1988 Minnesota Vikings season

1988 Minnesota Vikings season
Head Coach	Jerry Burns
General Manager	Mike Lynn
Home Field	Metrodome
Results
Record	11–5
Place	2nd NFC Central
Playoff Finish	Won NFC Wild Card Playoff (Rams) 28–17 Lost NFC Divisional Playoff (at 49ers) 9–34
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1987	1989

The 1988 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 28th in the National Football League. They finished with an 11–5 record, and finished second to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Central division.

The Vikings had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 1988. The team allowed 4,091 total yards, 4.3 yards per play, and 243 first downs, all best in the league. The Vikings also had a league-best 53 takeaways. Opposing quarterbacks had a league-worst 41.2 passer rating against the Vikings' defense, the lowest total of the 1980s and fifth all-time for the Super Bowl era.

The Vikings made the postseason for the second consecutive time under coach Jerry Burns. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard round, but the following week, the Vikings couldn't flick the switch this time, losing 34–9 to the rejuvenated San Francisco 49ers, who would go on to win their third Super Bowl. This was the last time the Vikings had won a playoff game until 1997.

Offseason

1988 Draft

Main article: 1988 NFL draft

Hall of Famer

1988 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection
1	19	Randall McDaniel	Guard	Arizona State
2	45	Traded to the Denver Broncos
	54	Brad Edwards	Defensive back	South Carolina	from Broncos
3	71	Al Noga	Defensive end	Hawaii
4	97	Traded to the New England Patriots
	108	Todd Kalis	Guard	Arizona State	from Broncos
5	124	Darrell Fullington	Defensive back	Miami
6	156	Traded to the Miami Dolphins
	164	Derrick White	Defensive back	Oklahoma	from Broncos
7	183	Brad Beckman	Tight end	Nebraska–Omaha
8	210	Joe Cain	Linebacker	Oregon Tech
9	237	Paul McGowan	Linebacker	Florida State
10	264	Brian Habib	Offensive tackle	Washington
11	296	Norman Floyd	Safety	South Carolina	from Vikings via Patriots
12	323	Traded to the New York Giants

^{^[a]} The Vikings traded their second-round selection (45th overall) to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Denver's second-, fourth- and sixth-round selections (54th, 108th and 164th overall).

^{^[b]} The Vikings traded their fourth- and 11th-round selections (97th and 294th overall) to the New England Patriots for QB Rich Gannon.

^{^[c]} The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (156th overall) and 1989 10th-round selection (275th overall) to the Miami Dolphins for OL Greg Koch.

^{^[d]} The Vikings traded their 1989 ninth-round selection to the New England Patriots in exchange for the 11th-round selection that the Patriots received in the Gannon trade (296th overall).

^{^[e]} The Vikings traded their 12th-round selection (323rd overall) to the New York Giants in exchange for C Chris Foote.

Supplemental Draft

Round	Name	Position	College	Notes
5	Ryan Bethea	Wide receiver	South Carolina	Resulted in forfeiture of 1989 fifth-round selection

Personnel

Staff

1988 Minnesota Vikings staff
	Front office President – Wheelock Whitney, Jr. General manager – Mike Lynn Head coaches Head coach – Jerry Burns Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Bob Schnelker Receivers – Dick Rehbein Offensive assistant/receivers – Jerry Brown Running backs – John Brunner Tight ends – Tom Batta Offensive line – John Michels			Defensive coaches {{{defensive}}} Special teams coaches Special teams – Tom Batta

