# 1982 Minnesota Vikings season

The 1982 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in the newly constructed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The team was looking to improve on its 7–9 record from 1981. However, a players strike meant seven of the team's 16 games were canceled, and each NFL team was only able to play nine games. The Vikings won their opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before losing the next week to the Buffalo Bills, a game in which they had a 19–0 lead before the Bills pulled off a comeback to win 23–22.
After the strike ended, the Vikings lost 26–7 to the Packers in Green Bay before beating the Bears 35–7 the following week to sit at 2–2. After a loss to the Dolphins, the Vikings won their next two games to sit at 4–3. In their final game of the season, they upset the Dallas Cowboys 31–27 to clinch the NFC's fourth place spot in the playoffs In the playoffs, the Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 to reach the divisional round. However, in that game, they lost 21–7 to the eventual champion Redskins.

## Offseason
### 1982 draft

* Pro Bowler
1982 Minnesota Vikings Draft :
| Draft order | Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| Round | Selection | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 7 | Darrin Nelson | Running back | Stanford | |
| 2 | 39 | Terry Tausch | Guard | Texas | |
| 3 | 66 | Traded to the New Orleans Saints | Traded to the New Orleans Saints | Traded to the New Orleans Saints | |
| 4 | 92 | Jim Fahnhorst | Linebacker | Minnesota | |
| 5 | 120 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | |
| 6 | 147 | Greg Storr | Linebacker | Boston College | |
| 7 | 179 | Steve Jordan | Tight end | Brown | |
| 8 | 206 | Kirk Harmon | Linebacker | Pacific | |
| 9 | 233 | Bryan Howard | Defensive back | Tennessee State | |
| 10 | 260 | Gerald Lucear | Wide receiver | Temple | |
| 11 | 286 | Curtis Rouse | Guard | Chattanooga | |
| 12 | 318 | Hobson Milner | Running back | Cincinnati | |
Notes
* ↑ The Vikings traded their third-round selection (66th overall) to the Saints in exchange for RB Tony Galbreath.
* ↑ The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (120th overall) and a 1981 sixth-round selection (154th overall) to the Dolphins in exchange for C Jim Langer.

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Baltimore Colts | W 30–14 | 1–0 | Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | 23,379 |
| 2 | August 14 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–20 | 1–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 49,831 |
| 3 | August 21 | Seattle Seahawks | W 7–3 | 2–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,880 |
| 4 | August 28 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–27 | 2–2 | Mile High Stadium | 73,371 |
| 5 | September 3 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–21 | 3–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 59,810 |

## Regular season

The Vikings opened their new stadium with a 17–10 win over Tampa Bay in the season opener. A close loss to Buffalo on the road followed.
The season was then interrupted by the players' 57-day strike that reduced the NFL regular season to nine games. Upon resumption of play in November, the Vikings went 4–3 to close out the abbreviated regular season and closed the campaign with a 5–4 record. Games against Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, New Orleans, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Washington were canceled.
As three of Minnesota's losses were to AFC opponents, their 4–1 conference record put them at the top of a logjam of teams with similar records in the playoff seedings. In 1982, the NFL took the top eight teams from each conference regardless of division record for playoff consideration. The Vikings earned the #4 seed based on this tiebreaker and home field advantage in round one.
In their opening round playoff game, the Vikings took on the Atlanta Falcons. The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Minnesota take a 13–7 halftime lead, only to see the Falcons retake the lead late in the final period on a 41-yard field goal by Mick Luckhurst. With just under two minutes remaining, the Vikings began a game-winning drive that culminated in a Ted Brown 5-yard touchdown run to win the game and send the Vikings on to round two.
In the second round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, 21–7, at RFK Stadium. The Vikings trailed 14–0 after one quarter. Ted Brown's touchdown run in the second period cut it to 14–7, but Joe Theismann hit Alvin Garrett late in the quarter with an 18-yard touchdown strike to make it 21–7. Neither team scored in the second half.
QB Tommy Kramer threw for 2,037 yards and 15 touchdowns in the short season. RB Ted Brown had 515 yards to lead all rushers, and WR Sammy White tallied 503 yards and five touchdowns to lead receivers.
LB Matt Blair anchored the Vikings defense and also made the 1982 Pro Bowl.

