro Bowl.
Schedule
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Game summaries
Week 1: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Buccaneers |
3 |
0 |
0 | 7 | 10 |
Vikings |
0 |
7 |
7 | 3 | 17 |
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First quarter
- TB – Bill Capece 51-yard field goal, 2:00. Buccaneers 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 4:55.
Second quarter
Third quarter
- MIN – Sammy White 22-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 6:48. Vikings 14–3. Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 8:12.
Fourth quarter
- TB – Jimmie Giles 20-yard pass from Doug Williams (Bill Capece kick), 5:06. Vikings 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:30.
- MIN – Rick Danmeier 33-yard field goal, 2:06. Vikings 17–10. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:13.
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Week 4: vs Chicago Bears
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1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Bears |
0 |
7 |
0 | 0 | 7 |
Vikings |
0 |
14 |
7 | 14 | 35 |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
- MIN – Sammy White 8-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 5:44. Vikings 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 95 yards, 3:37.
Fourth quarter
- MIN – Leo Lewis 31-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 12:48. Vikings 28–7. Drive: 2 plays, 43 yards, 0:52.
- MIN – Sammy White 13-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 6:17. Vikings 35–7. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:38.
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Week 5: at Miami Dolphins
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1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Vikings |
0 |
7 |
0 | 7 | 14 |
Dolphins |
6 |
3 |
3 | 10 | 22 |
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First quarter
- MIA – David Woodley 1-yard run (kick blocked), 2:48. Dolphins 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:08.
Second quarter
Third quarter
- MIA – Uwe von Schamann 28-yard field goal, 5:48. Dolphins 12–7. Drive: 16 plays, 62 yards, 9:12.
Fourth quarter
- MIA – Andra Franklin 9-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick), 14:17. Dolphins 19–7. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:12.
- MIN – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick), 9:25. Dolphins 19–14. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 2:22.
- MIA – Uwe von Schamann 24-yard field goal, 1:46. Dolphins 22–14. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:44.
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Week 6: vs Baltimore Colts
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1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Colts |
0 |
3 |
7 | 0 | 10 |
Vikings |
7 |
0 |
3 | 3 | 13 |
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First quarter
Second quarter
- BAL – Mike Wood 39-yard field goal, 10:57. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 6:50.
Third quarter
- BAL – Jim Burroughs 94-yard interception return (Mike Wood kick), 6:42. Colts 10–7.
- MIN – Rick Danmeier 23-yard field goal, 3:21. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 3:11.
Fourth quarter
- MIN – Rick Danmeier 40-yard field goal, 9:09. Vikings 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:41.
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Week 8: vs New York Jets
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Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Jets |
7 |
14 |
7 | 14 | 42 |
Vikings |
0 |
7 |
0 | 7 | 14 |
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First quarter
Second quarter
- NYJ – Bobby Jackson 80-yard return of blocked field goal (Pat Leahy kick), 5:43. Jets 14–0.
- NYJ – Freeman McNeil 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 5:17. Jets 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:22.
- MIN – Tommy Kramer 1-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick), 0:32. Jets 21–7. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:25.
Third quarter
- NYJ – Mickey Shuler 20-yard pass from Pat Ryan (Pat Leahy kick), 1:12. Jets 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 2:32.
Fourth quarter
- MIN – Ted Brown 16-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 13:23. Jets 28–14. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 2:36.
- NYJ – Bruce Harper 39-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick), 11:33. Jets 35–14. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:38.
- NYJ – Bobby Jackson 77-yard interception return (Pat Leahy kick), 7:18. Jets 42–14.
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Standings
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