2013 Minnesota Vikings season (original) (raw)

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53rd season in franchise history; final one in the Metrodome

2013 Minnesota Vikings season
Owner Zygi Wilf
General manager Rick Spielman
Head coach Leslie Frazier
Home field Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record 5–10–1
Division place 4th NFC North
Playoff finish Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers KR Cordarrelle PattersonRB Adrian Peterson
Uniform
← 2012 Vikings seasons 2014 →

The 2013 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 53rd in the National Football League (NFL). It also marked the Vikings' final season playing their home games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome; the team played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium for the 2014 and 2015 seasons while construction of U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016, took place on the site of the Metrodome. Following a Week 9 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Vikings were no longer able to match their 10–6 record from 2012, and their loss to the Baltimore Ravens five weeks later sealed their elimination from playoff contention.

The Vikings failed to win a road game (0–7–1) for the first time since 2001. Much like in 2001, the Vikings did moderately well (13th) on offensive yardage (344.2 yards per game) despite a quarterback carousel not present in 2001, but ranked among the worst in defensive yardage (397.6 yards per game); only the Dallas Cowboys gave up more yards on defense with 415.3 per game. The Vikings' defense also allowed the most points in the NFL in 2013 at 480 (30.0 points per game), four points shy of matching the most points the team ever allowed in a single season.

It took until Week 10 for the Vikings to record their first win on American soil, their only other victory up to that point having come in the NFL International Series game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at London's Wembley Stadium in Week 4. Despite winning their last four home games to finish with an overall record of 5–10–1, the Vikings fired head coach Leslie Frazier after just over three seasons with the team.

2013 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Contract Notes
Round Overall
1 23 Sharrif Floyd Defensive tackle Florida 4 years / $8 million
25 Xavier Rhodes Cornerback Florida State 4 years / $7.8 million From Seahawks[A]
29 Cordarrelle Patterson Wide receiver Tennessee 4 years / $7.2 million From Patriots[C]
2 52 Traded to the New England Patriots[C]
3 83 Traded to the New England Patriots[C]
4 102 Traded to the New England Patriots[C] From Lions[B]
120 Gerald Hodges Linebacker Penn State 4 years / $2.58 million[4]
5 155 Jeff Locke Punter UCLA 4 years / $2.344 million[5]
6 176 Traded to the Arizona Cardinals[D] From Titans[E]
189 Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers[F]
196 Jeff Baca Guard UCLA 4 years / $2.256 million[7] From Broncos, via Eagles and Buccaneers[F]
7 213 Michael Mauti Linebacker Penn State 4 years / $2.2 million[4] From Cardinals[D]
214 Travis Bond Guard North Carolina 4 years / $2.22 million[9] From Bills via Seahawks[A]
229 Everett Dawkins Defensive tackle Florida State 4 years / $2.2 million[4] From Vikings, via Patriots[C] and Buccaneers[F]

Notes:

  1. ^ a b The Vikings traded WR Percy Harvin to the Seahawks in exchange for first- and seventh-round selections (25th and 214th overall), and a 2014 third-round selection (96th overall).[1]
  2. ^ a b The Vikings traded their 2012 fifth- and seventh-round selections (138th and 223rd overall) to the Lions in exchange for a fourth-round selection (102nd overall) and a 2012 seventh-round selection (219th overall).[3]
  3. ^ a b c d e The Vikings traded their second-, third- and seventh-round selections (52nd, 83rd and 229th overall), as well as the fourth-round pick they received from the Lions (102nd overall),[B] to the Patriots in exchange for a first-round selection (29th overall).[2]
  4. ^ a b The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection to the Cardinals in exchange for CB A. J. Jefferson and a seventh-round selection (213th overall).[3]
  5. ^ The Vikings traded their 2012 seventh-round selection (211th overall) to the Titans in exchange for a sixth-round selection (176th overall).[6]
  6. ^ a b c The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (189th overall) to the Buccaneers in exchange for sixth- and seventh-round selections (196th and 229th overall).[8]

Re-signings

Date Player name Position Contract terms
January 7, 2013 Chase Baker DT 2 years / $900,000 [RFC][10]
March 12, 2013 Joe Berger C/G 1 year / $945,000[11]
Jerome Felton FB 3 years / $7.5 million[12]
Erin Henderson OLB 2 years / $4 million[13]
Phil Loadholt OT 4 years / $25 million[14]
Jamarca Sanford FS 2 years / $5 million[15]
Jerome Simpson WR 1 year / $2.1 million[16]
March 21, 2013 Andrew Sendejo FS 1 year / $630,000[17]
March 26, 2013 Marvin Mitchell OLB 1 year / $765,000[18]
April 12, 2013 A. J. Jefferson CB 1 year / $1.323 million[19]
April 15, 2013 Troy Kropog OT 1 year / $630,000[20]
April 22, 2013 Marcus Sherels CB 1 year / $555,000[21]
October 17, 2013 Brandan Bishop S [22][PS]
October 22, 2013 Shaun Prater CB 4 years / $2.285 million[23][24]
October 31, 2013 Chase Ford TE 2 years / $900,000[25][26][24]
November 4, 2013 Justin Trattou DE 2 years / $1.05 million[27][24][PS]
November 9, 2013 Audie Cole LB 3 years / $1.71 million[28][29][24]
November 11, 2013 Kevin Murphy T [30][PS]
December 11, 2013 Bradley Randle RB [31][PS]
December 16, 2013 Mike Remmers OT 2 years / $900,000[32][24]
December 18, 2013 Joe Banyard RB 2 years / $900,000[33][24][PS]
Spencer Nealy DE 2 years / $930,000[33][24]
December 24, 2013 Robert Steeples CB 3 years / $1.49 million[24][PS]

^[RFC] Denotes this is a reserve/future contract.

^[PS] Denotes a signing to the Practice Squad.

Departures

Date Player name Position Note New team
March 4, 2013 Michael Jenkins WR Released[34] New England Patriots[35]
March 11, 2013 Percy Harvin WR Traded[a] Seattle Seahawks
March 12, 2013 Antoine Winfield CB Released[36] Seattle Seahawks[37]
March 14, 2013 Jasper Brinkley MLB UFA Arizona Cardinals[38]
March 15, 2013 Geoff Schwartz G/T UFA Kansas City Chiefs[39]
April 30, 2013 Nicholas Taylor CB Released[40]
May 6, 2013 Chris Kluwe P Released[41] Oakland Raiders[42]
June 10, 2013 Devin Aromashodu WR UFA Chicago Bears[43]
August 31, 2013 Brandon Burton CB Released[44] Buffalo Bills
Stephen Burton WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Tyrone McKenzie LB
September 9, 2013 D'Aundre Reed DE Injury settlement[45] San Francisco 49ers
October 1, 2013 DeMarcus Love OT Released[46] Jacksonville Jaguars
October 8, 2013 McLeod Bethel-Thompson QB Released[47] San Francisco 49ers[48]
October 9, 2013 George Johnson DE Released[48]
November 6, 2013 Everett Dawkins DT Claimed off practice squad[49] Dallas Cowboys
November 13, 2013 Travis Bond G Claimed off practice squad[50] Carolina Panthers
November 25, 2013 A. J. Jefferson CB Released[51]

