2015 Minnesota Vikings

2015 Minnesota Vikings season
Owner	Zygi Wilf
Head Coach	Mike Zimmer
General Manager	Rick Spielman
Home Field	TCF Bank Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Place	1st NFC North
Playoff Finish	Lost NFC Wild Card Playoff (Seahawks) 9–10
Pro Bowlers	RB Adrian Peterson DE Everson Griffen S Harrison Smith QB Teddy Bridgewater LB Anthony Barr
Uniform
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Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
2014	2016

The 2015 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 55th season in the National Football League and their second under head coach Mike Zimmer. It marked the last season in which the Vikings played their home games at the University of Minnesota's on-campus TCF Bank Stadium, before moving into U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in July 2016, located on the site of the now-demolished Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Vikings improved on their 7–9 record from 2014 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2012. They also won their first NFC North title since 2009 with a Week 17 victory at the Packers. As a result, they hosted the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round of the 2015–16 NFL playoffs, but lost 10–9 after kicker Blair Walsh missed a potential game-winning, 27-yard field goal in the final seconds.

Offseason

Draft

• Main article: 2015 NFL draft

2015 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Contract	Notes
Round	Selection
1	11	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State	4 years / $12.944 million
2	45	Eric Kendricks	ILB	UCLA	4 years / $5.156 million
3	76	Traded to the Kansas City ChiefsTemplate:Efn-ua
	80	Traded to the Detroit LionsTemplate:Efn-ua				from ChiefsTemplate:Efn-ua
	88	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU	4 years / $3.077 million	from LionsTemplate:Efn-ua
4	110	T. J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh	4 years / $2.804 million
5	137	Traded to the Atlanta FalconsTemplate:Efn-ua				from Buccaneers via BillsTemplate:Efn-ua
	143	MyCole Pruitt	TE	Southern Illinois	4 years / $2.51 million	from Lions via Broncos and BearsTemplate:Efn-ua
	146	Stefon Diggs	WR	Maryland	4 years / $2.5 million	from FalconsTemplate:Efn-ua
	149	Traded to the Miami DolphinsTemplate:Efn-ua
6	185	Tyrus Thompson	OT	Oklahoma	4 years / $2.4 million	from FalconsTemplate:Efn-ua
	187	Traded to the Buffalo BillsTemplate:Efn-ua
	193	B. J. Dubose	DE	Louisville	4 years / $2.399 million	from ChiefsTemplate:Efn-ua
7	228	Austin Shepherd	OT	Alabama	4 years / $2.349 million
	232	Edmond Robinson	OLB	Newberry	4 years / $2.34 million	from 49ers via DolphinsTemplate:Efn-ua

Roster changes

Re-signings

Date	Player name	Position	Contract terms
March 8, 2015	Tom Johnson	DE	3 years / $7 million
March 10, 2015	Matt Asiata	RB	1 year / $800,000
March 11, 2015	Joe Berger	C	2 years / $2.155 million
	Cullen Loeffler	LS	1 year / $1.05 million
March 17, 2015	Mike Harris	OT	1 year / $1.542 million
July 4, 2015	John Sullivan	C	3 years / $16.7 million
July 26, 2015	Blair Walsh	K	4 year / $14 million

