# 1984 Minnesota Vikings season

The 1984 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 24th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a 3–13 record, their worst record since the AFL–NFL merger, later equaled by the 2011 team, and the team's second worst overall record by win percentage (only 1962 was worse).
The Vikings' 484 points allowed (30.3 average points per game) was the most by any NFL team between 1983 and 2000, and the most any Vikings team allowed in one season. At the time, it was the third-most allowed in a 16-game season, trailing only the 1981 Baltimore Colts (533, still the record going into the 2021 season) and 1980 New Orleans Saints (487).
The team was coached by Les Steckel after Bud Grant retired; after the bad season, Steckel was fired and Bud Grant was re-hired.

## Offseason
### 1984 draft

* Pro Bowler
1984 Minnesota Vikings Draft :
| Draft order | Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| Round | Selection | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 13 | Keith Millard | Defensive tackle | Washington State | |
| 2 | 40 | Traded to the Houston Oilers | Traded to the Houston Oilers | Traded to the Houston Oilers | |
| 3 | 67 | Alfred Anderson | Running back | Baylor | |
| 4 | 100 | Traded to the Houston Oilers | Traded to the Houston Oilers | Traded to the Houston Oilers | |
| 5 | 127 | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders | |
| 5 | 140 | Allen Rice | Running back | Baylor | from Raiders |
| 6 | 154 | Dwight Collins | Wide receiver | Pittsburgh | |
| 7 | 181 | John Haines | Defensive tackle | Texas | |
| 7 | 196 | Lloyd Lewis | Guard | Texas A&I | from Raiders |
| 8 | 208 | Paul Sverchek | Defensive tackle | Cal Poly | |
| 9 | 235 | Keith Kidd | Wide receiver | Arkansas | |
| 10 | 268 | James Spencer | Linebacker | Oklahoma State | |
| 11 | 295 | Edgar Pickett | Linebacker | Clemson | |
| 11 | 308 | Lawrence Thompson | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | from Raiders |
| 12 | 321 | Mike Jones | Running back | North Carolina A&T | Originally Packers pick |
Notes
* 1 2 The Vikings traded their second- and fourth-round selections (40th and 100th overall) to the Oilers in exchange for QB Archie Manning and TE Dave Casper.
* 1 2 3 4 The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (127th overall) to the Raiders in exchange for the a fifth-, seventh-, and 11th-round selections (140th, 196th and 308th overall).
* ↑ The Vikings were due to pick 322nd overall but the Packers passed, allowing the Vikings to move up one spot.

### 1984 supplemental draft

1984 Minnesota Vikings Supplemental USFL/CFL Draft :
| Draft order | Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Pro team |
| Round | Selection | Player name | Position | College | Pro team |
| 1 | 13 | Allanda Smith | Cornerback | TCU | Los Angeles Express |
| 2 | 40 | Robert Smith | Defensive end | Grambling State | Arizona Wranglers |
| 3 | 67 | David Howard | Linebacker | Long Beach State | Los Angeles Express |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | August 4 | Atlanta Falcons | W 37–6 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,693 |
| 2 | August 11 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–29 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,003 |
| 3 | August 18 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–31 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,743 |
| 4 | August 24 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–31 | 1–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 31,210 |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 2 | San Diego Chargers | L 13–42 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,276 |
| 2 | September 9 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–19 | 0–2 | Veterans Stadium | 55,942 |
| 3 | September 16 | Atlanta Falcons | W 27–20 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,955 |
| 4 | September 23 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–28 | 2–2 | Silverdome | 57,511 |
| 5 | September 30 | Seattle Seahawks | L 12–20 | 2–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,171 |
| 6 | October 7 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 31–35 | 2–4 | Tampa Stadium | 47,405 |
| 7 | October 14 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 20–23 | 2–5 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 49,276 |
| 8 | October 21 | Detroit Lions | L 14–16 | 2–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,953 |
| 9 | October 28 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–16 | 2–7 | Soldier Field | 57,517 |
| 10 | November 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–24 | 3–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,949 |
| 11 | November 11 | at Green Bay Packers | L 17–45 | 3–8 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 52,931 |
| 12 | November 18 | at Denver Broncos | L 21–42 | 3–9 | Mile High Stadium | 74,716 |
| 13 | November 25 | Chicago Bears | L 3–34 | 3–10 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 56,881 |
| 14 | November 29 | Washington Redskins | L 17–31 | 3–11 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,017 |
| 15 | December 8 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 7–51 | 3–12 | Candlestick Park | 56,670 |
| 16 | December 16 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–38 | 3–13 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,197 |

