1979 Minnesota Vikings

1979 Minnesota Vikings season
Head Coach	Bud Grant
Home Field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	7-9
Place	3rd NFC Central
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
1978	1980

1979 was the 19th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of seven wins and nine losses, their first losing season since 1967.

The season also marked the end of an era; as longtime defensive end Jim Marshall; the last remaining original Viking, retired after 19 seasons and having set then-league records for most games played (282) and starts (270).

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 2	San Francisco	W 28-22	1-0	46,539
2	September 9	at Chicago	L 26-7	1-1	53,231
3	September 16	Miami	L 27-12	1-2	46,187
4	September 23	Green Bay	W 27-21 (OT)	2-2	46,524
5	September 30	at Detroit	W 13-10	3-2	75,295
6	October 7	Dallas	L 36-20	3-3	47,572
7	October 15	at NY Jets	L 14-7	3-4	54,479
8	October 21	Chicago	W 30-27	4-4	41,164
9	October 28	Tampa Bay	L 12-10	4-5	46,906
10	November 4	at St. Louis	L 37-7	4-6	47,213
11	November 11	at Green Bay (Mil)	L 19-7	4-7	52,706
12	November 18	Detroit	W 14-7	5-7	43,650
13	November 25	at Tampa Bay	W 23-22	6-7	70,039
14	December 2	at Los Angeles	L 27-21 (OT)	6-8	56,700
15	December 9	Buffalo	W 10-3	7-8	42,239
16	December 16	at New England	L 27-23	7-9	54,719

Game Summaries

Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings;– Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 6 3 13 22 Vikings 0 0 14 14 28 at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota Date: September 2 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/10:00 a.m. PDT Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) TV: CBS Pro Football Reference Game information First quarter No Scoring Second quarter SF – Ray Wersching 37 yard field goal, 49ers 3-0. SF – Ray Wersching 22 yard field goal, 49ers 6-0. Third quarter SF – Ray Wersching 44 yard field goal, 49ers 9-0. MIN – Ahmad Rashad 52 yard pass from Tommy Kramer, (Rick Danmeier kick), 49ers 9-7. MIN – Ahmad Rashad 32 yard pass from Tommy Kramer, (Rick Danmeier kick), Vikings 14-9. Fourth quarter MIN – Ahmad Rashad 8 yard pass from Tommy Kramer, (Rick Danmeier kick), Vikings 21-9. SF – Freddie Solomon 44 yard pass from Steve DeBerg, (Ray Wersching kick), Vikings 21-16. SF – Lenvil Elliott 4 yard rush, (kick failed), 49ers 22-21. MIN – Ahmad Rashad 25 yard pass from Tommy Kramer, (Rick Danmeier kick), Vikings 28-22. Top passers SF – Steve DeBerg – 29/42, 262 yards, TD, 2 INTs MIN – Tommy Kramer – 21/34, 297 yards, 4 TDs Top rushers SF – Lenvil Elliott - 10 rushes, 41 yards, TD MIN – Rickey Young – 6 rushes, 43 yards Top receivers SF – Freddie Solomon - 4 receptions, 107 yards, TD MIN – Ahmad Rashad - 7 receptions, 152 yards, 4 TDs

Standings

NFC Central
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	6	0	.625	273	237
Chicago Bears	10	6	0	.625	306	249
Minnesota Vikings	7	9	0	.438	259	337
Green Bay Packers	5	11	0	.313	246	316
Detroit Lions	2	14	0	.125	219	365

Roster

Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends

Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen DE

Linebackers Defensive Backs CB Special Teams

Reserve Lists Practice Squad Rookies in italics