The 2024 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 64th in the National Football League (NFL), their ninth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium, their 20th under the ownership of Zygi Wilf and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings improved on their 7âÂÂ10 record from 2023 after a Week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans and made the playoffs after a one-year absence.
After six seasons, the team lost starting quarterback Kirk Cousins when he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason. Despite the team being in a rebuilding year with very low expectations, they started 11âÂÂ2 for the first time since 2009, anchored by a stout defensive unit and strong performance by quarterback Sam Darnold. In Week 15, they clinched a playoff berth when the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Green Bay Packers. After their win against the Packers in Week 17 to improve to 14âÂÂ2, the Vikings achieved their best season since going 15âÂÂ1 in 1998 with their 14th win. However, the Vikings ended their season with two blowout losses: first to the division rival Detroit Lions in their Week 18 game, which clinched the 1st seed for the Lions, then to the rival Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round, which eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs. All four of the team's losses this season happened at the hands of the Lions and the Rams during back-to-back weeks. The Vikings became the first 14-win wild card team in NFL history, but their loss to the Rams meant they set a new record for the most wins by a team that failed to reach the divisional round of the playoffs in the Super Bowl era.
On June 6, 2024, the Vikings unveiled their new "Winter Warrior" uniform, which is all-white and features the first white helmet in franchise history.
The team's first round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, J. J. McCarthy, missed the season after getting surgery on a knee injury he sustained during a preseason game.
Draft trades
The Vikings' preseason opponents and preliminary schedule was announced on May 15, in conjunction with the release of the regular season schedule.
The Vikings' schedule for the 2024 NFL season was announced on May 15, 2024. In addition to home and away matchups against each of their NFC North divisional rivals, they were also scheduled to play against each of the teams in the NFC West and AFC South, as well as the teams that also finished in third place in each of the NFC South, NFC East and AFC East. Their AFC East opponent, the New York Jets, served as the opposition for the Vikings' home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, which is part of the NFL International Series.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Several sports media outlets and fans heavily criticized the officiating at the end of the game, as the referees missed a face mask penalty on Byron Young when he sacked Sam Darnold in the end zone, sealing the win for the Rams. Blake and the other umpires claim they were unable to see it with the other players blocking them.
With the close win, the Vikings swept the Packers for the first time since 2017 and won nine consecutive games in the regular season for the first time since 1975. The Vikings improved to 14âÂÂ2, their first time winning at least 14 games in the regular season since 1998, when they went 15âÂÂ1.
The league flexed this game to Sunday night, as the winner of the game would clinch the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye, whereas the loser would finish as the #5 seed and visit the Rams the next week. The Vikings were dominated on both sides of the ball, and ended the regular season with a 14âÂÂ3 record. The team's 14 wins were the most for any wild card team in NFL history. Additionally, they were swept by the Lions for the second consecutive season.
Amid the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, on January 9, the NFL moved the game to its alternate venue, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in the interest of public safety.
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Source: ProFootballReference.com