1998 Minnesota Vikings season 1998 was the 38th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 79th regular season of the National Football League . The 1998 Minnesota Vikings became only the third team in NFL history to win 15 games during the regular season . That year , the Vikings high powered offense scored 556 points and broke the record for most points scored in the regular season . This record was broken by the 2007 New England Patriots who finished the season with 589 points . The team cruised to the NFC Central title and held home - field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs . They defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional round , but were defeated in overtime by the 14 - 2 Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game in one of the most disappointing losses in franchise history . Season . Prior to the start of the 1998 season , the Vikings were sold to Red McCombs . The NFL had not been happy with the Vikings ' ownership arrangement of ten owners with none owning 30 % . The ownership decided to sell the club . At first it appeared that Tom Clancy would become the new owner . However , his attempt to buy the team fell through . So in July 1998 , the team was sold to McCombs who was from San Antonio , Texas . 1998 was a year to remember for the Minnesota Vikings . With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham , who had the best year of his NFL career , running back Robert Smith , veteran wide receiver Cris Carter , and explosive rookie Randy Moss , the Vikings set a then - NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points , never scoring fewer than 24 in a game . The Vikings finished the season 15 - 1 , their only loss by 3 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week nine . Twelve of their fifteen wins came by a margin of at least 10 points . According to Football Outsiders , " The Vikings led the league with 52 plays of 25 + yards . They had 22 offensive plays of 40 + yards ; no other team had more than 16 plays of that length . " In the playoffs , the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41 - 21 , and came into the Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons , who had finished 14 - 2 . Leading 20 - 7 just before halftime , some would argue that the Vikings got greedy with their playcalling , as they called a deep pass play on 3rd down , which led to a Cunningham fumble deep in Minnesota territory . Shortly thereafter , the Falcons scored to cut the lead to 20 - 14 . The Vikings were again leading 27 - 20 with two minutes left in the 4th quarter and had a chance to potentially put the game out of reach with a field goal . However , kicker Gary Anderson , who had gone 35 for 35 in the regular season , missed a 38 - yard attempt . The Falcons subsequently marched downfield and scored the game - tying touchdown several plays later . A curious footnote to the game is that Viking Head Coach Dennis Green has been criticized for opting to take a knee on a third - down deep in Viking territory with about 30 seconds remaining rather than risk having to punt back to Atlanta following their game - tying touchdown . Minnesota won the coin - toss in overtime but failed to score in two overtime possessions . Atlanta eventually won 30 - 27 in overtime on Morten Andersen ' s field goal , which was , coincidentally , also a 38 - yarder . Because of the decision to take a knee on the final play of regulation , the game has become known as the " Take a Knee Game " among many Viking fans . Sports Illustrated magazine , the NFL network , and other publications usually name the Minnesota Vikings as one of , if not the most unlucky football franchises , often citing the 1998 team . The Vikings became the first 15 - 1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl . In 2009 the team was the subject of a one - hour special on the NFL network called " Missing Rings " as one of the greatest teams in NFL history that didn ' t produce a Super Bowl Championship . Coincidentally , the 1969 Vikings were also named as a " Missing Ring " team , adding to the lore of the Vikings as a hard - luck team .