Departures

Date	Player name	Position	Note	New team
February 27, 2015	Charlie Johnson	G	Released
March 10, 2015	Matt Cassel	QB	TradedTemplate:Efn-ua	Buffalo Bills
	Jerome Felton	FB	UFA
March 13, 2015	Christian Ponder	QB		Oakland Raiders
March 14, 2015	Jasper Brinkley	ILB		Dallas Cowboys
	Greg Jennings	WR	Released	Miami Dolphins
March 16, 2015	Vladimir Ducasse	G	UFA	Chicago Bears
March 26, 2015	Justin Anderson	LB	Released	Dallas Cowboys
	Jordan McCray	G	Released
April 2, 2015	Pat Devlin	QB	Released	Chicago Bears
August 24, 2015	Cullen Loeffler	LS	Released
August 30, 2015	Joe Banyard	RB	Released	Jacksonville Jaguars
	Brandon Bostick	TE		Arizona Cardinals
	Jalil Carter	CB
	Justin Coleman	CB		New England Patriots
	DaVaris Daniels	WR		New England Patriots
	Stephen Goodin	OT		Brooklyn Bolts (FXFL)
	Josh Kaddu	LB
	Jordan Leslie	WR		Jacksonville Jaguars
	Caesar Rayford	DE		Los Angeles Kiss (AFL)
	Chrishon Rose	DT
	DeMarcus Van Dyke	CB		Atlanta Falcons
September 5, 2015	Babatunde Aiyegbusi	OT	Waived
October 6, 2015	Gerald Hodges	MLB	Traded	San Francisco 49ers
November 17, 2015	Chase Ford	TE	Signed off Practice Squad	Baltimore Ravens

Additions

Date	Player name	Position	Previous team	Contract terms
February 18, 2015	Brandon Bostick	TE	Green Bay Packers	Claimed off waivers
March 11, 2015	Shaun Hill	QB	St. Louis Rams	2 years / $6.5 million
March 13, 2015	Mike Wallace	WR	Miami Dolphins	Acquired in tradeTemplate:Efn-ua
March 19, 2015	DuJuan Harris	RB	Green Bay Packers	1 year / $660,000
March 24, 2015	Casey Matthews	LB	Philadelphia Eagles	1 years / $825,000
	Taylor Mays	S	Cincinnati Bengals	1 year / $795,000
March 26, 2015	Babatunde Aiyegbusi	OL	Dresden Monarchs (GFL)	3 years / $1.575 million
March 27, 2015	Terence Newman	CB	Cincinnati Bengals	1 year / $2.25 million
April 2, 2015	Mike Kafka	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1 year / $660,000
	Caesar Rayford	DE	Montreal Alouettes (CFL)	1 year / $660,000
April 6, 2015	Kevin McDermott	LS	Baltimore Ravens	2 years / $1.26 million
May 11, 2015	Isaac Fruechte	WR	Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA)	3 years / $1.575 million
June 9, 2015	Chrishon Rose	DT	East Carolina Pirates (NCAA)
July 24, 2015	Josh Thomas	CB	Detroit Lions
August 1, 2015	Ryan Whalen	WR	Cincinnati Bengals
August 14, 2015	Greg Hickman	DT	Detroit Lions
October 6, 2015	Nick Easton	C	San Francisco 49ers	Acquired in trade

Draft trades Template:Notelist-ua

Preseason

Schedule

On February 11, 2015, the NFL announced that the Vikings would play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. The game was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday, August 9. The remainder of the Vikings' preliminary preseason schedule was announced on April 9. The Vikings first hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders before road games against the Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans, making this the third consecutive year in which the Vikings face the Titans in the preseason.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
HOF	August 9	Pittsburgh	W 14–3	1–0	Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio)	Recap
1	August 15	Tampa Bay	W 26–16	2–0	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
2	August 22	Oakland	W 20–12	3–0	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
3	August 29	at Dallas	W 28–14	4–0	AT&T Stadium	Recap
4	September 3	at Tennessee	L 17–24	4–1	Nissan Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

Hall of Fame Game: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Hall of Fame Game: Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 3 0 0 3 Vikings 0 7 7 0 14 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio Date: August 9 Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Overcast, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 22,364 Referee: Carl Cheffers (51) TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter PIT – Shaun Suisham 36-yard field goal, 8:23. Steelers 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 1:43. MIN – MyCole Pruitt 34-yard pass from Mike Kafka (Blair Walsh kick), 4:20. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 4:03. Third quarter MIN – Joe Banyard 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 3:57. Vikings 14–3. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:03. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers PIT – Landry Jones – 16/32, 135 yards MIN – Mike Kafka – 7/10, 66 yards, TD Top rushers PIT – Dri Archer – 4 rushes, 24 yards MIN – Matt Asiata – 6 rushes, 30 yards Top receivers PIT – Shakim Phillips – 2 receptions, 43 yards MIN – MyCole Pruitt – 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD

Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Preseason Week 1: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Buccaneers 3 6 7 0 16 Vikings 9 14 3 0 26 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: August 15 Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Partly cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 50,610 Referee: Walt Coleman (65) Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 46-yard field goal, 11:59. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 3:01 MIN – Zach Line 1-yard run (run failed), 4:07 Vikings 9–0. Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 2:11 TB – Patrick Murray 32-yard field goal, 0:36. Vikings 9–3. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 3:31 Second quarter MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 21-yard pass from Shaun Hill (Blair Walsh kick), 11:44. Vikings 16–3. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 0:53 MIN – Adam Thielen 15-yard pass from Shaun Hill (Blair Walsh kick), 3:45. Vikings 23–3. Drive: 4 plays, 34 yards, 2:06 TB – Jameis Winston 8-yard run (pass failed), 1:04. Vikings 23–9. Drive 9 plays, 76 yards, 2:41 Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 42-yard field goal, 13:05. Vikings 26–9. Drive 4 plays, −1 yards, 0:40 TB – Mike James 3-yard run (Patrick Murray kick), 7:56. Vikings 26–16. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 2:19 Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers TB – Jameis Winston – 9/19, 131 yards MIN – Shaun Hill – 8/9, 104 yards, 2 TD Top rushers TB – Bobby Rainey – 5 rushes, 20 yards MIN – Dominique Williams – 6 rushes, 44 yards Top receivers TB – Louis Murphy – 4 receptions, 54 yards MIN – Adam Thielen – 2 receptions, 54 yards, TD

Week 2: vs. Oakland Raiders

Preseason Week 2: Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 6 3 3 0 12 Vikings 0 13 7 0 20 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: August 22 Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 50,656 Referee: Ed Hochuli (85) Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter OAK – Latavius Murray 2-yard run (run failed), 3:22. Raiders 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:24. Second quarter MIN – Charles Johnson 10-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (kick failed, wide right), 14:14. Tied 6–6. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 4:08. OAK – Giorgio Tavecchio 26-yard field goal, 2:07. Raiders 9–6. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 4:18. MIN – Chase Ford 4-yard pass from Shaun Hill (Blair Walsh kick), 0:08. Vikings 13–9. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 1:59. Third quarter OAK – Giorgio Tavecchio 37-yard field goal, 5:25. Vikings 13–12. Drive: 7 plays, 10 yards, 2:41. MIN – Blake Renaud 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 2:42. Vikings 20–12. Drive: 3 plays, 1 yard, 0:49. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers OAK – Derek Carr – 4/8, 78 yards MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 10/14, 89 yards, TD Top rushers OAK – Michael Dyer – 12 rushes, 45 yards MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 12 rushes, 25 yards Top receivers OAK – Amari Cooper – 1 receptions, 40 yards MIN – Charles Johnson – 4 receptions, 40 yards, TD

Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys

Preseason Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 3 10 8 7 28 Cowboys 0 14 0 0 14 at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas Date: August 29 Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Game attendance: 86,082 Referee: Ron Torbert (62) Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 28-yard field goal, 1:12. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:58. Second quarter DAL – Terrance Williams 60-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 14:48. Cowboys 7–3. Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:24. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 107-yard kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 14:35. Vikings 10–7. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13. DAL – Lucky Whitehead 8-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 8:59. Cowboys 14–10. Drive: 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:39. MIN – Blair Walsh 45-yard field goal, 1:00. Cowboys 14–13. Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 2:24. Third quarter MIN – Dominique Williams 3-yard run (Taylor Heinicke–Chase Ford pass), 8:58. Vikings 21–14. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:23. Fourth quarter MIN – Joe Banyard 7-yard run, (Blair Walsh kick), 2:57. Vikings 28–14. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 3:21. Top passers MIN – Taylor Heinicke – 11/11, 83 yards DAL – Tony Romo – 5/8, 88 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIN – Joe Banyard – 5 rushes, 26 yards, TD DAL – Darren McFadden – 4 rushes, 37 yards Top receivers MIN – Mike Wallace – 3 receptions, 50 yards DAL – Terrance Williams – 1 receptions, 60 yards, TD

