| Team: | Minnesota Vikings |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Record: | 8–8 |
| Division Place: | 3rd NFC North |
| General Manager: | Rick Spielman |
| Owner: | Zygi Wilf |
| Stadium: | U.S. Bank Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Ap All-Pros: | KR Cordarrelle Patterson (1st team) |
| Uniform: | File:Vikings 2016 Uniform.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Vikings seasons |
The 2016 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 56th in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coach Mike Zimmer. After starting the season with five consecutive wins prior to their bye week, the Vikings managed just three victories after the bye and were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16 with a 38–25 road loss to the Packers.[1] They joined the 1978 Redskins, 1993 Saints, 2003 Vikings, 2009 Broncos, 2009 Giants and 2015 Falcons in missing the playoffs after starting 5–0 or better. The Vikings are the only NFL team to have more than once started 5–0 or better and missed the playoffs.
The team's new stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, opened at the start of the season, with a regular season debut victory on September 18 against division rival Green Bay on NBC Sunday Night Football. It was built on the site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the team's home from 1982 through 2013. The Vikings played at the outdoor TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota in 2014 and 2015. This would be the season the Vikings introduced their color rush jersey, the Minnesota Vikings debuted the Jerseys at home against Dallas.
On August 30, starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season-ending ACL tear and dislocated knee on a non-contact play during team practice.[2] Originally, it was reported that Bridgewater's injury would keep him out for around a year and a half, and on January 27, 2017, it was reported that it was possible he could also miss the entire 2017 season.[3] The extent of Bridgewater's injury prompted the Vikings to make a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for former number 1 draft pick Sam Bradford, giving up a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2018 Draft in exchange.[4] [5] Adrian Peterson's season was also hit by injury after he tore the meniscus in his right knee in the home opener against the Packers.[6] [7] On September 22, Peterson underwent successful surgery to repair the meniscus. It was also revealed that the knee had a mild LCL sprain, but it did not need surgery.[8] He was placed on injured reserve on September 23, 2016,[9] and reactivated on December 17,[10] but only made six rushing attempts before leaving the game, ending his season. Peterson left the team at the end of the season, ending his 10-year tenure with the Vikings.
See main article: article and 2016 NFL Draft.
| 2016 Minnesota Vikings draft[11] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Contract | Notes | ||
| Round | Selection | ||||||
| 23 | 4 years / $9.93 million[12] | ||||||
| 2 | 54 | 4 years / $4.3 million | |||||
| 3 | 86 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | |||||
| 4 | 121 | 4 years / $2.88 million | |||||
| 5 | 160 | 4 years / $2.57 million | |||||
| 6 | 180 | Schwäbisch Hall (GFL) | 4 years / $2.49 million | from 49ers | |||
| 186 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | from Dolphins | |||||
| 188 | 4 years / $2.47 million | from Eagles | |||||
| 196 | Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles | from Texans via Patriots and Dolphins | |||||
| 198 | Traded to the San Diego Chargers | ||||||
| 7 | 227 | 4 years / $2.42 million | from Ravens via Dolphins | ||||
| 240 | Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles | from Bills | |||||
| 244 | 4 years / $2.4 million | ||||||
Draft trades
| Date | Player name | Position | Contract terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 7, 2016 | S | 4 years / $16 million[13] | ||
| WR | 1 year / $600,000[14] | |||
| March 8, 2016 | LB | 1 year / $760,000[15] | ||
| March 9, 2016 | G | 1 year / $1.9 million[16] | ||
| March 15, 2016 | TE | 1 year / $2.25 million[17] | ||
| CB | 2 years / $4 million | |||
| March 16, 2016 | RB | 1 year / $840,000[18] | ||
| March 18, 2016 | CB | 1 year / $3 million | ||
| DE | 1 year / $810,000[19] | |||
| April 11, 2016 | LB | 1 year / $2.75 million[20] | ||
| April 18, 2016 | FB | 1 year / $1.671 million[21] | ||
| September 9, 2016 | C | 1-year extension[22] |