Additions

Date Player name Position Previous team Contract terms
March 14, 2013 Matt Cassel QB Kansas City Chiefs 2 years / $7.4 million[52]
March 15, 2013 Greg Jennings WR Green Bay Packers 5 years / $45 million[53]
April 30, 2013 Zach Line FB Southern MethodistUndrafted FA[54] 3 years / $1.49 million[55]
June 24, 2013 Desmond Bishop LB Green Bay Packers 1 year / $1.5 million[56]
October 6, 2013 Josh Freeman QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 year / $3.0 million
November 26, 2013 Kip Edwards CB Buffalo Bills [57]

Signed and released players

Date signed Player name Position Previous team Contract terms Date released
January 7, 2013 Joe Banyard RB Minnesota Vikings(re-signed) 2 years / $900,000 [RFC][10] August 31, 2013[44][PS]
LaMark Brown TE August 26, 2013[58]
Bobby Felder DB October 28, 2013[44][59]
Chase Ford TE October 29, 2013[44][PS][60]
Tyler Holmes G August 26, 2013[58]
Kevin Murphy T November 9, 2013[44][PS][29]
Chris Summers WR August 26, 2013[58]
January 9, 2013 T. J. Conley P New York Jets (2011) 2 years / $1.05 million[61][62] April 29, 2013[63]
Greg McCoy CB Arizona Cardinals 2 years / $900,000[10] August 26, 2013[58]
February 11, 2013 Roderick Williams CB Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) 3 years / $1.485 million[64]
March 19, 2013 Seth Olsen G/T Indianapolis Colts 1 year / $650,000[65][66] September 9, 2013[67]
April 26, 2013 Lawrence Jackson DE Detroit Lions 1 year / $780,000[68] August 26, 2013[58]
April 29, 2013 Jacob Lacey CB Detroit Lions August 19, 2013[69]
April 30, 2013 Colin Anderson TE Furman 3 years / $1.49 million[55] August 31, 2013[44]
Brandan Bishop S NC State
Nicholas Edwards WR Eastern Washington May 6, 2013[70]
Darius Eubanks S Georgia Southern August 31, 2013[44][PS]
Erik Highsmith WR North Carolina August 26, 2013[58]
Mark Jackson OT Glenville State May 21, 2013[71]
Marquis Jackson DE Portland State August 26, 2013[58]
Anthony McCloud DT Florida State August 31, 2013[44]
Bradley Randle RB UNLV August 26, 2013[58]
Rodney Smith WR Florida State August 31, 2013[44][PS]
Collins Ukwu DE Kentucky
James Vandenberg QB Iowa August 26, 2013[58]
Camden Wentz C N.C. State
Jerodis Williams RB Furman
Nathan Williams LB Ohio State August 6, 2013[72]
May 6, 2013 Adam Thielen WR Minnesota State-Mankato 3 years / $1.49 million[70][73] August 31, 2013[44][PS]
Brandon Keith OT Arizona Cardinals (2011) 1 year / $715,000[70][74]
May 29, 2013 Stanford Keglar LB Las Vegas Locomotives (UFL) 1 year / $630,000[75][76] June 27, 2013[77]
August 6, 2013 [72] August 26, 2013[58]
August 20, 2013 Spencer Nealy DE Detroit Lions [78] August 31, 2013[44]
September 2, 2013 Tristan Okpalaugo DE Miami Dolphins [79][PS] September 10, 2013[80]
September 4, 2013 Bradley Randle RB Minnesota Vikings(re-signed) [PS]
September 10, 2013 Joe Banyard RB [80][PS] December 16, 2013[32]
September 11, 2013 Robert Steeples CB Miami Dolphins [81][PS] December 21, 2013
October 9, 2013 Justin Trattou DE New York Giants [48] October 26, 2013[82]
October 18, 2013 Jacob Lacey CB Minnesota Vikings(re-signed) [83] October 22, 2013[23]
October 29, 2013 Justin Trattou DE [60] November 2, 2013[26]
November 12, 2013 Spencer Nealy DE [84][PS] December 10, 2013[85]
November 13, 2013 Jamaal Johnson-Webb OT Chicago Bears [86][PS] November 26, 2013[57]
November 25, 2013 Mike Remmers OT San Diego Chargers [87] December 14, 2013

The Vikings' preseason opponents and schedule were announced on April 4, 2013. Their preseason began with a loss to the Houston Texans at Mall of America Field on August 9, followed by road defeats against the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers; the game against the 49ers was the Vikings' second preseason matchup against the same opposition in two years. The preseason program concluded on a positive note – a home victory against the Tennessee Titans on August 29.[88]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance NFL.comrecap
1 August 9 Houston Texans L 13–27 0–1 Mall of America Field 62,306 Recap
2 August 16 at Buffalo Bills L 16–20 0–2 Ralph Wilson Stadium 60,164 Recap
3 August 25 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–34 0–3 Candlestick Park 69,732 Recap
4 August 29 Tennessee Titans W 24–23 1–3 Mall of America Field 62,603 Recap

Week 1: vs. Houston Texans

[edit]

Game information
First quarter HOU – Randy Bullock 48-yard field goal, 10:56. Texans 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:15. MIN – Blair Walsh 22-yard field goal, 5:50. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:26. Second quarter MIN – Zach Line 61-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 12:26. Vikings 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 94 yards, 2:34. HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 34-yard pass from T. J. Yates (Randy Bullock kick), 6:24. Tied 10–10. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:02. MIN – Blair Walsh 33-yard field goal, 1:19. Vikings 13–10. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 0:53. Third quarter HOU – Randy Bullock 21-yard field goal, 4:28. Tied 13–13. Drive: 15 plays, 90 yards, 6:33. Fourth quarter HOU – Lestar Jean 2-yard pass from Case Keenum (Randy Bullock kick), 10:26. Texans 20–13. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 5:18. HOU – Ray Graham 5-yard run (Randy Bullock kick), 4:31. Texans 27–13. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:59. Top passers HOU – T. J. Yates – 13/21, 151 yards, TD MIN – Matt Cassel – 12/19, 212 yards, TD, INT Top rushers HOU – Cierre Wood – 10 rushes, 59 yards MIN – Bradley Randle – 3 rushes, 16 yards Top receivers HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 4 receptions, 52 yards, TD MIN – Stephen Burton – 3 receptions, 67 yards

Week 2: at Buffalo Bills

[edit]

