Perhaps no one personifies the defensive progress more than second-year safety Xavier McKinney, who has played every snap in each of the last eight games.
Sixty years ago Friday, the expansion Vikings upset the Bears 37-13 behind four touchdown passes (and a fifth rushing) by rookie Fran Tarkenton in their first regular-season home game.
From the archives: Sid Hartman and Jim Klobuchar on the Vikings debut startribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Remembering the greatest post-game press conference of all time
And other memories of Coach Jerry Burns
When you mention the name of former head coach Jerry Burns to fans of the Minnesota Vikings, there are certain to be a lot of different memories that come to mind. For most, however, the most cited would likely be what happened in the aftermath of the Vikings’ 23-21 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams on 5 November 1989.
The score might look like a fairly conventional football score, but the Vikings got to their 23 points in quite an unconventional manner. The points came as a result of seven field goals from barefoot kicker Rich Karlis, five of which came from less than 30 yards. That was enough to send the game to overtime, and the Vikings won courtesy of a blocked punt from linebacker Mike Merriweather that went out of the end zone for a safety. That was the first overtime safety in NFL history.