| Date | Player name | Position | Note | New team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 8, 2016 | WR | Released[23] | Baltimore Ravens | |
| OT | Waived | Retired[24] | ||
| March 9, 2016 | ILB | |||
| ILB | ||||
| March 14, 2016 | CB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ||
| March 18, 2016 | S | Buffalo Bills | ||
| April 13, 2016 | LB | Waived | Calgary Stampeders (CFL) | |
| May 10, 2016 | S | Waived | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| July 25, 2016 | OT | Waived | Retired | |
| August 25, 2016 | CB | Waived | ||
| August 30, 2016 | QB | Waived[25] [26] | ||
| WR | ||||
| OT | ||||
| C | ||||
| DL | ||||
| S | ||||
| DE | ||||
| September 3, 2016 | HB | Waived | ||
| Blake Renaud | FB | |||
| WR | ||||
| WR | ||||
| OL | ||||
| OG | ||||
| DE | ||||
| DT | ||||
| OLB |
| Date | Player name | Position | Previous team | Contract terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 10, 2016 | G | 4 years / $26.8 million[27] | |||
| LB | 2 years / $6 million | ||||
| March 18, 2016 | OT | 1 year / $4.5 million[28] | |||
| May 10, 2016 | HB | Augustana (NCAA) | |||
| August 1, 2016 | LB | ||||
| September 3, 2016 | QB | Trade[29] | |||
| September 4, 2016 | QB | Wisconsin (NCAA) | Practice squad[30] | ||
| HB | Augustana (NCAA) | ||||
| WR | Schwäbisch Hall (GFL) | ||||
| TE | Penn State (NCAA) | ||||
| OL | Western Michigan (NCAA) | ||||
| OG | Minnesota Vikings | ||||
| DE | Vanderbilt (NCAA) | ||||
| DT | Minnesota Vikings | ||||
| CB | Illinois State (NCAA) | ||||
| September 4, 2016 | S | Practice squad[31] | |||
| September 13, 2016 | CB | Illinois State (NCAA) | Practice squad | ||
| CB | Philadelphia Eagles | ||||
| September 23, 2016 | HB | ||||
| October 11, 2016 | OT | 1 year |
| Date signed | Player name | Position | Previous team | Contract terms | Date released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 7, 2016 | OT | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year / $600,000[32] | August 30, 2016 | ||
| March 9, 2016 | DT | 1 year / $810,000[33] | September 3, 2016 | |||
| March 11, 2016 | LB | 1 year / $810,000 | June 16, 2016 | |||
| March 14, 2016 | S | 1 year / $3 million | September 3, 2016 | |||
| March 21, 2016 | TE | 1 year / $600,000[34] | August 30, 2016 | |||
| May 1, 2016 | Keith Baxter | CB | Marshall (NCAA) | Undrafted FA[35] | July 31, 2016 | |
| TE | Penn State (NCAA) | September 3, 2016 | ||||
| QB | Wisconsin (NCAA) | |||||
| Theiren Cockran | DE | Minnesota (NCAA) | August 30, 2016 | |||
| Jake Ganus | ILB | Georgia (NCAA) | September 3, 2016 | |||
| WR | UMass (NCAA) | August 30, 2016 | ||||
| Denzell Perine | OLB | Florida Atlantic (NCAA) | September 2, 2016 | |||
| RB | New Mexico (NCAA) | September 3, 2016 | ||||
| Brandon Ross | RB | Maryland (NCAA) | May 23, 2016 | |||
| May 9, 2016 | CB | Illinois State (NCAA) | Undrafted FA[36] | September 13, 2016 | ||
| WR | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) | August 30, 2016 | ||||
| May 23, 2016 | DT | September 2, 2016 | ||||
| May 31, 2016 | DT | June 16, 2016 | ||||
| July 27, 2016 | Sean Hickey | OT | [37] | August 30, 2016 | ||
| Jason Whittingham | LB | Utah (NCAA) | July 31, 2016 | |||
| July 30, 2016 | Claudell Louis | DT | [38] | August 30, 2016 | ||
| April 13, 2016 | LB | Minnesota Vikings | August 31, 2016 | |||
| August 20, 2016 | RB | Waived[39] | August 4, 2016 | |||
| August 20, 2016 | QB | [40] | August 30, 2016 | |||
| August 31, 2016 | Minnesota Vikings | September 2, 2016 | ||||
| September 6, 2016 | OT | Practice squad | September 13, 2016 |
The Vikings' preseason opponents and schedule were announced on April 7, 2016.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–16 | 1–0 | Paul Brown Stadium | 50,737 | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 18–11 | 2–0 | CenturyLink Field | 68,469 | Recap | ||
| 3 | August 28 | San Diego Chargers | W 23–10 | 3–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,143 | Recap | |
| 4 | Los Angeles Rams | W 27–25 | 4–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,262 | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | at Tennessee Titans | W 25–16 | 1–0 | Nissan Stadium | 63,816 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 18 | Green Bay Packers | W 17–14 | 2–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,813 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 25 | at Carolina Panthers | W 22–10 | 3–0 | Bank of America Stadium | 73,813 | Recap | |
