Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings: A storied franchise with the highest winning percentage among Super Bowl-less teams.
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.
- Key Matchups
- Super Bowl IV (1970) & Super Bowl VIII (1974)
- Chiefs Record in SBs vs. Vikings
- 2-0
- Vikings' Super Bowl Record at Time of Ga
- 0-3 and 0-4
- Defining Era
- Late 1960s to Mid-1970s
- Legendary Quarterback Involved
- Len Dawson (Chiefs)
- Notable Defensive Unit
- Vikings' 'Purple People Eaters'
- Result Significance
- Established Chiefs as first AFL team to win a Super Bowl
Lore & Background
The Vikings have an all-time overall record of 537–438–11, the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl, in addition the most playoff runs, division titles, and (tied with the Buffalo Bills) Super Bowl appearances. They also have the most conference championship appearances of non-winning Super Bowl teams, with them being one of four (along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams) to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s. The Vikings have won one NFL Championship, in 1969, before the league's merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970. The team played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI, but failed to win any of them. In Super Bowl IV, the heavily favored Vikings lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 23–7.
In Their Own Story
The cold wind howled across the frozen turf of Super Bowl IV, biting through the layers of pads and jerseys. Len Dawson stood in the huddle, his breath visible in the crisp January air, looking out at a sea of purple that seemed to stretch endlessly. The Vikings were giants, a team that had terrorized opponents for years, but today, the Chiefs' hearts beat as one. As the ball snapped, the roar of the crowd shifted from nervous anticipation to electric triumph. It was not just a game; it was a declaration that Kansas City belonged among the immortals.
Reader's Guide
The Vikings played their home games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis from 1982 to 2013. The Vikings played their last game at the Metrodome on December 29, 2013, defeating the Detroit Lions 14–13 to end the season. Since the team's first season in 1961, the Vikings have had one of the highest winning percentages in the NFL. As of 2022, they have won at least three games in every season except in 1962, and are one of only seven NFL teams to win at least 15 games in a regular season.
Did You Know?
- The Vikings are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota.
- The Vikings have the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl.
- The Vikings lost Super Bowl IV to the Kansas City Chiefs, 23–7.
- The Vikings lost Super Bowl VIII to the Miami Dolphins, 24–7.
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