Game information
First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 36-yard field goal, 0:05. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 5:51. Second quarter BUF – Jamie Blatnick fumble recovery in end zone (Dustin Hopkins kick), 8:45. Bills 7–3. BUF – Dustin Hopkins 39-yard field goal, 1:12. Bills 10–3. Drive: 15 plays, 59 yards, 5:19. BUF – Dustin Hopkins 35-yard field goal, 0:00. Bills 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 0:38. Third quarter BUF – Brad Smith 4-yard pass from EJ Manuel (Rian Lindell kick), 9:58. Bills 20–3. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 5:02. Fourth quarter MIN – Joe Banyard 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 9:18. Bills 20–10. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:30. MIN – Rodney Smith 35-yard pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson (pass failed), 4:36. Bills 20–16. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:11. Top passers MIN – McLeod Bethel-Thompson – 10/17, 107 yards, TD BUF – Kevin Kolb – 13/21, 111 yards, INT Top rushers MIN – Joe Banyard – 7 rushes, 47 yards, TD BUF – Tashard Choice – 12 rushes, 54 yards Top receivers MIN – Kyle Rudolph – 3 receptions, 39 yards BUF – Marcus Easley – 3 receptions, 46 yards

Week 3: at San Francisco 49ers

[edit]

Game information
First quarter SF – Phil Dawson 30-yard field goal, 12:56. 49ers 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, −1 yard, 1:01. SF – Quinton Patton 5-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Phil Dawson kick), 2:39. 49ers 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 5:38. Second quarter MIN – Zach Line 1-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 3:00. 49ers 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:18. SF – Lavelle Hawkins 105-yard kickoff return (Phil Dawson kick), 2:45. 49ers 17–7. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:15. SF – Phil Dawson 50-yard field goal, 0:27. 49ers 20–7. Drive: 7 plays, 12 yards, 1:41. Third quarter MIN – Joe Webb 3-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 4:05. 49ers 20–14. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 5:35. Fourth quarter SF – Jewel Hampton 4-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 14:55. 49ers 27–14. Drive: 9 plays, 91 yards, 4:10. SF – Anthony Dixon 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 4:12. 49ers 34–14. Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 8:09. Top passers MIN – Christian Ponder – 17/23, 116 yards, 2 TD, INT SF – Colt McCoy – 11/15, 109 yards, INT Top rushers MIN – Toby Gerhart – 7 rushes, 20 yards SF – Jewel Hampton – 8 rushes, 45 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Stephen Burton – 3 receptions, 31 yards SF – Quinton Patton – 4 receptions, 35 yards, TD

Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans

[edit]

Game information
First quarter TEN – Rob Bironas 28-yard field goal, 6:01. Titans 3–0. Drive: 18 plays, 70 yards, 8:59. Second quarter MIN – Matt Asiata 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 14:57. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 6:04. TEN – Justin Hunter 17-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rob Bironas kick), 7:35. Titans 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 7:22. MIN – Joe Banyard 11-yard pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Blair Walsh kick), 2:29. Vikings 14–10. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 5:06. TEN – Jack Doyle 2-yard pass from Rusty Smith (Rob Bironas kick), 0:26. Titans 17–14. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 2:03. Third quarter MIN – Marcus Sherels 109-yard kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 14:48. Vikings 21–17. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:12. TEN – Rob Bironas 29-yard field goal, 3:20. Vikings 21–20. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 4:59. Fourth quarter TEN – Rob Bironas 24-yard field goal, 12:53. Titans 23–21. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 3:49. MIN – Blair Walsh 25-yard field goal, 1:38. Vikings 24–23. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 2:17. Top passers TEN – Rusty Smith – 13/21, 178 yards, TD, INT MIN – McLeod Bethel-Thompson – 19/26, 187 yards, TD, INT Top rushers TEN – Darius Reynaud – 11 rushes, 56 yards MIN – Joe Banyard – 13 rushes, 62 yards Top receivers TEN – Rashad Ross – 2 receptions, 64 yards MIN – Joe Banyard – 7 receptions, 54 yards, TD
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance NFL.comrecap
1 September 8 at Detroit Lions L 24–34 0–1 Ford Field 62,461 Recap
2 September 15 at Chicago Bears L 30–31 0–2 Soldier Field 62,181 Recap
3 September 22 Cleveland Browns L 27–31 0–3 Mall of America Field 63,672 Recap
4 September 29 Pittsburgh Steelers W 34–27 1–3 Wembley Stadium (London, UK) 83,518 Recap
5 Bye
6 October 13 Carolina Panthers L 10–35 1–4 Mall of America Field 63,963 Recap
7 October 21 at New York Giants L 7–23 1–5 MetLife Stadium 79,314 Recap
8 October 27 Green Bay Packers L 31–44 1–6 Mall of America Field 64,134 Recap
9 November 3 at Dallas Cowboys L 23–27 1–7 AT&T Stadium 85,360 Recap
10 November 7 Washington Redskins W 34–27 2–7 Mall of America Field 64,011 Recap
11 November 17 at Seattle Seahawks L 20–41 2–8 CenturyLink Field 68,235 Recap
12 November 24 at Green Bay Packers T 26–26 (OT) 2–8–1 Lambeau Field 77,871 Recap
13 December 1 Chicago Bears W 23–20 (OT) 3–8–1 Mall of America Field 64,134 Recap
14 December 8 at Baltimore Ravens L 26–29 3–9–1 M&T Bank Stadium 70,921 Recap
15 December 15 Philadelphia Eagles W 48–30 4–9–1 Mall of America Field 64,087 Recap
16 December 22 at Cincinnati Bengals L 14–42 4–10–1 Paul Brown Stadium 61,555 Recap
17 December 29 Detroit Lions W 14–13 5–10–1 Mall of America Field 64,134 Recap

Team names in bold indicate the Vikings' divisional opponents.

# Blue/red indicates the International Series game in London.

Week 1: at Detroit Lions

[edit]

Game information
First quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 78-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 10:39. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 78 yards, 0:13. DET – David Akers 33-yard field goal, 4:55. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:44. Second quarter DET – David Akers 42-yard field goal, 14:47. Vikings 7–6. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 3:08. MIN – Adrian Peterson 4-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 12:17. Vikings 14–6. Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:36. DET – Joique Bell 2-yard run (David Akers kick), 0:10. Vikings 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 2:04. Third quarter DET – Joique Bell 1-yard run (David Akers kick), 10:19. Lions 20–14. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:44. MIN – Blair Walsh 52-yard field goal, 6:42. Lions 20–17. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:37. DET – Reggie Bush 77-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (David Akers kick), 5:45. Lions 27–17. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:57. MIN – Adrian Peterson 4-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 1:37. Lions 27–24. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 4:08. Fourth quarter DET – Joseph Fauria 1-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (David Akers kick), 6:47. Lions 34–24. Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 4:36. Top passers MIN – Christian Ponder – 18/28, 236 yards, TD, 3 INT DET – Matthew Stafford – 28/43, 357 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 18 rushes, 93 yards, 2 TD DET – Reggie Bush – 21 rushes, 90 yards Top receivers MIN – Jerome Simpson – 7 receptions, 140 yards DET – Reggie Bush – 4 receptions, 101 yards, TD