Week 4: at Tennessee Titans

Preseason Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 0 3 7 7 17 Titans 14 0 3 7 24 at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee Date: September 3 Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 61,294 Referee: Brad Allen (122) Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter TEN – Harry Douglas 59-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 13:28. Titans 7–0. 4 plays, 79 yards, 1:32. TEN – Rico Richardson 3-yard pass from Zach Mettenberger (Ryan Succop kick), 7:32. Titans 14–0. 7 plays, 20 yards, 3:53. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 33-yard field goal, 0:19. Titans 14–3. 12 plays, 65 yards, 2:26. Third quarter MIN – Dominique Williams 14-yard pass from Taylor Heinicke (Blair Walsh kick), 11:20. Titans 14–10. 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:40. TEN – Ryan Succop 40-yard field goal, 2:30. Titans 17–10. 4 plays, −11 yards, 1:00. Fourth quarter TEN – Phillip Supernaw 1-yard pass from Alex Tanney (Ryan Succop kick), 8:05. Titans 24–10. 12 plays, 94 yards, 7:01. MIN – Stefon Diggs 7-yard pass from Taylor Heinicke (Blair Walsh kick), 3:54. Titans 24–17. 4 plays, 26 yards, 1:04. Top passers MIN – Taylor Heinicke – 27/41, 279 yards, 2 TD TEN – Marcus Mariota – 2/3, 74 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Dominique Williams – 9 rushes, 24 yards TEN – David Fluellen – 12 rushes, 61 yards Top receivers MIN – Stefon Diggs – 8 receptions, 85 yards, TD TEN – Harry Douglas – 1 receptions, 59 yards, TD

Regular season

Schedule

The Vikings' 2015 schedule was announced on April 21.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 14	at San Francisco	L 3–20	0–1	Levi's Stadium	Recap
2	September 20	Detroit	W 26–16	1–1	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
3	September 27	San Diego	W 31–14	2–1	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
4	October 4	at Denver	L 20–23	2–2	Mile High	Recap
5	Bye
6	October 18	Kansas City	W 16–10	3–2	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
7	October 25	at Detroit	W 28–19	4–2	Ford Field	Recap
8	November 1	at Chicago	W 23–20	5–2	Soldier Field	Recap
9	November 8	St. Louis	W 21–18 (OT)	6–2	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
10	November 15	at Oakland	W 30–14	7–2	O.co Coliseum	Recap
11	November 22	Green Bay	L 13–30	7–3	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
12	November 29	at Atlanta	W 20–10	8–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
13	December 6	Seattle	L 7–38	8–4	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
14	December 10	at Arizona	L 20–23	8–5	U of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
15	December 20	Chicago	W 38–17	9–5	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
16	December 27	NY Giants	W 49–17	10–5	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
17	January 3	at Green Bay	W 20–13	11–5	Lambeau Field	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Division

Template:2015 NFC North standings

Conference

Template:2015 NFC standings

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

Week One: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 0 0 0 3 3 49ers 0 7 3 10 20 at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California Date: September 14 Game time: 9:20 p.m. CDT/7:20 p.m. PDT Game weather: Partly cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 70,499 Referee: Ed Hochuli (85) TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Berman, Trent Dilfer and Lindsay Czarniak Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter SF – Carlos Hyde 10-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 0:47. 49ers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 93 yards, 4:58. Third quarter SF – Phil Dawson 30-yard field goal, 4:32. 49ers 10–0. Drive: 14 plays, 73 yards, 5:42. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 37-yard field goal, 14:43. 49ers 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:49. SF – Carlos Hyde 17-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 9:30. 49ers 17–3. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:13. SF – Phil Dawson 25-yard field goal, 6:08. 49ers 20–3. Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 2:14. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 23/32, 231 yards SF – Colin Kaepernick – 17/26, 165 yards Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 10 rushes, 31 yards SF – Carlos Hyde – 26 rushes, 168 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MIN – Mike Wallace – 6 receptions, 63 yards SF – Anquan Boldin – 4 receptions, 36 yards

