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,[1] and the most any Vikings team allowed in one season.

1984 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Les Steckel
General manager	Mike Lynn
Home field	Metrodome
Results
Record	3–13
Division place	5th NFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

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		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection
1	13	Keith Millard	Defensive tackle	Washington State
2	40	Traded to the Houston Oilers^[a]
3	67	Alfred Anderson	Running back	Baylor
4	100	Traded to the Houston Oilers^[a]
5	127	Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders^[b]
	140	Allen Rice	Running back	Baylor	from Raiders^[b]
6	154	Dwight Collins	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh
7	181	John Haines	Defensive tackle	Texas
	196	Lloyd Lewis	Guard	Texas A&I	from Raiders^[b]
8	208	Paul Sverchek	Defensive tackle	Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
9	235	Keith Kidd	Wide receiver	Arkansas
10	268	James Spencer	Linebacker	Oklahoma State
11	295	Edgar Pickett	Linebacker	Clemson
	308	Lawrence Thompson	Wide receiver	Miami	from Raiders^[b]
12	321	Mike Jones	Running back	North Carolina A&T	Originally Packers pick^[c]

^{^[a]} The Vikings traded their second- and fourth-round selections (40th and 100th overall) to the Houston Oilers in exchange for quarterback Archie Manning and tight end Dave Casper.

^{^[b]} The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (127th overall) to the Los Angeles Raiders in exchange for the Raiders' 5th-, 7th- and 11th-round selections (140th, 196th and 308th overall).

^{^[c]} The Vikings were due to pick 322nd overall but Green Bay passed on the 321st pick, allowing the Vikings to move up one spot.

1984 Supplemental USFL/CFL Draft

Main article: 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players

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

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance[2]
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	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

Staff

1984 Minnesota Vikings staff

	Front office President – Max Winter General Manager – Mike Lynn Head coaches Head Coach – Les Steckel Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Jerry Burns Offensive Backfield – John Michels Receivers – Bob Leahy Offensive Line – Dan Radakovich Special Assistant – Dick Rehbein Quality Control – Bus Mertes			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers – Floyd Reese Defensive Line – Tom Batta Defensive Backfield – Ross Fichtner Quality Control – Bob Hollway Special teams coaches Special Teams/Outside Linebackers Coach – Mike Sweatman Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Bud Bjornaraa Strength and Conditioning – Dean Brittenham

[3]

Roster

1984 Minnesota Vikings final roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Steve Dils  9 Tommy Kramer  4 Archie Manning Running backs 46 Alfred Anderson 23 Ted Brown 20 Darrin Nelson Wide receivers 84 Dwight Collins 89 Mike Jones 87 Leo Lewis 80 Billy Waddy 85 Sammy White 80 Terry LeCount Tight ends 88 Don Hasselbeck 86 Mike Mularkey 81 Joe Senser		Offensive linemen 56 Malcolm Carson G 56 Bill Dugan T 78 Steve Riley T 68 Curtis Rouse G 67 Ron Sams C 66 Terry Tausch G Defensive linemen 69 Hasson Arbubakrr 73 Neil Elshire DE 75 Randy Holloway DE 79 Doug Martin DE 77 Mark Mullaney DE		Linebackers 58 Walker Lee Ashley 59 Matt Blair 50 Dennis Fowlkes 54 Fred McNeill Defensive backs 47 Joey Browner S 43 Jeff Colter 39 Carl Lee CB 29 John Swain CB 37 Willie Teal CB 27 John Turner CB Special teams  8 Greg Coleman P  3 Jan Stenerud K		Reserve lists 61 Wes Hamilton G (IR) 51 Jim Hough G (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics active, inactive, practice squad

Standings

NFC Central
	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

References

1. Most Points Allowed: 1983 to 2000
2. "1984 Minnesota Vikings". The Pro Football Archives. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
3. 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on 2010-12-24. Retrieved February 18, 2011.