Week 2: at Chicago Bears

[edit]

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 7 14 3 6 30
Bears 14 10 0 7 31

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information
First quarter MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 105-yard kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 14:47. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13. CHI – Martellus Bennett 1-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 12:12. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 2:35. CHI – Brandon Marshall 34-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 1:04. Bears 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 86 yards, 1:06. Second quarter MIN – Brian Robison 61-yard fumble return (Blair Walsh kick), 7:34. Tied 14–14. CHI – Tim Jennings 44-yard interception return (Robbie Gould kick), 2:51. Bears 21–14. MIN – Kyle Rudolph 20-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 1:11. Tied 21–21. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:40. CHI – Robbie Gould 20-yard field goal, 0:00. Bears 24–21. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 1:11. Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 28-yard field goal, 2:32. Tied 24–24. Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 5:45. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 28-yard field goal, 8:05. Vikings 27–24. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 6:49. MIN – Blair Walsh 22-yard field goal, 3:15. Vikings 30–24. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:13. CHI – Martellus Bennett 16-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 0:10. Bears 31–30. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 3:05. Top passers MIN – Christian Ponder – 16/30, 227 yards, TD, INT CHI – Jay Cutler – 28/39, 290 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 26 rushes, 100 yards CHI – Matt Forté – 19 rushes, 90 yards Top receivers MIN – Greg Jennings – 5 receptions, 84 yards CHI – Brandon Marshall – 7 receptions, 113 yards, TD

Week 3: vs. Cleveland Browns

[edit]

Week 3: Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Browns 7 17 0 7 31
Vikings 7 10 7 3 27

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 2-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 9:13. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:47. CLE – Josh Gordon 47-yard pass from Brian Hoyer (Billy Cundiff kick), 4:42. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:13. Second quarter CLE – Jordan Cameron 19-yard pass from Brian Hoyer (Billy Cundiff kick), 14:55. Browns 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:26. MIN – Christian Ponder 6-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 4:43. Tied 14–14. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:43. CLE – Billy Cundiff 38-yard field goal, 6:07. Browns 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:05. CLE – Jordan Cameron 11-yard pass from Spencer Lanning (Billy Cundiff kick), 3:39. Browns 24–14. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 1:33. MIN – Blair Walsh 43-yard field goal, 1:08. Browns 24–17. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 1:20. Third quarter MIN – Christian Ponder 8-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 2:36. Tied 24–24. Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:49. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 30-yard field goal, 10:47. Vikings 27–24. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 5:14. CLE – Jordan Cameron 7-yard pass from Brian Hoyer (Spencer Lanning kick), 0:51. Browns 31–27. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 2:30. Top passers CLE – Brian Hoyer – 30/54, 321 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT MIN – Christian Ponder – 25/42, 228 yards, INT Top rushers CLE – Josh Aubrey – 1 rush, 34 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 25 rushes, 88 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Josh Gordon – 10 receptions, 146 yards, TD MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson – 2 receptions, 49 yards

Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

[edit]

NFL International Series

Game information
First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 54-yard field goal, 12:08. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 2:52. MIN – Greg Jennings 70-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 8:06. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 76 yards, 0:56. PIT – Le'Veon Bell 8-yard run (Shaun Suisham kick), 4:02. Vikings 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:04. Second quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 60-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 12:42. Vikings 17–7. Drive: 1 play, 60 yards, 0:10. PIT – Shaun Suisham 26-yard field goal, 3:39. Vikings 17–10. Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards, 9:03. MIN – Blair Walsh 37-yard field goal, 0:39. Vikings 20–10. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:00. Third quarter PIT – Le'Veon Bell 1-yard run (Shaun Suisham kick), 11:28. Vikings 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:32. MIN – Adrian Peterson 7-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 7:52. Vikings 27–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:36. MIN – Greg Jennings 16-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 5:11. Vikings 34–17. Drive: 2 plays, 37 yards, 0:27. Fourth quarter PIT – Jerricho Cotchery 15-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Shaun Suisham kick), 12:42. Vikings 34–24. Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 3:13. PIT – Shaun Suisham 28-yard field goal, 3:37. Vikings 34–27. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 3:12. Top passers PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 36/51, 383 yards, TD, INT MIN – Matt Cassel – 16/25, 248 yards, 2 TD Top rushers PIT – Le'Veon Bell – 16 rushes, 57 yards, 2 TD MIN – Adrian Peterson – 23 rushes, 140 yards, 2 TD Top receivers PIT – Jerricho Cotchery – 5 receptions, 103 yards, TD MIN – Jerome Simpson – 7 receptions, 124 yards

Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers

[edit]

Week 6: Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 7 7 14 7 35
Vikings 0 3 0 7 10

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter CAR – Steve Smith 2-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 2:03. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 62 yards, 9:29. Second quarter CAR – Mike Tolbert 10-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 3:43. Panthers 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 82 yards, 6:34. MIN – Blair Walsh 22-yard field goal, 0:14. Panthers 14–3. Drive: 15 plays, 76 yards, 3:29. Third quarter CAR – Brandon LaFell 79-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 13:56. Panthers 21–3. Drive: 3 plays, 86 yards, 1:04. CAR – Cam Newton 7-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 6:10. Panthers 28–3. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 5:50. Fourth quarter CAR – Mike Tolbert 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 7:40. Panthers 35–3. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 3:02. MIN – Kyle Rudolph 23-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 1:00. Panthers 35–10. Drive: 11 plays, 89 yards, 2:38. Top passers CAR – Cam Newton – 20/26, 242 yards, 3 TD MIN – Matt Cassel – 32/44, 241 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers CAR – DeAngelo Williams – 17 rushes, 64 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 10 rushes, 62 yards Top receivers CAR – Brandon LaFell – 4 receptions, 107 yards, TD MIN – Kyle Rudolph – 9 receptions, 97 yards, TD

Week 7: at New York Giants

[edit]

Game information
First quarter NYG – Josh Brown 35-yard field goal, 5:24. Giants 3–0. Drive: 17 plays, 68 yards, 9:36. MIN – Marcus Sherels 86-yard punt return (Blair Walsh kick), 0:23. Vikings 7–3. Second quarter NYG – Rueben Randle 24-yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 9:33. Giants 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:34. Third quarter NYG – Peyton Hillis 1-yard run (Josh Brown kick), 8:37. Giants 17–7. Drive: 2 plays, 3 yards, 0:41. Fourth quarter NYG – Josh Brown 23-yard field goal, 12:13. Giants 20–7. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 8:31. NYG – Josh Brown 36-yard field goal, 11:03. Giants 23–7. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:00. Top passers MIN – Josh Freeman – 20/53, 190 yards, INT NYG – Eli Manning – 23/39, 200 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 13 rushes, 28 yards NYG – Peyton Hillis – 18 rushes, 36 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Greg Jennings – 4 receptions, 41 yards NYG – Victor Cruz – 5 receptions, 50 yards