The Vikings opened their 2015 season on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite allowing San Francisco to start with the ball, the Vikings made a positive start, as Andrew Sendejo blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt from Phil Dawson, which Marcus Sherels returned 44 yards to the San Francisco 26-yard line. Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater was unable to complete a single pass on the next drive, forcing Blair Walsh to attempt a 44-yard field goal; however, he pushed it wide right. After forcing the 49ers to punt on the next series, the Vikings were themselves forced to punt immediately afterwards, only for the 49ers' rookie former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne to muff the catch, allowing the Vikings to recover the ball. The next drive saw the Vikings attempt to convert on 4th-and-3, but Bridgewater's completed pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph fell a yard short of a fresh set of downs.

Both sides exchanged punts at the start of the second quarter, with the 49ers eventually returning one 85 yards for a touchdown, only for it to be called back for an illegal block by a San Francisco player. However, the ensuing possession would end with a 49ers touchdown, as they drove 93 yards in just under 5 minutes, before Carlos Hyde finished the series with a 10-yard touchdown run; after finding nowhere to go on his initial run to the right, he beat a Minnesota defender with a spin move and ran back to the left side of the field, where quarterback Colin Kaepernick led him into the end zone. With the Vikings unable to score in the remaining 47 seconds, the first half ended 7–0 to San Francisco.

Minnesota started the third quarter with the ball, but they were unable to make it out of their half before being forced to punt. The 49ers then extended their lead on the ensuing possession, driving 73 yards to the Minnesota 11-yard line to set up a 30-yard field goal attempt for Dawson. The Vikings finally got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter, as Walsh finished off a 66-yard drive with a 37-yard field goal, but the 49ers pulled further ahead with a second touchdown for Hyde on a 17-yard run. Bridgewater attempted to spark the Vikings back into the game, but a deep pass intended for Rudolph was intercepted by Tramaine Brock, setting up a 25-yard field goal for Dawson. The next drive saw the Vikings go for it again on 4th-and-8, but Bridgewater was sacked for a loss of 14 yards, allowing the 49ers to kneel out the game.

Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Two: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Lions 0 10 0 6 16 Vikings 7 10 6 3 26 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: September 20 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Partly cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,319 Referee: Bill Vinovich (52) TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Kirk Morrison and Peter Schrager Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Kyle Rudolph 5-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 10:25. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:35. Second quarter MIN – Teddy Bridgewater 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 14:26. Vikings 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:58. DET – Matt Prater 26-yard field goal, 7:12. Vikings 14–3. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 7:14. MIN – Blair Walsh 28-yard field goal, 2:32. Vikings 17–3. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:40. DET – Calvin Johnson 11-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 0:34. Vikings 17–10. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:58. Third quarter MIN – Zach Line 1-yard run (kick failed, wide right), 8:54. Vikings 23–10. Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 2:31. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 23-yard field goal, 6:20. Vikings 26–10. Drive: 10 plays, 34 yards, 5:46. DET – Eric Ebron 12-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (run failed), 1:48. Vikings 26–16. Drive: 18 plays, 82 yards, 4:32. Top passers DET – Matthew Stafford – 32/53, 286 yards, 2 TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 14/18, 153 yards, TD Top rushers DET – Matthew Stafford – 4 rushes, 20 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 29 rushes, 134 yards Top receivers DET – Calvin Johnson – 10 receptions, 83 yards, TD MIN – Adrian Peterson – 2 receptions, 58 yards

Adrian Peterson would rush for 134 yards on 29 carries and also had 2 receptions for 58 yards as the Vikings beat the Lions 26-16.

With the win, the Vikings went to 1-1.