| 4 | New York Giants | W 24–10 | 4–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,690 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 9 | Houston Texans | W 31–13 | 5–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,683 | Recap | |
| 6 | Bye | |||||||
| 7 | October 23 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–21 | 5–1 | Lincoln Financial Field | 69,596 | Recap | |
| 8 | at Chicago Bears | L 10–20 | 5–2 | Soldier Field | 60,422 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 6 | Detroit Lions | L 16–22 | 5–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,807 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 13 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–26 | 5–4 | FedExField | 78,216 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 20 | Arizona Cardinals | W 30–24 | 6–4 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,808 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 24 | at Detroit Lions | L 13–16 | 6–5 | Ford Field | 63,793 | Recap | |
| 13 | Dallas Cowboys | L 15–17 | 6–6 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,860 | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 11 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 25–16 | 7–6 | EverBank Field | 62,701 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 18 | Indianapolis Colts | L 6–34 | 7–7 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,820 | Recap | |
| 16 | at Green Bay Packers | L 25–38 | 7–8 | Lambeau Field | 77,856 | Recap | ||
| 17 | January 1 | Chicago Bears | W 38–10 | 8–8 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,808 | Recap | |
Shaun Hill started at quarterback in the team's first game, as Sam Bradford was rested until the second game.
Sam Bradford made his first start for the Vikings in week 2 against the Packers just 15 days after being traded. Despite not having much time to learn the offense, Bradford outplayed Aaron Rodgers but ended up hurting his left hand in the first half due to a hit by Clay Matthews. Bradford finished the game completing 22-of-31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, helping lead the Vikings to their first win in their new stadium.
Sam Bradford faces his former team for the first time after he was traded from the Eagles prior to the start of the season. The Vikings streak came to a halt as they lost the game 21-10.
Although it was Stefon Diggs' big day, having caught 13 passes for 80 yards, it wasn't enough as the Vikings dropped 5-3.
This was the last game for Blair Walsh in a Vikings uniform as he was released days after this game.
Head coach Mike Zimmer missed this game after undergoing emergency eye surgery the night before. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer served as interim coach for the game.[41]
Adrian Peterson returned to action and had six carries for 22 yards against the Colts.[10] This was the last game he'd ever play for the Vikings.
With the loss, the Vikings dropped to 7–8 and were officially eliminated from postseason contention. The loss also made the Vikings the first team to twice start 5–0 or better, and on both occasions miss the playoffs (they also missed the playoffs in 2003 after starting 6–0).
Five Vikings were selected for the 2017 Pro Bowl: defensive end Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and free safety Harrison Smith. Rhodes played in his first Pro Bowl, while Griffen, Patterson and Smith participated in their second; Patterson was the first return specialist in Vikings history to go to two Pro Bowls.[42] Linval Joseph replaced Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.[43]
| width=150px style="" | Category | width=150px style="" | Player(s) | width=75px style="" | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | 3,877 | ||||
| Passing touchdowns | 20 | ||||
| Rushing yards | 539 | ||||
| Rushing touchdowns | 6 | ||||
| Receptions | 84 | ||||
| Receiving yards | 967 | ||||
| Receiving touchdowns | 7 | ||||
| Points | 56 | ||||
| Kickoff return yards | 792 | ||||
| Punt return yards | 292 | ||||
| Tackles | 109 | ||||
| Sacks | 12.5 | ||||
| Interceptions | 5 | ||||
| Forced fumbles | 3 |
| width=150px style="" | Category | width=100px style="" | Total yards | width=110px style="" | Yards per game | width=80px style="" | NFL rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,836 | 239.8 | 18th | ||||
| Rushing offense | 1,205 | 75.3 | 32nd | ||||
| Total offense | 5,041 | 315.1 | 28th | ||||
| Passing defense | 3,327 | 207.9 | 3rd | ||||
| Rushing defense | 1,711 | 106.9 | 20th | ||||
| Total defense | 5,038 | 314.9 | 3rd |