# 1993 Minnesota Vikings season

The 1993 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL). The Vikings failed to match their 11–5 record from the previous season, finishing at 9–7. They finished in second place in the NFC Central to qualify for the playoffs, but lost 17–10 to the New York Giants in the wildcard round.
Newly acquired Jim McMahon, who was known for helping the Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX in the 1985 season, was the Vikings starting quarterback for the season. He spent only one year with the team and after the season, the rebuilding Vikings decided not to renew McMahon's contract and he would go on to sign with other teams. The Vikings later acquired Warren Moon for next season.
Cris Carter and John Randle were named to play in the Pro Bowl after the season. It was the first Pro Bowl for both future Hall of Famers. Terry Allen, who had a breakout season the previous year, missed the entire season after tearing his ACL in practice.

## Offseason

| Additions | Subtractions |
| QB Jim McMahon (Eagles) | QB Rich Gannon (Redskins) |
| LB Fred Strickland (Rams) | G Brian Habib (Broncos) |
| | WR Hassan Jones (Chiefs) |
| | C Kirk Lowdermilk (Colts) |
| | LB Mike Merriweather (Jets) |
| | RB Darrin Nelson (retirement) |
| | DE Al Noga (Redskins) |
| | T Gary Zimmerman (Broncos) |
| | S Felix Wright (Chiefs) |

### 1993 draft

* =Pro Bowler
1993 Minnesota Vikings Draft :
| Draft order | Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| Round | Selection | Player name | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 21 | Robert Smith | Running back | Ohio State | |
| 2 | 52 | Qadry Ismail | Wide receiver | Syracuse | |
| 3 | 57 | John Gerak | Guard | Penn State | From Patriots, via Raiders and Seahawks |
| 3 | 79 | Gilbert Brown | Defensive tackle | Kansas | |
| 4 | 106 | Ashley Sheppard | Linebacker | Clemson | |
| 5 | 133 | Everett Lindsay | Offensive tackle | Ole Miss | |
| 6 | 160 | Traded to the Washington Redskins | Traded to the Washington Redskins | Traded to the Washington Redskins | |
| 7 | 192 | Gino Torretta | Quarterback | Miami (FL) | |
| 8 | 219 | Traded to the San Francisco 49ers | Traded to the San Francisco 49ers | Traded to the San Francisco 49ers | |
Notes:
* ↑ The Vikings traded DT Keith Millard to the Seahawks in exchange for a third-round selection (57th overall) and 1992 second-round selection (39th overall).
* ↑ The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (160th overall) to the Redskins in exchange for DE George Hinkle and WR Joe Johnson.
* ↑ The Vikings traded their eighth-round selection (219th overall) to the 49ers in exchange for RB Keith Henderson.

### Undrafted free agents

1993 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Ron Carpenter | S | Miami (OH) |
| Matt Eller | DE | Bethel (MN) |
| Eric Guliford | WR | Arizona State |
| Dave Garnett | LB | Stanford |
| Shawn Jones | S | Georgia Tech |
| Robert Staten | FB | Jackson State |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Notes |
| 1 | August 1 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 13–7 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | 60,010 | |
| 2 | August 7 | Buffalo Bills | W 20–6 | 2–0 | Olympiastadion, Berlin | 67,132 | American Bowl |
| 3 | August 14 | Seattle Seahawks | W 23–10 | 3–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 42,240 | |
| 4 | August 21 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–27 | 3–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 73,080 | |
| 5 | August 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–13 | 4–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 41,512 | |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 5 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 24–7 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 44,120 |
| 2 | September 12 | Chicago Bears | W 10–7 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 57,921 |
| 3 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 4 | September 26 | Green Bay Packers | W 15–13 | 2–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 61,746 |
| 5 | October 3 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 38–19 | 2–2 | Candlestick Park | 63,071 |
| 6 | October 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 15–0 | 3–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 54,215 |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 25 | at Chicago Bears | W 19–12 | 4–2 | Soldier Field | 64,677 |
| 9 | October 31 | Detroit Lions | L 30–27 | 4–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,428 |
| 10 | November 7 | San Diego Chargers | L 30–17 | 4–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,527 |
| 11 | November 14 | at Denver Broncos | W 26–23 | 5–4 | Mile High Stadium | 67,329 |
| 12 | November 21 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 23–10 | 5–5 | Tampa Stadium | 40,848 |
| 13 | November 28 | New Orleans Saints | L 17–14 | 5–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,030 |
| 14 | December 5 | at Detroit Lions | W 13–0 | 6–6 | Silverdome | 63,216 |
| 15 | December 12 | Dallas Cowboys | L 37–20 | 6–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,321 |
| 16 | December 19 | at Green Bay Packers | W 21–17 | 7–7 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 54,773 |
| 17 | December 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 30–10 | 8–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 59,236 |
| 18 | December 31 | at Washington Redskins | W 14–9 | 9–7 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 42,836 |

