1983 Minnesota Vikings season
The 1983 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 23rd in the National Football League, and the 17th under head coach Bud Grant. The team finished with an 8–8 record and failed to reach the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. At the end of the season, Grant retired as head coach, although he returned for a final season in 1985.
| 1983 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bud Grant |
| General manager | Mike Lynn |
| Home field | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 4th NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Offseason
1983 Draft
| Pro Bowler |
| 1983 Minnesota Vikings Draft | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | |
| Round | Selection | ||||
| 1 | 19 | Joey Browner | Safety | USC | |
| 2 | 46 | Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles[a] | |||
| 3 | 73 | Walker Lee Ashley | Linebacker | Penn State | |
| 4 | 100 | Mark Rush | Running back | Miami | |
| 5 | 127 | Mark Stewart | Linebacker | Washington | |
| 6 | 159 | Mike Jones | Wide receiver | Tennessee State | |
| 7 | 186 | Carl Lee | Cornerback | Marshall | |
| 8 | 213 | Norris Brown | Tight end | Georgia | |
| 9 | 239 | Rod Achter | Wide receiver | Toledo | |
| 10 | 255 | Melvin Brown | Defensive back | Mississippi | from Rams[b] |
| 266 | Walter Tate | Center | Tennessee State | ||
| 11 | 298 | Brian Butcher | Guard | Clemson | |
| 12 | 325 | Maurice Turner | Running back | Utah State | |
- ^[a] The Vikings traded their 2nd-round selection (46th overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for defensive tackle Charlie Johnson.
- ^[b] The Vikings traded offensive tackle Ron Yary to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the Rams' 10th-round selection (255th overall).
Roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 6 | vs St. Louis Cardinals | W 28–10 | 1–0 | Wembley Stadium (London, England) | 32,847 | Global Cup |
| 2 | August 13 | Baltimore Colts | L 10–7 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 56,061 | |
| 3 | August 19 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 19–17 | 2–1 | Kingdome | 54,402 | |
| 4 | August 26 | Denver Broncos | W 34–3 | 3–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 59,435 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | at Cleveland Browns | W 27–21 | 1–0 | Cleveland Stadium | 70,087 |
| 2 | September 8 | San Francisco 49ers | L 17–48 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,167 |
| 3 | September 18 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 19–16 (OT) | 2–1 | Tampa Stadium | 57,567 |
| 4 | September 25 | Detroit Lions | W 20–17 | 3–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,254 |
| 5 | October 2 | Dallas Cowboys | L 24–37 | 3–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 60,774 |
| 6 | October 9 | at Chicago Bears | W 23–14 | 4–2 | Soldier Field | 59,632 |
| 7 | October 16 | Houston Oilers | W 34–14 | 5–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,910 |
| 8 | October 23 | at Green Bay Packers | W 20–17 (OT) | 6–2 | Lambeau Field | 55,236 |
| 9 | October 30 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 31–41 | 6–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 42,575 |
| 10 | November 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 12–17 | 6–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 59,239 |
| 11 | November 13 | Green Bay Packers | L 21–29 | 6–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 60,113 |
| 12 | November 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17–14 | 7–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 58,417 |
| 13 | November 27 | at New Orleans Saints | L 16–17 | 7–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 59,502 |
| 14 | December 5 | at Detroit Lions | L 2–13 | 7–7 | Silverdome | 79,169 |
| 15 | December 11 | Chicago Bears | L 13–19 | 7–8 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,880 |
| 16 | December 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–14 | 8–8 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,565 |
Against the Detroit Lions in Week 14, the Vikings became the 35th team in NFL history and only the fifth since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger, to score just a safety in a game. This has happened only three times since: by the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2011 Atlanta Falcons, and the 2013 Jacksonville Jaguars.
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Detroit Lions(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 347 | 286 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 429 | 439 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–7 | 311 | 301 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 4–8 | 316 | 348 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 241 | 380 | L3 |
Statistics
Team leaders
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Steve Dils | 2,840 |
| Passing touchdowns | Steve Dils | 911 |
| Rushing yards | Darrin Nelson | 642 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ted Brown | 10 |
| Receiving yards | Darrin Nelson | 618 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Sammy White | 4 |
| Points | Benny Ricardo | 108 |
| Kickoff return yards | Jarvis Redwine | 838 |
| Punt return yards | Rufus Bess | 158 |
| Sacks | Doug Martin | 13 |
| Interceptions | John Swain John Turner | 6 |
League rankings
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,211 | 200.7 | 13th |
| Rushing offense | 1,808 | 113.0 | 20th |
| Total offense | 5,019 | 313.7 | 20th |
| Passing defense | 2,903 | 181.4 | 6th |
| Rushing defense | 2,584 | 161.5 | 25th |
| Total defense | 5,487 | 342.9 | 19th |
References
- "1983 Minnesota Vikings". The Pro Football Archives. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
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