### Game summaries
#### Week 3: vs Atlanta Falcons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Vikings | 3 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 27 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 53,955
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* Box Score, Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Mick Luckhurst 33-yard field goal, 7:32. Falcons 3–0. Drive:
MIN – Jan Stenerud 22-yard field goal, 3:39. Tie 3–3. Drive:
Second quarter
MIN – Jan Stenerud 54-yard field goal, 14:29. Vikings 6–3. Drive:
ATL – Mick Luckhurst 43-yard field goal, 6:04. Tie 6–6. Drive:
Third quarter
MIN – Leo Lewis 42-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Jan Stenerud kick), 12:10. Vikings 13–6. Drive:
ATL – Stacey Bailey 57-yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Mick Luckhurst kick), 9:58. Tie 13–13. Drive:
MIN – Steve Jordan 21-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Jan Stenerud kick), 5:50. Vikings 20–13. Drive:
MIN – Dwight Collins 43-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Jan Stenerud kick), 1:59. Vikings 27–13. Drive:
Fourth quarter
ATL – Billy Johnson 32-yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Mick Luckhurst kick), 5:43. Vikings 27–20. Drive:
Top passers
ATL – Steve Bartkowski – 14/24, 195 yards, 2 TD, INT
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 15/30, 203 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
ATL – Gerald Riggs – 17 rushes, 83 yards
MIN – Darrin Nelson – 15 rushes, 96 yards
Top receivers
ATL – Stacey Bailey – 4 receptions, 102 yards, TD
MIN – Leo Lewis – 3 receptions, 69 yards, TD :

#### Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 49ers | 14 | 17 | 6 | 14 | 51 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
* Date: December 8, 1984
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C)
* Game attendance: 56,670
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber (play-by-play) and Dick Vermeil (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database
Game information :
First quarter
SF – Dwight Clark 44-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick), 6:44. 49ers 7–0.
SF – Freddie Solomon 3-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick), 1:41. 49ers 14–0.
Second quarter
MIN – Darrin Nelson 5-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 13:16. 49ers 14–7.
SF – Wendell Tyler 5-yard run (Ray Wersching kick), 9:12. 49ers 21–7.
SF – Renaldo Nehemiah 59-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick), 6:54. 49ers 28–7.
SF – Ray Wersching 41-yard field goal, 0:03. 49ers 31–7.
Third quarter
SF – Ray Wersching 25-yard field goal, 9:48. 49ers 34–7.
SF – Ray Wersching 38-yard field goal, 0:44. 49ers 37–7.
Fourth quarter
SF – Derrick Harmon 3-yard run (Ray Wersching kick), 10:08. 49ers 44–7.
SF – Bill Ring 15-yard run (Ray Wersching kick), 3:02. 49ers 51–7.
Top passers
MIN – Wade Wilson – 18/32, 212 yards, INT
SF – Joe Montana – 15/21, 246 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
MIN – Darrin Nelson – 7 rushes, 38 yards, TD
SF – Derrick Harmon – 11 rushes, 56 yards, TD
Top receivers
MIN – Leo Lewis – 3 receptions, 55 yards
SF – Renaldo Nehemiah – 6 receptions, 125 yards, TD :

### Standings

NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Chicago Bears$^{(3)}$ | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 325 | 248 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 390 | 309 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 5–9 | 335 | 380 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 3–5 | 4–7–1 | 283 | 408 | L3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 276 | 484 | L6 |

## Statistics
### Team leaders

| Category | Player(s) | Value |
| Passing yards | Tommy Kramer | 1,678 |
| Passing touchdowns | Tommy Kramer | 9 |
| Rushing yards | Alfred Anderson | 773 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ted Brown Darrin Nelson | 3 |
| Receiving yards | Leo Lewis | 830 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Leo Lewis | 4 |
| Points | Jan Stenerud | 90 |
| Kickoff return yards | Darrin Nelson | 891 |
| Punt return yards | Darrin Nelson | 180 |
| Tackles | Carl Lee | 100 |
| Sacks | Randy Holloway | 5 |
| Interceptions | Rufus Bess | 3 |

### League rankings

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
| Passing offense | 2,872 | 179.5 | 22nd |
| Rushing offense | 1,844 | 115.2 | 18th |
| Total offense | 4,716 | 294.8 | 25th |
| Passing defense | 3,779 | 236.2 | 26th |
| Rushing defense | 2,573 | 160.8 | 27th |
| Total defense | 6,352 | 397.0 | 28th |