Week 3: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week Three: San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 0 7 0 7 14 Vikings 3 7 14 7 31 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: September 27 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Sunny, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,400 Referee: Terry McAulay (77) TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 24-yard field goal, 1:15. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:31. Second quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 2-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 9:05. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:39. SD – Keenan Allen 34-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 1:17. Vikings 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 2:17. Third quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 43-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 12:32. Vikings 17–7. Drive: 1 play, 43 yards, 0:12. MIN – Zach Line 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 2:42. Vikings 24–7. Drive: 16 plays, 86 yards, 7:19. Fourth quarter MIN – Chad Greenway 91-yard interception return (Blair Walsh kick), 13:57. Vikings 31–7. SD – Keenan Allen 19-yard pass from Kellen Clemens (Josh Lambo kick), 0:32. Vikings 31–14. Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 8:05. Top passers SD – Philip Rivers – 21/34, 246 yards, TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 13/24, 121 yards Top rushers SD – Melvin Gordon – 14 rushes, 51 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 20 rushes, 126 yards, 2 TD Top receivers SD – Keenan Allen – 12 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD MIN – Mike Wallace – 3 receptions, 49 yards

Adrian Peterson would have another good day rushing the ball, as he ran for 126 yards on 20 rushes and scored twice. The game was all Vikings, as they lead the entire game. The game was officially put away after Chad Greenway returned an interception 91 yards down the sidelines for a touchdown.

With the win, Minnesota improved to 2-1.

Week 4: at Denver Broncos

Week Four: Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 0 10 0 10 20 Broncos 3 10 7 3 23 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado Date: October 4 Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT/2:25 p.m. MDT Game weather: Cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 77,029 Referee: Walt Coleman (65) TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter DEN – Brandon McManus 33-yard field goal, 8:16. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:05. Second quarter DEN – Ronnie Hillman 72-yard run (Brandon McManus kick), 11:24. Broncos 10–0. Drive: 1 play, 72 yards, 0:11. DEN – Brandon McManus 47-yard field goal, 5:57. Broncos 13–0. Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards, 3:47. MIN – Blair Walsh 38-yard field goal, 1:39. Broncos 13–3. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 4:18. MIN – Mike Wallace 4-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 0:12. Broncos 13–10. Drive: 2 plays, 27 yards, 0:11. Third quarter DEN – Owen Daniels 1-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Brandon McManus kick), 11:10. Broncos 20–10. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:50. Fourth quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 48-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 10:01. Broncos 20–17. Drive: 9 plays, 97 yards, 4:48. MIN – Blair Walsh 33-yard field goal, 5:11. Tied 20–20. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 3:56. DEN – Brandon McManus 39-yard field goal, 1:51. Broncos 23–20. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:20. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 27/41, 269 yards, 1 TD DEN – Peyton Manning – 17/27, 213 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 16 rushes, 81 yards, 1 TD DEN – Ronnie Hillman – 11 rushes, 103 yards, 1 TD Top receivers MIN – Stefon Diggs – 6 receptions, 87 yards DEN – Demaryius Thomas – 9 receptions, 93 yards

The Vikings would go down to tie the game after Blair Walsh converted a field goal from 33 yards out to tie the game at 20. The Broncos would go down and win the game when Brandon McManus kicked a game-winning 39 yard field goal. Adrian Peterson would have another stellar day rushing the ball, but it was not enough as the Vikings lost.

With the loss, the Vikings fell to 2-2.

Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 0 0 0 10 10 Vikings 3 7 3 3 16 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: October 18 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Sunny, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,480 Referee: Jerome Boger (23) TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Stacey Dales Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 24-yard field goal, 5:40. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:00. Second quarter MIN – Kyle Rudolph 4-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 4:43. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 6:09. Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 45-yard field goal, 8:51. Vikings 13–0. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:34. Fourth quarter KC – Cairo Santos 48-yard field goal, 13:10. Vikings 13–3. Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 3:27. KC – Albert Wilson 42-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 8:46. Vikings 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 2:26. MIN – Blair Walsh 45-yard field goal, 4:46. Vikings 16–10. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:00. Top passers KC – Alex Smith – 22/37, 282 yards, TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 17/31, 249 yards, TD Top rushers KC – Charcandrick West – 9 rushes, 33 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 26 rushes, 60 yards Top receivers KC – Travis Kelce – 5 receptions, 88 yards MIN – Stefon Diggs – 7 receptions, 129 yards

With the win, the Vikings improved to 3-2. They would also be the last team to beat the Chiefs in 2015, as the Chiefs won 10 in a row after this game.