Final roster

1988 Minnesota Vikings roster
	Quarterbacks 16 Rich Gannon  9 Tommy Kramer 11 Wade Wilson Running backs 46 Alfred Anderson FB 42 D. J. Dozier 31 Rick Fenney 32 Darryl Harris KR 20 Darrin Nelson 36 Allen Rice Wide receivers 81 Anthony Carter 80 Jim Gustafson 84 Hassan Jones 87 Leo Lewis PR Tight ends 82 Carl Hilton 83 Steve Jordan 86 Mike Mularkey		Offensive linemen 62 Chris Foote C 72 Dave Huffman G 76 Tim Irwin T 69 Todd Kalis G 63 Kirk Lowdermilk C 64 Randall McDaniel G 52 Randy Rasmussen C 66 Terry Tausch G 65 Gary Zimmerman T Defensive linemen 60 Al Baker DE 78 Barry Bennett DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 78 William Gay DE 73 Stafford Mays DE 75 Keith Millard DT 99 Al Noga DE 97 Henry Thomas DT		Linebackers 53 Sam Anno 58 Walker Lee Ashley 50 Ray Berry OLB 51 David Howard OLB 54 Jesse Solomon OLB 55 Scott Studwell MLB Defensive backs 47 Joey Browner SS 27 Brad Edwards FS 29 Darrell Fullington FS 44 John Harris FS 24 Wymon Henderson CB 30 Issiac Holt CB 39 Carl Lee CB 48 Reggie Rutland CB Special teams  1 Chuck Nelson K 13 Bucky Scribner P		Reserve lists 79 Doug Martin DE (IR) 96 Tim Newton DT (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics 49 Active, 2 Inactive, 0 Practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance [1]	Notes
1	August 7	New Orleans Saints	L 20–23	0–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	47,624
2	August 14	Chicago Bears	W 28–21	1–1	Ullevi Stadium (Göteborg, Sweden)	33,115	Volvo American Football Classic
3	August 21	at Phoenix Cardinals	W 19–16 (OT)	2–1	Sun Devil Stadium	45,429
4	August 26	Miami Dolphins	W 24–17	3–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	51,463

Regular season

File:1988 NFC Wild Card Game - Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings 1988-12-26 (ticket).jpg

A ticket for the 1988 NFC Wildcard Game between the Vikings and the Rams.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	at Buffalo Bills	L 10–12	0–1	Rich Stadium	76,783
2	September 11	New England Patriots	W 36–6	1–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	55,545
3	September 18	at Chicago Bears	W 31–7	2–1	Soldier Field	63,990
4	September 25	Philadelphia Eagles	W 23–21	3–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	56,012
5	October 2	at Miami Dolphins	L 7–24	3–2	Joe Robbie Stadium	59,867
6	October 9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 14–13	4–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	55,274
7	October 16	Green Bay Packers	L 14–34	4–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,053
8	October 23	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 49–20	5–3	Tampa Stadium	48,020
9	October 30	at San Francisco 49ers	L 21–24	5–4	Candlestick Park	60,738
10	November 6	Detroit Lions	W 44–17	6–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	55,573
11	November 13	at Dallas Cowboys	W 43–3	7–4	Texas Stadium	57,830
12	November 20	Indianapolis Colts	W 12–3	8–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	58,342
13	November 24	at Detroit Lions	W 23–0	9–4	Silverdome	46,379
14	December 4	New Orleans Saints	W 45–3	10–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	61,215
15	December 11	at Green Bay Packers	L 6–18	10–5	Lambeau Field	48,892
16	December 19	Chicago Bears	W 28–27	11–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	62,067

Game summaries

Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 17 0 17 9 43 Cowboys 0 3 0 0 3 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Date: November 13 Game time: 7:00 p.m. Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) Game attendance: 57,830 Pro-Football-Reference.com Game information First quarter MIN – Hassan Jones 26-yard pass from Wade Wilson (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 7–0. MIN – Henry Thomas 2-yard fumble return (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 14–0. MIN – Chuck Nelson 39-yard field goal. Vikings 17–0. Second quarter DAL – Roger Ruzek 50-yard field goal. Vikings 17–3. Third quarter MIN – Hassan Jones 64-yard pass from Wade Wilson (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 24–3. MIN – Chuck Nelson 27-yard field goal. Vikings 27–3. MIN – Steve Jordan 3-yard pass from Wade Wilson (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 34–3. Fourth quarter MIN – D. J. Dozier 19-yard run (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 41–3. MIN – Kevin Sweeney tackled by Al Baker in the end zone for a safety. Vikings 43–3. Top passers MIN – Wade Wilson – 12/27, 240 yards, 3 TD, INT DAL – Kevin Sweeney – 10/28, 93 yards, 4 INT Top rushers MIN – D. J. Dozier – 4 rushes, 36 yards, TD DAL – Herschel Walker – 21 rushes, 86 yards Top receivers MIN – Hassan Jones – 3 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD DAL – Michael Irvin – 2 receptions, 42 yards