### Schedule

| Week | Original week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | 1 | September 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–10 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,440 |
| 2 | 2 | September 16 | at Buffalo Bills | L 22–23 | 1–1 | Rich Stadium | 77,753 |
| — | 3 | September 26 | Dallas Cowboys | Postponed | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 4 | October 3 | at Chicago Bears | Canceled | 1–1 | Soldier Field | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 5 | October 10 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Canceled | 1–1 | Tampa Stadium | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 6 | October 17 | New Orleans Saints | Canceled | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 7 | October 24 | Green Bay Packers | Canceled | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 8 | November 1 | Detroit Lions | Canceled | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 9 | November 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | Canceled | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | 1982 NFL players strike |
| — | 10 | November 14 | at Washington Redskins | Canceled | 1–1 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 1982 NFL players strike |
| 3 | 11 | November 21 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–26 | 1–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 44,681 |
| 4 | 12 | November 28 | Chicago Bears | W 35–7 | 2–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,724 |
| 5 | 13 | December 5 | at Miami Dolphins | L 14–22 | 2–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 45,721 |
| 6 | 14 | December 12 | Baltimore Colts | W 13–10 | 3–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,981 |
| 7 | 15 | December 19 | at Detroit Lions | W 34–31 | 4–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 73,058 |
| 8 | 16 | December 26 | New York Jets | L 14–42 | 4–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,672 |
| 9 | 17 | January 3 | Dallas Cowboys | W 31–27 | 5–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 60,007 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: September 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 58,440
* Referee: Gene Barth
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
TB – Bill Capece 51-yard field goal, 2:00. Buccaneers 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 4:55.
Second quarter
MIN – Rickey Young 3-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick), 6:31. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 5:19.
Third quarter
MIN – Sammy White 22-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 6:48. Vikings 14–3. Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 8:12.
Fourth quarter
TB – Jimmie Giles 20-yard pass from Doug Williams (Bill Capece kick), 5:06. Vikings 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:30.
MIN – Rick Danmeier 33-yard field goal, 2:06. Vikings 17–10. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:13.
Top passers
TB – Doug Williams – 21/38, 290 yards, TD, 3 INT
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 16/28, 131 yards, TD
Top rushers
TB – James Owens – 12 rushes, 31 yards
MIN – Ted Brown – 12 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
TB – Jimmie Giles – 5 receptions, 100 yards, TD
MIN – Sammy White – 2 receptions, 35 yards, TD :

#### Week 4: vs Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Vikings | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: November 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 54,724
* Referee: Red Cashion
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
CHI – Emery Moorehead 50-yard pass from Jim McMahon (John Roveto kick), 14:53. Bears 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:47.
MIN – Sammy White 5-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 9:07. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 2:16.
MIN – Joe Senser 1-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 2:43. Vikings 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 3:45.
Third quarter
MIN – Sammy White 8-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 5:44. Vikings 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 95 yards, 3:37.
Fourth quarter
MIN – Leo Lewis 31-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 12:48. Vikings 28–7. Drive: 2 plays, 43 yards, 0:52.
MIN – Sammy White 13-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 6:17. Vikings 35–7. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:38.
Top passers
CHI – Jim McMahon – 12/20, 139 yards, TD, INT
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 26/35, 342 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
CHI – Walter Payton – 12 rushes, 67 yards
MIN – Ted Brown – 5 rushes, 43 yards
Top receivers
CHI – Emery Moorehead – 4 receptions, 79 yards, TD
MIN – Sammy White – 10 receptions, 177 yards, 3 TD :

#### Week 5: at Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Dolphins | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: December 5
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear, 82 °F (27.8 °C)
* Game attendance: 45,721
* Referee: Fred Silva
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
MIA – David Woodley 1-yard run (kick blocked), 2:48. Dolphins 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:08.
Second quarter
MIN – Tommy Kramer 18-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick), 12:10. Vikings 7–6. Drive: 11 plays, 82 yards, 5:38.
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 34-yard field goal, 0:00. Dolphins 9–7. Drive: 3 plays, 36 yards, 0:17.
Third quarter
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 28-yard field goal, 5:48. Dolphins 12–7. Drive: 16 plays, 62 yards, 9:12.
Fourth quarter
MIA – Andra Franklin 9-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick), 14:17. Dolphins 19–7. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:12.
MIN – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick), 9:25. Dolphins 19–14. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 2:22.
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 24-yard field goal, 1:46. Dolphins 22–14. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:44.
Top passers
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 16/28, 127 yards, 3 INT
MIA – David Woodley – 13/20, 132 yards
Top rushers
MIN – Darrin Nelson – 6 rushes, 36 yards
MIA – Andra Franklin – 28 rushes, 129 yards, TD
Top receivers
MIN – Sammy White – 2 receptions, 32 yards
MIA – Jimmy Cefalo – 2 receptions, 71 yards :

