# 1990 Minnesota Vikings season

The 1990 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 30th in the National Football League. Under head coach Jerry Burns, they finished with a 6–10 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1986. The Vikings went 1–6 through their first seven games, including a five-game losing streak. They then won their next five (including a 41–13 win over the eventual NFC Central champion Chicago Bears in Week 12) to get back to 6–6 and give themselves a shot at a wild card spot in the playoffs; however, the Vikings lost their final four games to finish at 6–10. While their overall record was tied with three other teams in the division, the Vikings' 4–8 record against fellow NFC teams meant they finished bottom of the NFC Central. It was the first time since 1984 Minnesota finished last in the division, and the second since 1968.
Notable additions to the team this season were wide receiver Cris Carter, and undrafted defensive lineman John Randle, both of whom went on to have Hall of Fame careers.
Injuries to the defense and a lackluster season from Herschel Walker were the story of the team's season.

## Offseason
### 1990 draft

* Pro Bowler
1990 Minnesota Vikings Draft :
| Draft order | Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| Round | Selection | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 21 | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | |
| 2 | 47 | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | |
| 3 | 54 | Mike Jones | Tight end | Texas A&M | From Cowboys |
| 3 | 74 | Marion Hobby | Defensive end | Tennessee | |
| 4 | 104 | Alonzo Hampton | Defensive back | Pittsburgh | |
| 5 | 116 | Reggie Thornton | Wide receiver | Bowling Green | From Chargers, via Cowboys |
| 5 | 131 | Cedric Smith | Fullback | Florida | |
| 6 | 158 | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | Traded to the Dallas Cowboys | |
| 7 | 188 | John Levelis | Linebacker | C. W. Post | |
| 8 | 214 | Craig Schlichting | Defensive end | Wyoming | |
| 9 | 241 | Terry Allen | Running back | Clemson | |
| 10 | 249 | Pat Newman | Wide receiver | Utah State | From Cowboys |
| 10 | 271 | Donald Smith | Defensive back | Liberty | |
| 11 | 298 | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders | Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders | |
| 12 | 324 | Ron Goetz | Linebacker | Minnesota | |
Notes:
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 These picks were involved in the Herschel Walker trade on October 12, 1989.
* ↑ The Vikings traded their 11th-round selection (298th overall) to the Rams in exchange for a 1989 12th-round selection (335th overall).

### Undrafted free agents

1990 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Pat Eilers | Safety | Notre Dame |
| Tim Peterson | Quarterback | Wisconsin–Stout |
| John Randle | Defensive tackle | Texas A&M–Kingsville |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | August 11 | New Orleans Saints | L 10–13 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 48,154 |
| 2 | August 19 | at Cleveland Browns | W 23–20 | 1–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 60,989 |
| 3 | August 26 | Houston Oilers | W 22–21 | 2–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 46,191 |
| 4 | August 31 | at Miami Dolphins | W 20–17 | 3–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 44,689 |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 9 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–21 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 68,363 |
| 2 | September 16 | New Orleans Saints | W 32–3 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 56,272 |
| 3 | September 23 | at Chicago Bears | L 19–16 | 1–2 | Soldier Field | 65,420 |
| 4 | September 30 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 23–20 (OT) | 1–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,462 |
| 5 | October 7 | Detroit Lions | L 34–27 | 1–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,586 |
| 6 | October 15 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 32–24 | 1–5 | Veterans Stadium | 66,296 |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 28 | at Green Bay Packers | L 24–10 | 1–6 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 55,125 |
| 9 | November 4 | Denver Broncos | W 27–22 | 2–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,331 |
| 10 | November 11 | at Detroit Lions | W 17–7 | 3–6 | Silverdome | 68,264 |
| 11 | November 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 24–21 | 4–6 | Kingdome | 59,735 |
| 12 | November 25 | Chicago Bears | W 41–13 | 5–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,866 |
| 13 | December 2 | Green Bay Packers | W 23–7 | 6–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 62,058 |
| 14 | December 9 | at New York Giants | L 23–15 | 6–7 | Giants Stadium | 76,121 |
| 15 | December 16 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 26–13 | 6–8 | Tampa Stadium | 47,272 |
| 16 | December 22 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 28–24 | 6–9 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,899 |
| 17 | December 30 | San Francisco 49ers | L 20–17 | 6–10 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,590 |

### Standings

NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Chicago Bears | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 348 | 280 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5–3 | 6–8 | 264 | 367 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 373 | 413 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 271 | 347 | L5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 351 | 326 | L4 |

## Statistics
### Team leaders

| Category | Player(s) | Value |
| Passing yards | Rich Gannon | 2,278 |
| Passing touchdowns | Rich Gannon | 16 |
| Rushing yards | Herschel Walker | 770 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Herschel Walker | 5 |
| Receiving yards | Anthony Carter | 1,008 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Anthony Carter | 8 |
| Points | Donald Igwebuike | 61 |
| Kickoff return yards | Herschel Walker | 966 |
| Punt return yards | Leo Lewis | 180 |
| Tackles | Henry Thomas | 109 |
| Sacks | Chris Doleman | 11.0 |
| Interceptions | Joey Browner | 7 |
| Forced fumbles | Chris Doleman | 4 |

### League rankings

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
| Passing offense | 3,167 | 197.9 | 11th |
| Rushing offense | 1,867 | 116.7 | 15th |
| Total offense | 5,034 | 314.6 | 12th |
| Passing defense | 2,643 | 165.2 | 3rd |
| Rushing defense | 2,074 | 129.6 | 21st |
| Total defense | 4,717 | 294.8 | 13th |

## Awards and honors

* Randall McDaniel, NFC Pro Bowl selection
* Randall McDaniel, All-Pro selection by Associated Press
* Randall McDaniel, All-NFC selection by UPI