| 2001 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Dennis Green (Weeks 1–16) Mike Tice (Week 17) |
| Home Field | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Place | 4th NFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 2
|
| Timeline | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 2000 | 2002 |
The 2001 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 41st in the National Football League. Despite having a 12th ranked offense, the Vikings finished 5–11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Before the end of the season, the team fired head coach Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force among the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, a loss to the Ravens.
The season began in tragic circumstances when offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp.
The season started off with a 24–13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers. They did not win on the road at all during this season. Some season highlights included a 35–13 win over the rival Green Bay Packers in week six, and a week ten victory over the Giants in which Randy Moss pulled in 10 receptions for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns leading to a 28–16 victory.
This was Cris Carter's final season in Minnesota, having played 12 seasons there, making eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (1993–2000), all with the Vikings. He is the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He retired at the end of the disappointing season, but would briefly return to play for the Miami Dolphins midway through next season.
Offseason[]
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| WR Jake Reed (Saints) | LB Dwayne Rudd (Browns) |
| TE Byron Chamberlain (Broncos) | DT John Randle (Seahawks) |
2001 Draft[]
| =Pro Bowler |
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings Draft | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | ||
| Round | Choice | Overall | ||||
| 1 | 27 | 27 | Michael Bennett | Running Back | Wisconsin | |
| 2 | 26 | 27 | Willie Howard | Defensive end | Stanford | |
| 3 | 7 | 69 | Eric Kelly | Cornerback | Kentucky | from Patriots[a] |
| 24 | 86 | Traded to the New England Patriots[a] | ||||
| 4 | 24 | 119 | Traded to the New England Patriots[a] | |||
| 35 | 130 | Shawn Worthen | Defensive tackle | Texas Christian | Compensatory pick[b] | |
| 36 | 131 | Cedric James | Wide receiver | Texas Christian | Compensatory pick[b] | |
| 5 | 26 | 118 | Patrick Chukwurah | Linebacker | Wyoming | |
| 6 | 26 | 189 | Carey Scott | Cornerback | Kentucky State | |
| 7 | 25 | 225 | Brian Crawford | Defensive Tackle | Western Oregon | |
- ^[a] Minnesota traded their 3rd round selection (86th overall) and 4th round selection (119th overall) to New England to move up 17 spots to the 69th overall selection and make this pick.
- ^[b] Minnesota was awarded two compensatory pick in the 4th round for the loss of free agents Jeff Christy, Duane Clemons, Jeff George, and Jimmy Hitchcock in the 2000 offseason.
Undrafted free agents[]
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Russell | Safety | San Diego State |
| Mike Solwold | Long snapper | Wisconsin |
Preseason[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 11 | at New Orleans Saints | W 28-21 | 1-0 | Alamodome, (San Antonio, TX) | 46,752 |
| 2 | August 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24-10 | 2-0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,790 |
| 3 | August 24 | Indianapolis Colts | W 28-21 | 3-0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,804 |
| 4 | August 31 | at Miami Dolphins | W 20-7 | 4-0 | Pro Player Stadium | 60,136 |
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Kickoff (CT) | Opponent | Results | Venue | TV | NFL Recap | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | ||||||||
| 1 | September 9 | 12:00 pm | Carolina Panthers | L 13–24 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | 64,108 |
| 2 | September 23 | 12:00 pm | at Chicago Bears | L 10–17 | 0–2 | Soldier Field | FOX | Recap | 66,944 |
| 3 | September 30 | 12:00 pm | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20–16 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | 64,105 |
| 4 | October 7 | 12:00 pm | at New Orleans Saints | L 15–28 | 1–3 | Louisiana Superdome | FOX | Recap | 70,020 |
| 5 | October 14 | 12:00 pm | Detroit Lions | W 31–26 | 2–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | 64,048 |
| 6 | October 21 | 3:15 pm | Green Bay Packers | W 35–13 | 3–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | 64,165 |
| 7 | October 28 | 12:00 pm | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 14–41 | 3–4 | Raymond James Stadium | FOX | Recap | 65,558 |
| 8 | Bye week | ||||||||
| 9 | November 11 | 3:15 pm | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–48 | 3–5 | Veterans Stadium | FOX | Recap | 65,638 |
| 10 | November 19 | 8:00 pm | New York Giants | W 28–16 | 4–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | ABC | Recap | 64,283 |
| 11 | November 25 | 7:30 pm | Chicago Bears | L 6–13 | 4–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | ESPN | Recap | 64,214 |
| 12 | December 2 | 12:00 pm | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–21 | 4–7 | Heinz Field | FOX | Recap | 62,661 |
| 13 | December 9 | 12:00 pm | Tennessee Titans | W 42–24 | 5–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | CBS | Recap | 64,271 |
| 14 | December 16 | 12:00 pm | at Detroit Lions | L 24–27 | 5–8 | Pontiac Silverdome | FOX | Recap | 72,190 |
| 15 | December 23 | 12:00 pm | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 3–33 | 5–9 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | CBS | Recap | 64,150 |
| 16 | December 30 | 12:00 pm | at Green Bay Packers | L 13–24 | 5–10 | Lambeau Field | FOX | Recap | 59,870 |
| 17 | January 7 | 8:00 pm | at Baltimore Ravens | L 3–19 | 5–11 | M&T Bank Stadium | ABC | Recap | 69,465 |
Notes
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings[]
Template:2001 NFC Central standings
Statistics[]
Team leaders[]
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Daunte Culpepper | 2,612 |
| Passing touchdowns | Daunte Culpepper | 14 |
| Rushing yards | Michael Bennett | 682 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Daunte Culpepper | 5 |
| Receiving yards | Randy Moss | 1,233 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Randy Moss | 10 |
| Points | Gary Anderson | 74 |
| Kickoff return yards | Nate Jacquet | 1,012 |
| Punt return yards | Nate Jacquet | 219 |
| Tackles | Kailee Wong | 98 |
| Sacks | Chris Hovan | 6 |
| Interceptions | Robert Griffith Eric Kelly |
2 |
| Forced fumbles | Patrick Chukwurah | 3 |
League rankings[]
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 31) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,576 | 223.5 | 7th |
| Rushing offense | 1,609 | 100.6 | 25th |
| Total offense | 5,185 | 324.1 | 12th |
| Passing defense | 3,367 | 210.4 | 18th |
| Rushing defense | 2,299 | 143.7 | 30th |
| Total defense | 5,666 | 354.1 | 27th |
Personnel[]
Staff[]
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Final roster[]
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
References[]
- ↑ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. http://www.vikings.com/news/media-guide.html. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
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