The 2023 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL), their eighth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
They started 0âÂÂ3 for the second time in the past four seasons. They failed to improve upon their 13âÂÂ4 record from 2022 after a Week 5 loss to the eventual back to back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and match that record with a Week 11 loss to the Broncos. However, after having a 1âÂÂ4 record, the Vikings would win 5 games straight, going to a 6âÂÂ4 record. During Minnesota's Week 8 game against their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, starting quarterback Kirk Cousins ruptured his achilles tendon, ruling him out for the rest of the season. They went through a quarterback carousel for the rest of the season, going 1âÂÂ6 in their last 7 games including 4 straight losses to end the season. In Week 16, they were knocked out of division contention following a loss to the Detroit Lions, and in Week 18, they were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Lions again.
For the first time since 2012, wide receiver Adam Thielen was not on the roster, as he was released on March 10. Additionally, for the first time since 2016, four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook was not on the roster, as he was released on June 9. This was also the first season after the death of legendary coach and team advisor Bud Grant on March 11.
Draft trades
The Vikings' preseason schedule was announced on May 11, 2023, along with the regular season schedule. They first travelled to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks, before returning to Minnesota for their remaining two games, first against the Tennessee Titans and then the Arizona Cardinals.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
The Vikings scored the only points of the game after both teams went over 58 minutes without scoring, in the lowest scoring NFL game since 2007. The Vikings improved to 7âÂÂ6 and remained in the playoff race.
With this loss, the Vikings finished the season on a four-game losing streak, their first since 2016. They were also swept by the Lions for the first time since that same season. Their 7âÂÂ10 record was their first double-digit losing season since 2013, which also saw the Vikings go through a quarterback carousel driven by injuries and poor play.
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Source: ProFootballReference.com