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers

[edit]

Week 8: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 7 17 7 13 44
Vikings 7 10 0 14 31

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 109-yard kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 14:47. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13. GB – Jordy Nelson 11-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 7:23. Tied 7–7. Drive: 14 plays, 90 yards, 7:24. Second quarter GB – Mason Crosby 30-yard field goal, 10:29. Packers 10–7. Drive: 17 plays, 70 yards, 8:24. MIN – Blair Walsh 36-yard field goal, 5:09. Tied 10–10. Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 5:20. GB – Jordy Nelson 76-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 3:38. Packers 17–10. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:31. GB – Micah Hyde 93-yard punt return (Mason Crosby kick), 1:30. Packers 24–10. MIN – Adrian Peterson 8-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 0:04. Packers 24–17. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 1:26. Third quarter GB – Eddie Lacy 1-yard run (Mason Crosby kick), 6:50. Packers 31–17. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 8:10. Fourth quarter GB – James Starks 25-yard run (Mason Crosby kick), 14:16. Packers 38–17. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 5:32. GB – Mason Crosby 20-yard field goal, 6:10. Packers 41–17. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 6:36. MIN – Toby Gerhart 13-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 4:42. Packers 41–24. Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 1:28. GB – Mason Crosby 45-yard field goal, 2:53. Packers 44–24. Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 1:49. MIN – Christian Ponder 19-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:24. Packers 44–31. Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 1:29. Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 24/29, 285 yards, 2 TD MIN – Christian Ponder – 14/21, 145 yards Top rushers GB – Eddie Lacy – 29 rushes, 94 yards, TD MIN – Adrian Peterson – 13 rushes, 60 yards, TD Top receivers GB – Jordy Nelson – 7 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD MIN – Kyle Rudolph – 4 receptions, 51 yards

With Josh Freeman ruled out after suffering a concussion in the previous game, Christian Ponder reclaimed his spot as starting quarterback. Cordarrelle Patterson got the game off to a good start for the Vikings, returning the opening kickoff 109 yards for a touchdown to tie the NFL record. However, Aaron Rodgers responded for the Packers by leading his offense on a 14-play, 90-yard drive, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. The sides then exchanged field goals before Rodgers found Nelson again in the second quarter for a 76-yard touchdown. On the Vikings' next possession, they were forced to punt, but Micah Hyde was able to return the kick 93 yards for another Packers touchdown to make the score 24–10. A controversial pass interference call against Packers cornerback Tramon Williams late in the half set the Vikings up with a first down on the Packers' 14-yard line; two plays later, Adrian Peterson had the ball in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown, which kept the Vikings in with a chance going into the second half.

But the Packers offense remained unstoppable as Rodgers again led a long drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Eddie Lacy after they had converted three times on third down and once on fourth down during the series. After another three-and-out for the Vikings, the Packers offense picked up four first downs in the space of five plays on the way to a 25-yard touchdown run for James Starks. The Vikings again went three-and-out on their next possession, but this time their defense was able to stop Green Bay at the goal line, limiting them to a 20-yard Mason Crosby field goal to make the score 41–17 with just over six minutes to play. Patterson again had a big return on the ensuing kickoff, taking it 51 yards to the Minnesota 42-yard line to set up a short field. Five plays later, Toby Gerhart narrowed the deficit to 17 points with a 13-yard touchdown run. Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson was penalized on the onside kick that followed for touching the ball before it had gone 10 yards, allowing the Packers to run down the clock before Crosby slotted another field goal, this time from 45 yards. Inside the two-minute warning, Ponder threw an incompletion on fourth down, only for Tramon Williams to again be penalized for pass interference against Patterson, allowing Ponder the opportunity for a 19-yard touchdown run two plays later. The Vikings were unable to recover the onside kick, and Green Bay knelt out the clock for a 44–31 win.

Week 9: at Dallas Cowboys

[edit]

Game information
First quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 41-yard field goal, 6:51. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:15. MIN – Blair Walsh 23-yard field goal, 2:08. Tied 3–3. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 4:43. Second quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 44-yard field goal, 6:35. Cowboys 6–3. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 6:56. MIN – Christian Ponder 6-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:41. Vikings 10–6. Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 4:54. Third quarter DAL – Jason Witten 26-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 11:38. Cowboys 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 3:22. DAL – Nick Hayden fumble recovery in end zone (Dan Bailey kick), 11:28. Cowboys 20–10. MIN – Kyle Rudolph 31-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 8:11. Cowboys 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 3:17. Fourth quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 11-yard run (kick wide right), 5:40. Vikings 23–20. Drive: 8 plays, 87 yards, 4:52. DAL – Dwayne Harris 7-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:35. Cowboys 27–23. Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 2:09. Top passers MIN – Christian Ponder – 25/37, 236 yards, TD, INT DAL – Tony Romo – 34/51, 337 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 25 rushes, 140 yards, TD DAL – DeMarco Murray – 4 rushes, 31 yards Top receivers MIN – Greg Jennings – 6 receptions, 56 yards DAL – Jason Witten – 8 receptions, 102 yards, TD

Following the high-scoring loss to the Packers, the Vikings, continuing with Christian Ponder as their quarterback, travel to Arlington, Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys. The first quarter was all field goals, as Dallas scored first with a 41-yarder by Dan Bailey, followed by a 23-yarder for the Vikings by Blair Walsh. In the second quarter, Bailey made another field goal from 44 yards to put the Cowboys up by 3, but the Vikings took a 10–6 lead into halftime, capping the ensuing 79-yard drive with a 6-yard run by Ponder.

After the half, Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo completed two consecutive 26-yard passes to tight end Jason Witten to give them an early touchdown and restore their three-point lead. On the very next play from scrimmage, Ponder fumbled the ball as he was sacked in the end zone, and the Cowboys' Nick Hayden recovered it for a touchdown, meaning the Vikings went from 10–6 up to 20–10 down in the space of two scrimmage plays. The Vikings responded immediately with a quick, six-play drive, culminating with a 31-yard pass from Ponder to Kyle Rudolph to cut the Cowboys' lead back to three points.

After a series of punts going into the fourth quarter, Adrian Peterson scored for the Vikings with an 11-yard run with almost six minutes to go, but Walsh pushed the extra point kick wide right, giving the Vikings a three-point lead over the Cowboys. Vikings cornerback A. J. Jefferson intercepted Romo on the Cowboys' ensuing drive, putting the Vikings in a position to potentially take over the game, but the offense went three-and-out and was forced to punt. The Cowboys progressed downfield quickly, never faced with a third down, and scored with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Dwayne Harris, the third time the Vikings had given up a game-winning score in 2013. With less than 30 seconds to play, but they were unable to make any significant territorial gains and Ponder's last-second hail mary fell short, giving the Cowboys a 27–23 win.