### Game summaries
#### Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Vikings | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: September 26
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 61,077
* TV: CBS
* Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
GB – Brett Favre 2-yard run (Chris Jacke kick), 6:05. Packers 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 85 yards, 8:55.
MIN – Fuad Reveiz 35-yard field goal, 1:35. Packers 7–3. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 2:06.
Second quarter
MIN – Fuad Reveiz 19-yard field goal, 4:31. Packers 7–6. Drive: 17 plays, 81 yards, 9:41.
GB – Chris Jacke 49-yard field goal, 0:03. Packers 10–6. Drive: 13 plays, 47 yards, 4:28.
Third quarter
MIN – Fuad Reveiz 29-yard field goal, 10:50. Packers 10–9. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:10.
MIN – Fuad Reveiz 51-yard field goal, 5:35. Vikings 12–10. Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 2:26.
Fourth quarter
GB – Chris Jacke 20-yard field goal, 13:48. Packers 13–12. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 4:06.
MIN – Fuad Reveiz 22-yard field goal, 0:04. Vikings 15–13. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 1:49.
Top passers
GB – Brett Favre – 20/31, 150 yards, 2 INT
MIN – Jim McMahon – 18/35, 217 yards
Top rushers
GB – John Stephens – 8 rushes, 62 yards
MIN – Barry Word – 19 rushes, 65 yards
Top receivers
GB – Edgar Bennett – 6 receptions, 49 yards
MIN – Eric Guliford – 1 reception, 45 yards :

### Standings

NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Detroit Lions | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 298 | 292 | W2 |
| $^{(5)}$ Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 277 | 290 | W3 |
| $^{(6)}$ Green Bay Packers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 340 | 282 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 234 | 230 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 237 | 376 | L1 |

## Postseason

| Week | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| Wild Card | January 9 | at New York Giants (#4) | L 17–10 | 0–1 | Giants Stadium | 75,089 |

## Statistics
### Team leaders

| Category | Player(s) | Value |
| Passing yards | Jim McMahon | 1,968 |
| Passing touchdowns | Jim McMahon Sean Salisbury | 9 |
| Rushing yards | Scottie Graham | 488 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Scottie Graham | 3 |
| Receiving yards | Cris Carter | 1,071 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Cris Carter | 9 |
| Points | Fuad Reveiz | 105 |
| Kickoff return yards | Qadry Ismail | 902 |
| Punt return yards | Eric Guliford | 212 |
| Tackles | Fred Strickland | 110 |
| Sacks | Chris Doleman John Randle | 12.5 |
| Interceptions | Vencie Glenn | 5 |
| Forced fumbles | Roy Barker Chris Doleman Carlos Jenkins John Randle | 3 |

### League rankings

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
| Passing offense | 3,200 | 200.0 | 14th |
| Rushing offense | 1,624 | 101.5 | 21st |
| Total offense | 4,824 | 301.5 | 17th |
| Passing defense | 2,870 | 179.4 | 6th |
| Rushing defense | 1,536 | 96.0 | 6th |
| Total defense | 4,406 | 275.4 | 1st |