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

Week Seven: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 3 12 10 3 28 Lions 14 3 0 2 19 at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan Date: October 25 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: None (domed stadium) Game attendance: 60,231 Referee: Ed Hochuli (85) TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter DET – Calvin Johnson 1-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 11:10. Lions 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:50. MIN – Blair Walsh 37-yard field goal, 3:47. Lions 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 7:23. DET – Eric Ebron 7-yard pass from Matt Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 1:24. Lions 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:23. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 53-yard field goal, 11:11. Lions 14–6. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 5:13. DET – Matt Prater 52-yard field goal, 5:03. Lions 17–6. Drive: 6 plays, 8 yards, 2:53. MIN – Kyle Rudolph 1-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (kick failed, wide right), 1:49. Lions 17–12. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:14. MIN – Blair Walsh 51-yard field goal, 0:00. Lions 17–15. Drive: 8 plays, 19 yards, 1:13. Third quarter MIN – Stefon Diggs 36-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 10:19. Vikings 22–17. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 4:41. MIN – Blair Walsh 35-yard field goal, 6:07. Vikings 25–17. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:07. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 22-yard field goal, 14:10. Vikings 28–17. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards, 4:57. DET – Jeff Locke out of bounds in the end zone for a safety, 0:59. Vikings 28–19. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 25/35, 316 yards, 2 TD DET – Matthew Stafford – 18/26, 256 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 19 rushes, 98 yards DET – Ameer Abdullah – 8 rushes, 43 yards Top receivers MIN – Stefon Diggs – 6 receptions, 108 yards, TD DET – Eric Ebron – 5 receptions, 89 yards, TD

With the win, the Vikings improved to 4-2.

Week 8: at Chicago Bears

Week Eight: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 7 3 0 13 23 Bears 3 7 3 7 20 at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Date: November 1 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Sunny, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 62,311 Referee: John Hussey (35) TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Holly Sonders Preview, Game Book Game information First quarter CHI – Robbie Gould 55-yard field goal, 10:56. Bears 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 3:07. MIN – Marcus Sherels 65-yard punt return (Blair Walsh kick), 3:37. Vikings 7–3. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 43-yard field goal, 9:05. Vikings 10–3. Drive: 12 plays, 51 yards, 6:46. CHI – Alshon Jeffery 21-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 0:42. Tied 10–10. Drive: 3 plays, 34 yards, 0:19. Third quarter CHI – Robbie Gould 33-yard field goal, 8:28. Bears 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 6:32. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 48-yard field goal, 13:29. Tied 13–13. Drive: 9 plays, 29 yards, 3:23. CHI – Jay Cutler 4-yard run (Robbie Gould kick), 4:55. Bears 20–13. Drive: 14 plays, 74 yards, 8:34. MIN – Stefon Diggs 40-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 1:49. Tied 20–20. Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 3:06. MIN – Blair Walsh 36-yard field goal, 0:00. Vikings 23–20. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 1:00. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 17/30, 187 yards, TD CHI – Jay Cutler – 22/33, 211 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 20 rushes, 103 yards CHI – Jeremy Langford – 12 rushes, 46 yards Top receivers MIN – Stefon Diggs – 6 receptions, 95 yards, TD CHI – Alshon Jeffery – 10 receptions, 116 yards, TD

With the win, Minnesota improved to 5-2.