Week 10: vs. Washington Redskins

[edit]

Week 10: Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Redskins 10 14 3 0 27
Vikings 7 7 14 6 34

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter WAS – Kai Forbath 20-yard field goal, 8:16. Redskins 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 4:53. MIN – Adrian Peterson 18-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 5:10. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 3:06. WAS – Pierre Garçon 8-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 1:17. Redskins 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 3:53. Second quarter MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 2-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 12:59. Vikings 14–10. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:18. WAS – Jordan Reed 11-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 5:02. Redskins 17–14. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 7:57. WAS – Logan Paulsen 1-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 0:10. Redskins 24–14. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 3:57. Third quarter WAS – Kai Forbath 40-yard field goal, 9:22. Redskins 27–14. Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 5:38. MIN – John Carlson 28-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 4:32. Redskins 27–21. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:50. MIN – Adrian Peterson 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 0:57. Vikings 28–27. Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 2:00. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 39-yard field goal, 9:54. Vikings 31–27. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 2:38. MIN – Blair Walsh 40-yard field goal, 3:36. Vikings 34–27. Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 4:47. Top passers WAS – Robert Griffin III – 24/37, 281 yards, 3 TD MIN – Christian Ponder – 17/21, 174 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers WAS – Alfred Morris – 26 rushes, 139 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 20 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TD Top receivers WAS – Pierre Garçon – 7 receptions, 119 yards, TD MIN – John Carlson – 7 receptions, 98 yards, TD

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

[edit]

Game information
First quarter SEA – Steven Hauschka 50-yard field goal, 11:25. Seahawks 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 1 yard, 2:04. MIN – Blair Walsh 32-yard field goal, 4:40. Tied 3–3. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 6:45. SEA – Marshawn Lynch 4-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 11:25. Seahawks 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 2:10. Second quarter MIN – Jarius Wright 38-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 11:28. Tied 10–10. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:32. SEA – Marshawn Lynch 1-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 6:26. Seahawks 17–10. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 5:02. MIN – Blair Walsh 45-yard field goal, 0:48. Seahawks 17–13. Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 5:38. SEA – Doug Baldwin 19-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 0:10. Seahawks 24–13. Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 0:38. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter SEA – Marshawn Lynch 6-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 13:14. Seahawks 31–13. Drive: 2 plays, 18 yards, 0:39. SEA – Walter Thurmond 29-yard interception return (Steven Hauschka kick), 12:30. Seahawks 38–13. SEA – Steven Hauschka 26-yard field goal, 10:12. Seahawks 41–13. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:28. MIN – Jarius Wright 21-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 2:18. Seahawks 41–20. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 2:53. Top passers MIN – Christian Ponder – 13/22, 129 yards, TD, 2 INT SEA – Russell Wilson – 13/18, 230 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIN – Toby Gerhart – 7 rushes, 67 yards SEA – Marshawn Lynch – 17 rushes, 54 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MIN – Jarius Wright – 3 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TD SEA – Zach Miller – 4 receptions, 69 yards

Week 12: at Green Bay Packers

[edit]

Game information
First quarter GB – Scott Tolzien 6-yard run (Mason Crosby kick), 4:59. Packers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 5:59. MIN – Blair Walsh 36-yard field goal, 1:37. Packers 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 24 yards, 3:22. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 47-yard field goal, 4:24. Packers 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 4:23. MIN – Adrian Peterson 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 0:50. Vikings 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:24. Third quarter MIN – Rhett Ellison 12-yard pass from Christian Ponder (Blair Walsh kick), 8:22. Vikings 20–7. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 3:28. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 29-yard field goal, 14:22. Vikings 23–7. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:04. GB – Eddie Lacy 3-yard run (pass failed), 11:42. Vikings 23–13. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:40. GB – Jarrett Boykin 6-yard pass from Matt Flynn (Mason Crosby kick), 3:30. Vikings 23–20. Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 5:10. GB – Mason Crosby 27-yard field goal, 0:46. Tied 23–23. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 1:41. Overtime GB – Mason Crosby 20-yard field goal, 10:25. Packers 26–23. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 4:35. MIN – Blair Walsh 35-yard field goal, 3:49. Tied 26–26. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:36. Top passers MIN – Christian Ponder – 21/30, 233 yards, TD GB – Matt Flynn – 21/36, 218 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 32 rushes, 146 yards, TD GB – Eddie Lacy – 25 rushes, 110 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Jerome Simpson – 2 receptions, 54 yards GB – James Jones – 7 receptions, 80 yards

The Vikings traveled to Green Bay in week 12 to face a Packers team missing quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had suffered a fractured left collarbone three weeks earlier. After successive punts from each side started the game, the Packers were the first to score as backup QB Scott Tolzien ran in for a 6-yard touchdown, but two field goals from Blair Walsh and a 1-yard touchdown run for Adrian Peterson meant the Vikings took a 13–7 lead into halftime. They extended their lead midway through the third quarter as Christian Ponder hit tight end Rhett Ellison for a 12-yard touchdown, and Walsh made it a 16-point lead with a 29-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter.

The Packers pulled the struggling Tolzien after the Ellison touchdown and replaced him with the recently re-signed Matt Flynn. Flynn then led the Packers on three consecutive scoring drives in the fourth quarter, starting with a 3-yard touchdown run for Eddie Lacy. Flynn's pass to Andrew Quarless on the two-point attempt fell incomplete, but Flynn was able to find Jarrett Boykin for a 6-yard touchdown on the next drive to reduce the Vikings' lead to three points. Inside the two-minute warning, Flynn combined with James Jones for a 28-yard completion on 4th-and-6, setting up Mason Crosby for the game-tying, 27-yard field goal. The Packers won the overtime coin toss and took the opening possession down to the Minnesota 2-yard line before having to settle for a field goal, only for Walsh to respond with a 35-yard effort. The two sides then exchanged possession as neither was able to put together a significant drive and the game ended in a 26–26 tie.

Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears

[edit]

Week 13: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Total
Bears 3 3 14 0 0 20
Vikings 0 7 3 10 3 23

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter CHI – Robbie Gould 30-yard field goal, 1:06. Bears 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 5:10. Second quarter MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 33-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 7:27. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 90 yards, 2:33. CHI – Robbie Gould 40-yard field goal, 2:47. Vikings 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:40. Third quarter CHI – Alshon Jeffery 80-yard pass from Josh McCown (Robbie Gould kick), 14:08. Bears 13–7. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:52. MIN – Blair Walsh 32-yard field goal, 7:08. Bears 13–10. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 7:00. CHI – Alshon Jeffery 46-yard pass from Josh McCown (Robbie Gould kick), 5:15. Bears 20–10. Drive: 4 plays, 83 yards, 1:53. Fourth quarter MIN – Greg Jennings 8-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 7:41. Bears 20–17. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards, 6:25. MIN – Blair Walsh 30-yard field goal, 0:20. Tied 20–20. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 2:20. Overtime MIN – Blair Walsh 34-yard field goal, 1:43. Vikings 23–20. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:24. Top passers CHI – Josh McCown – 23/36, 355 yards, 2 TD MIN – Matt Cassel – 20/33, 243 yards, TD, INT Top rushers CHI – Matt Forte – 23 rushes, 120 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 35 rushes, 211 yards Top receivers CHI – Alshon Jeffery – 12 receptions, 249 yards, 2 TD MIN – Greg Jennings – 7 receptions, 78 yards, TD

Week 14: at Baltimore Ravens

[edit]

Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 0 3 3 20 26
Ravens 7 0 0 22 29

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information
First quarter BAL – Ed Dickson 1-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 4:14. Ravens 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 2:15. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 39-yard field goal, 4:28. Ravens 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 5:42. Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 40-yard field goal, 12:02. Ravens 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 2:58. Fourth quarter MIN – Jerome Simpson 8-yard pass from Matt Cassel (pass failed), 14:22. Vikings 12–7. Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 1:40. BAL – Dennis Pitta 1-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Joe Flacco–Torrey Smith pass), 2:05. Ravens 15–12. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:27. MIN – Toby Gerhart 41-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:27. Vikings 19–15. Drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:38. BAL – Jacoby Jones 77-yard kickoff return (Justin Tucker kick), 1:16. Ravens 22–19. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:11. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 79-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 0:45. Vikings 26–22. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 0:31. BAL – Marlon Brown 9-yard pass form Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 0:04. Ravens 29–26. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 0:41. Top passers MIN – Matt Cassel – 17/38, 265 yards, 2 TD BAL – Joe Flacco – 28/50, 245 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT Top rushers MIN – Toby Gerhart – 15 rushes, 89 yards, TD BAL – Ray Rice – 17 rushes, 67 yards Top receivers MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson – 5 receptions, 141 yards, TD BAL – Marlon Brown – 7 receptions, 92 yards, TD

Playing in the snow in Baltimore, the Vikings sought out their first road win of the season. During the first half, Adrian Peterson injured his ankle and was dropped from the game. Despite taking the lead with a touchdown twice in the final 2 minutes of the fourth quarter, the Vikings were unable to hold on as the Ravens scored a game-winning touchdown with four seconds left. With the loss, the Vikings dropped to 3–9–1 and were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]

Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 3 6 13 8 30
Vikings 7 10 10 21 48

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter MIN – Greg Jennings 57-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 6:18. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 2:04. PHI – Alex Henery 35-yard field goal, 2:35. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 3:43. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 21-yard field goal, 13:19. Vikings 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 4:16. PHI – Alex Henery 51-yard field goal, 8:55. Vikings 10–6. Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 4:24. MIN – Matt Asiata 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:06. Vikings 17–6. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:49. PHI – Alex Henery 33-yard field goal, 0:00. Vikings 17–9. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 1:06. Third quarter MIN – Matt Cassel 6-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 12:03. Vikings 24–9. Drive: 4 plays, 52 yards, 1:38. MIN – Blair Walsh 38-yard field goal, 4:43. Vikings 27–9. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:21. PHI – DeSean Jackson 30-yard pass from Nick Foles (Alex Henery kick), 3:14. Vikings 27–16. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 1:29. PHI – Zach Ertz 3-yard pass from Nick Foles (pass failed), 0:15. Vikings 27–22. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 1:03. Fourth quarter MIN – Matt Asiata 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 13:01. Vikings 34–22. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:14. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 5-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 6:54. Vikings 41–22. Drive: 3 plays, 36 yards, 1:01. PHI – Jason Avant 16-yard pass from Nick Foles (Nick Foles–Riley Cooper pass), 4:26. Vikings 41–30. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:28. MIN – Matt Asiata 5-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:09. Vikings 48–30. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:17. Top passers PHI – Nick Foles – 30/48, 428 yards, 3 TD, INT MIN – Matt Cassel – 26/35, 382 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers PHI – Nick Foles – 5 rushes, 41 yards MIN – Matt Asiata – 30 rushes, 51 yards, 3 TD Top receivers PHI – DeSean Jackson – 10 receptions, 195 yards, TD MIN – Greg Jennings – 11 receptions, 163 yards, TD

Week 16: at Cincinnati Bengals

[edit]

Game information
First quarter CIN – Benjarvus Green-Ellis 4-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 13:12. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:12. MIN – Jarius Wright 36-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick, 10:02. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 54 yards, 1:57. CIN – A. J. Green 29-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 0:57. Bengals 14–7. Drive: 10 plays, 90 yards, 5:21. Second quarter CIN – Vincent Rey 25-yard interception return (Mike Nugent kick), 10:02. Bengals 21–7. CIN – Jermaine Gresham 16-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 2:22. Bengals 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:09. Third quarter CIN – Mohamed Sanu 7-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 10:35. Bengals 35–7. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:25. CIN – A. J. Green 2-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 3:19. Bengals 42–7. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 5:12. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 35-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:34. Bengals 42–14. Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:45. Fourth quarter Top passers MIN – Matt Cassel – 13/27, 114 yards, TD, 3 INT CIN – Andy Dalton – 27/38, 366 yards, 4 TD Top rushers MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson – 3 rushes, 54 yards, TD CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 12 rushes, 24 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Jarius Wright – 1 reception, 36 yards, TD CIN – A. J. Green – 7 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD

Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions

[edit]

Week 17: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Lions 0 0 7 6 13
Vikings 7 0 0 7 14

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 50-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 2:41. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 69 yards, 0:52. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter DET – Reggie Bush 19-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (David Akers kick), 10:27. Tied 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, 4:33. Fourth quarter DET – David Akers 25-yard field goal, 14:25. Lions 10–7. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 7:36. DET – David Akers 53-yard field goal, 12:43. Lions 13–7. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 0:51. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 8-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 9:19. Vikings 14–13. Drive: 2 plays, 8 yards, 0:08. Top passers DET – Matthew Stafford – 22/33, 217 yards, TD MIN – Matt Cassel – 20/33, 189 yards, TD, INT Top rushers DET – Reggie Bush – 14 rushes, 32 yards MIN – Matt Asiata – 14 rushes, 115 yards Top receivers DET – Kevin Ogletree – 5 receptions, 75 yards MIN – Greg Jennings – 5 receptions, 44 yards

In the last game to be played at the Metrodome before its demolition, the Vikings hosted their divisional rivals, the Detroit Lions. This turned out to be the only game of the Vikings' season (including preseason) in which the opposing team scored fewer than 20 points. A 50-yard run from Cordarrelle Patterson for the first score of the game put the Vikings up 7-0, where the score remained through halftime. After the half, Reggie Bush struck back with a 19-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 7-7 in the third. The fourth quarter saw David Akers make two field goals to put the Lions in the lead 13-7. However, Matt Cassel threw a TD pass to Patterson to put the Vikings back in the lead 14-13, which they managed to hold onto for the remaining nine minutes of the game.