#### Week 6: vs Baltimore Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Vikings | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: December 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 53,981
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
MIN – Sammy White 24-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 4:49. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:43.
Second quarter
BAL – Mike Wood 39-yard field goal, 10:57. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 6:50.
Third quarter
BAL – Jim Burroughs 94-yard interception return (Mike Wood kick), 6:42. Colts 10–7.
MIN – Rick Danmeier 23-yard field goal, 3:21. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 3:11.
Fourth quarter
MIN – Rick Danmeier 40-yard field goal, 9:09. Vikings 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:41.
Top passers
BAL – Mike Pagel – 14/32, 116 yards, 2 INT
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 19/35, 258 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
BAL – Curtis Dickey – 13 rushes, 42 yards
MIN – Ted Brown – 20 rushes, 75 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Randy McMillan – 5 receptions, 32 yards
MIN – Sammy White – 3 receptions, 78 yards, TD :

#### Week 8: vs New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jets | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: December 26
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 58,672
* Referee: Gene Barth
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Freeman McNeil 2-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 6:07. Jets 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:54.
Second quarter
NYJ – Bobby Jackson 80-yard return of blocked field goal (Pat Leahy kick), 5:43. Jets 14–0.
NYJ – Freeman McNeil 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 5:17. Jets 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:22.
MIN – Tommy Kramer 1-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick), 0:32. Jets 21–7. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:25.
Third quarter
NYJ – Mickey Shuler 20-yard pass from Pat Ryan (Pat Leahy kick), 1:12. Jets 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 2:32.
Fourth quarter
MIN – Ted Brown 16-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick), 13:23. Jets 28–14. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 2:36.
NYJ – Bruce Harper 39-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick), 11:33. Jets 35–14. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:38.
NYJ – Bobby Jackson 77-yard interception return (Pat Leahy kick), 7:18. Jets 42–14.
Top passers
NYJ – Richard Todd – 15/22, 236 yards, TD
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 32/56, 328 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
NYJ – Freeman McNeil – 18 rushes, 82 yards, 2 TD
MIN – Ted Brown – 15 rushes, 57 yards
Top receivers
NYJ – Mickey Shuler – 3 receptions, 80 yards, TD
MIN – Joe Senser – 10 receptions, 115 yards :

### Standings

NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Green Bay Packers$^{(3)}$ | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 226 | 169 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings$^{(4)}$ | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 158 | 178 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers$^{(7)}$ | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 158 | 178 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions$^{(8)}$ | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 3–3 | 4–4 | 181 | 176 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 1–3 | 2–5 | 141 | 174 | L1 |
NFCvte :
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| Seeded postseason qualifiers |||||||||
| 1 | Washington Redskins | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 190 | 128 | W4 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 226 | 145 | L2 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 226 | 169 | L1 |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 187 | 198 | W1 |
| 5 | Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 183 | 199 | L2 |
| 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 135 | 170 | L1 |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 158 | 178 | W3 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 181 | 176 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason |||||||||
| 9 | New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 129 | 160 | W1 |
| 10 | New York Giants | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 164 | 160 | W1 |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 209 | 206 | L1 |
| 12 | Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 141 | 174 | L1 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 191 | 195 | L1 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 200 | 250 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers |||||||||
| 1 2 3 4 Minnesota (4–1), Atlanta (4–3), St. Louis (5–4), Tampa Bay (3–3) seeds were determined by best won-lost record in conference games. 1 2 3 Detroit finished ahead of New Orleans and the N.Y. Giants based on best conference record (4–4 to Saints’ 3–5 to Giants’ 3–5). 1 2 3 San Francisco finished ahead of Chicago, and Chicago finished ahead of Philadelphia, based on conference record (49ers’ 2–3 to Bears’ 2–5 to Eagles’ 1–5). |||||||||

## Postseason
### Schedule

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| Wild Card | January 9 | Atlanta Falcons (5) | W 30–24 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 60,560 |
| Division | January 15 | at Washington Redskins (1) | L 7–21 | 1–1 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 54,593 |

## Statistics
### Team leaders

| Category | Player(s) | Value |
| Passing yards | Tommy Kramer | 2,037 |
| Passing touchdowns | Tommy Kramer | 15 |
| Rushing yards | Ted Brown | 515 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Tommy Kramer | 3 |
| Receiving yards | Sammy White | 503 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Sammy White | 5 |
| Points | Rick Danmeier | 47 |
| Kickoff return yards | Jarvis Redwine | 286 |
| Punt return yards | Eddie Payton | 179 |
| Sacks | Doug Martin | 11.5 |
| Interceptions | Willie Teal | 4 |

### League rankings

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
| Passing offense | 1,967 | 122.9 | 5th |
| Rushing offense | 912 | 57.0 | 22nd |
| Total offense | 2,879 | 179.9 | 14th |
| Passing defense | 1,875 | 117.2 | 20th |
| Rushing defense | 1,020 | 63.8 | 14th |
| Total defense | 2,895 | 180.9 | 19th |