| 1983 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Bud Grant |
| Home Field | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 8-8 |
| Place | 4th NFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1982 | 1984 |
1983 was the 23nd year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 64th regular season of the National Football League.
After starting 6–2, the Vikings lost six of their next seven – including a home loss to the 0–9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – and were eliminated from playoff contention with one week to play.
Even with the loss to Tampa Bay, Minnesota would have won the NFC Central Division championship if not for a 13–2 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in week 14.
The team finished 8–8 record and failed to reach the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. At the end of the season, Grant retired as head coach, although he returned for a final season in 1985.
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
- Main article: 1983 NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | at Cleveland Browns | W 27-21 | |
| 2 | September 8 | San Francisco 49ers | L 48-17 | |
| 3 | September 18 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 19-16 (OT) | |
| 4 | September 25 | Detroit Lions | W 20-17 | |
| 5 | October 2 | Dallas Cowboys | L 37-24 | |
| 6 | October 9 | at Chicago Bears | W 23-14 | |
| 7 | October 16 | Houston Oilers | W 34-14 | |
| 8 | October 23 | at Green Bay Packers | W 20-17 (OT) | |
| 9 | October 30 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 41-31 | |
| 10 | November 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17-12 | |
| 11 | November 13 | Green Bay Packers | L 29-21 | |
| 12 | November 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17-14 | |
| 13 | November 27 | at New Orleans Saints | L 17-16 | |
| 14 | December 5 | at Detroit Lions | L 13-2 | |
| 15 | December 11 | Chicago Bears | L 19-13 | |
| 16 | December 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20-14 |
Standings[]
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 347 | 286 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 429 | 439 |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 311 | 301 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 316 | 348 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 241 | 380 |
Awards, records, and honors[]
- Against the Detroit Lions in Week 14, the Vikings became the 35th team in NFL history and only the fifth since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger, to score only a safety in a game. This has happened only once since, by the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals ten years and a week later.