Head coach Leslie Frazier was fired as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings the following day. His tenure ended with a record of 21–32–1 in over three years.

NFC North
viewtalkedit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Green Bay Packers 8 7 1 .531 3–2–1 6–5–1 417 428 W1
Chicago Bears 8 8 0 .500 2–4 4–8 445 478 L2
Detroit Lions 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 395 376 L4
Minnesota Vikings 5 10 1 .344 2–3–1 4–7–1 391 480 W1
NFC[89]viewtalkedit
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1 Seattle Seahawks West 13 3 0 .813 4–2 10–2 .490 .445 W1
2 Carolina Panthers South 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .494 .451 W3
3 Philadelphia Eagles East 10 6 0 .625 4–2 9–3 .453 .391 W2
4 Green Bay Packers North 8 7 1 .531 3–2–1 6–5–1 .453 .371 W1
Wild cards
5 San Francisco 49ers West 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .494 .414 W6
6 New Orleans Saints South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 .516 .455 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Arizona Cardinals West 10 6 0 .625 2–4 6–6 .531 .444 L1
8[a] Chicago Bears North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 4–8 .465 .469 L2
9 Dallas Cowboys East 8 8 0 .500 5–1 7–5 .484 .363 L1
10[b][c] New York Giants East 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .520 .366 W2
11[d] Detroit Lions North 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .457 .402 L4
12 St. Louis Rams West 7 9 0 .438 1–5 4–8 .551 .446 L1
13 Minnesota Vikings North 5 10 1 .344 2–3–1 4–7–1 .512 .450 W1
14[e] Atlanta Falcons South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .553 .313 L2
15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .574 .391 L3
16 Washington Redskins East 3 13 0 .188 0–6 1–11 .516 .438 L8
Tiebreakers[f]
^ Chicago defeated Dallas head-to-head (Week 14, 45–28). ^ The NY Giants and Detroit finished with a better conference record than St. Louis. ^ The NY Giants defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 16, 23–20 (OT)). ^ Detroit finished with a better conference record than St. Louis. ^ Atlanta finished with a better conference record than Tampa Bay. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

2013 Minnesota Vikings staff | | Front office Owner/chairman – Zygi Wilf Owner/president – Mark Wilf Owner/vice chairman – Leonard Wilf General manager – Rick Spielman Vice president of football operations – Rob Brzezinski Assistant general manager – George Paton Director of college scouting – Scott Studwell Assistant director of college scouting – Jamaal Stephenson Head coaches Head coach – Leslie Frazier Special assistant to the head coach/linebackers – Mike Singletary Assistant to the head coach – Jeff Howard Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Bill Musgrave Quarterbacks – Craig Johnson Assistant quarterbacks – Kevin Stefanski Running backs – James Saxon Wide receivers – George Stewart Tight ends – Jimmie Johnson Offensive line – Jeff Davidson Assistant offensive line/offensive quality control – Ryan Silverfield Offensive quality control – Klint Kubiak | | | Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Alan Williams Defensive line – Brendan Daly Assistant defensive line – Diron Reynolds Linebackers – Fred Pagac Defensive backs – Joe Woods Assistant secondary – Jeff Imamura Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Mike Priefer Assistant special teams – Ryan Ficken Strength and conditioning Head athletic trainer/director of sports medicine – Eric Sugarman Strength and conditioning – Tom Kanavy Assistant strength and conditioning – Martin Streight Assistant strength and conditioning – Aaron McLaurin Assistant strength and conditioning – Chaz Mahle | | 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2013 Minnesota Vikings roster | Quarterbacks (QB) 16 Matt Cassel 12 Josh Freeman 7 Christian Ponder Running backs (RB) 44 Matt Asiata 23 Joe Banyard 42 Jerome Felton FB 32 Toby Gerhart 28 Adrian Peterson Wide receivers (WR) 15 Greg Jennings 84 Cordarrelle Patterson 81 Jerome Simpson 83 Rodney Smith 14 Joe Webb 17 Jarius Wright Tight ends (TE) 40 Rhett Ellison 86 Chase Ford | | Offensive linemen (OL) 60 Jeff Baca G 61 Joe Berger C/G 63 Brandon Fusco G 74 Charlie Johnson G 75 Matt Kalil T 71 Phil Loadholt T 67 Mike Remmers T 65 John Sullivan C 73 J'Marcus Webb T Defensive linemen (DL) 69 Jared Allen DE 91 Chase Baker DT 90 Fred Evans DT 95 Sharrif Floyd DT 97 Everson Griffen DE 98 Letroy Guion DT 96 Brian Robison DE 92 Justin Trattou DE 93 Kevin Williams DT | | Linebackers (LB) 51 Larry Dean OLB 52 Chad Greenway OLB 50 Erin Henderson MLB 54 Gerald Hodges OLB 56 Michael Mauti MLB 55 Marvin Mitchell OLB Defensive backs (DB) 36 Robert Blanton S 20 Chris Cook CB 27 Shaun Prater CB 41 Mistral Raymond SS 29 Xavier Rhodes CB 33 Jamarca Sanford SS 34 Andrew Sendejo FS 35 Marcus Sherels CB 22 Harrison Smith FS 26 Robert Steeples CB Special teams 18 Jeff Locke P 46 Cullen Loeffler LS 3 Blair Walsh K | | Practice squad 30 Brandan Bishop S 25 Kip Edwards CB 68 Kevin Murphy T 64 Spencer Nealy DE 38 Bradley Randle RB 19 Adam Thielen WR Reserve 59 Desmond Bishop OLB (IR) 89 John Carlson TE (IR) 85 Greg Childs WR (PUP) 57 Audie Cole MLB (IR) 48 Zach Line FB (IR) 21 Josh Robinson CB (IR) 82 Kyle Rudolph TE (IR) _Rookies in italics_53 active, 7 reserve, 6 practice squad | | 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Category Player(s) Value
Passing yards Matt Cassel 1,807
Passing touchdowns Matt Cassel 11
Rushing yards Adrian Peterson 1,266
Rushing touchdowns Adrian Peterson 10
Receptions Greg Jennings 68
Receiving yards Greg Jennings 804
Receiving touchdowns Greg Jennings 4
Points Blair Walsh 121
Kickoff return yards Cordarrelle Patterson 1,393 *
Punt return yards Marcus Sherels 335
Tackles Chad Greenway 134
Sacks Jared Allen 11.5
Interceptions Chad Greenway 3
Forced fumbles Jared AllenJamarca Sanford 2

* Vikings single season record.

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank(out of 32)
Passing offense 3,427 214.2 23rd
Rushing offense 2,081 130.1 8th
Total offense 5,508 344.2 13th
Passing defense 4,598 287.4 31st
Rushing defense 1,767 110.4 16th
Total defense 6,365 397.8 31st
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