Standings

Template:1988 NFC Central standings

Playoffs

See also: 1988–89 NFL playoffs

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Wild Card	December 26	Los Angeles Rams (5)	W 28–17	1–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	57,666
Divisional	January 1	San Francisco 49ers (2)	L 9–34	1–1	Candlestick Park	61,848

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card: vs. (#5) Los Angeles Rams

NFC Wild Card Playoff: (#5) Los Angeles Rams at (#4) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 7 3 7 17 Vikings 14 0 7 7 28 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: December 26, 1988 Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. CST Game attendance: 57,666 Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Game information First quarter MIN – Alfred Anderson 7-yard run (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 7–0. MIN – Allen Rice 17-yard run (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 14–0. Second quarter LAR – Damone Johnson 3-yard pass from Jim Everett (Mike Lansford kick). Vikings 14–7. Third quarter MIN – Alfred Anderson 1-yard run (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 21–7. LAR – Mike Lansford 33-yard field goal. Vikings 21–10. Fourth quarter MIN – Carl Hilton 5-yard pass from Wade Wilson (Chuck Nelson kick). Vikings 28–10. LAR – Pete Holohan 11-yard pass from Jim Everett (Mike Lansford kick). Vikings 28–17. Top passers LAR – Jim Everett – 19/45, 247 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT MIN – Wade Wilson – 17/28, 253 yards, TD Top rushers LAR – Greg Bell – 17 rushes, 91 yards MIN – Allen Rice – 17 rushes, 79 yards, TD Top receivers LAR – Henry Ellard – 4 receptions, 54 yards MIN – Anthony Carter – 4 receptions, 102 yards

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (#2) San Francisco 49ers

NFC Divisional Playoff: (#4) Minnesota Vikings at (#2) San Francisco 49ers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 3 0 6 0 9 49ers 7 14 0 13 34 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco Date: January 1, 1989 Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST Game attendance: 61,848 Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden Pro-Football-Reference.com Game information First quarter MIN – Chuck Nelson 47-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0. SF – Jerry Rice 2-yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) 49ers 7–3. Second quarter SF – Jerry Rice 4-yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick). 49ers 14–3. SF – Jerry Rice 11-yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick). 49ers 21–3. Third quarter MIN – Hassan Jones 5-yard pass from Wade Wilson (kick failed). 49ers 21–9. Fourth quarter SF – Roger Craig 4-yard run (Mike Cofer kick). 49ers 28–9. SF – Roger Craig 80-yard run (kick failed). 49ers 34–9. Top passers MIN – Wade Wilson – 23/47, 255 yards, TD, 2 INT SF – Joe Montana – 16/27, 178 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers MIN – Allen Rice – 5 rushes, 20 yards SF – Roger Craig – 21 rushes, 135 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MIN – Hassan Jones – 7 receptions, 71 yards, TD SF – Jerry Rice – 5 receptions, 61 yards, 3 TD

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Wade Wilson	2,746
Passing touchdowns	Wade Wilson	15
Rushing yards	Darrin Nelson	380
Rushing touchdowns	Alfred Anderson	7
Receiving yards	Anthony Carter	1,225
Receiving touchdowns	Anthony Carter	6
Points	Chuck Nelson	108
Kickoff return yards	Darryl Harris	833
Punt return yards	Leo Lewis	550 *
Tackles	Jesse Solomon	124
Sacks	Chris Doleman Keith Millard	8.0
Interceptions	Carl Lee	8
Forced fumbles	Henry Thomas	4

* Vikings single season record

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing offense	3,789	236.8	4th
Rushing offense	1,806	112.9	20th
Total offense	5,595	349.7	7th
Passing defense	2,489	155.6	2nd
Rushing defense	1,602	100.1	5th
Total defense	4,091	255.7	1st

References

• Vikings on Pro Football Reference
• Vikings on jt-sw.com