Week 9: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week Nine: St. Louis Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Rams 6 9 0 3 18 Vikings 10 0 8 0 21 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: November 8 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Sunny, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,406 Referee: Ron Torbert (62) TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Tony Siragusa Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 34-yard field goal, 10:19. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 3:36. MIN – Adrian Peterson 6-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 5:24. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:32. STL – Todd Gurley 1-yard run (run failed), 1:09. Vikings 10–6. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:15. Second quarter STL – Greg Zuerlein 61-yard field goal, 10:55. Vikings 10–9. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 2:20. STL – Greg Zuerlein 35-yard field goal, 3:23. Rams 12–10. Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 5:47. STL – Greg Zuerlein 45-yard field goal, 0:00. Rams 15–10. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 1:45. Third quarter MIN – Teddy Bridgewater 6-yard run (Teddy Bridgewater run), 8:39. Vikings 18–15. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 3:20. Fourth quarter STL – Greg Zuerlein 53-yard field goal, 0:12. Tied 18–18. Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 1:02. Overtime MIN – Blair Walsh 40-yard field goal, 9:20. Vikings 21–18. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 3:59. Top passers STL – Nick Foles – 18/33, 168 yards MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 13/21, 144 yards Top rushers STL – Todd Gurley – 24 rushes, 89 yards, TD MIN – Adrian Peterson – 29 rushes, 125 yards, TD Top receivers STL – Kenny Britt – 3 receptions, 87 yards MIN – Stefon Diggs – 3 receptions, 42 yards

The Rams would tie the game with 12 seconds remaining after Greg Zuerlein converted a 53 yard field goal. However, the Vikings would ultimately win the game when Blair Walsh kicked a 40 yard field goal.

With the win, the Vikings improved to 6-2.

Week 10: at Oakland Raiders

Week Ten: Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 10 10 0 10 30 Raiders 0 14 0 0 14 at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California Date: November 15 Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST Game weather: Sunny, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 54,700 Referee: Tony Corrente (99) TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Holly Sonders Preview, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Rhett Ellison 11-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 10:59. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:01. MIN – Blair Walsh 20-yard field goal, 1:32. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:17. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 38-yard field goal, 10:33. Vikings 13–0. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:19. OAK – Clive Walford 10-yard pass from David Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 5:54. Vikings 13–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:39. OAK – Andre Holmes 34-yard pass from David Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 1:52. Raiders 14–13. Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 1:29. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 93-yard kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 1:39. Vikings 20–14. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 34-yard field goal, 3:50. Vikings 23–14. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 5:41. MIN – Adrian Peterson 80-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:50. Vikings 30–14. Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:13. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 14/22, 140 yards, TD OAK – Derek Carr – 29/43, 302 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 26 rushes, 203 yards, TD OAK – Latavius Murray – 12 rushes, 48 yards Top receivers MIN – Stefon Diggs – 2 receptions, 46 yards OAK – Amari Cooper – 5 receptions, 79 yards

With their 5th straight win, the Vikings improved to 7-2.

Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Eleven: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Packers 6 10 3 11 30 Vikings 6 0 7 0 13 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: November 22 Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST Game weather: Mostly cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,529 Referee: Walt Coleman (65) TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews Preview, Game Book Game information First quarter GB – Mason Crosby 42-yard field goal, 4:49. Packers 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 5:35. MIN – Kyle Rudolph 47-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (kick failed, wide right), 3:01. Vikings 6–3. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:48. GB – Mason Crosby 47-yard field goal, 1:37. Tied 6–6. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:24. Second quarter GB – Mason Crosby 40-yard field goal, 10:17. Packers 9–6. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:18. GB – Randall Cobb 10-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 0:06. Packers 16–6. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:13. Third quarter GB – Mason Crosby 42-yard field goal, 10:13. Packers 19–6. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 4:47. MIN – Adrian Peterson 6-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 2:37. Packers 19–13. Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 2:00. Fourth quarter GB – James Jones 27-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Aaron Rodgers to James Jones pass), 14:51. Packers 27–13. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:46. GB – Mason Crosby 52-yard field goal, 4:14. Packers 30–13. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:23. Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 16/34, 212 yards, 2 TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 25/37, 296 yards, TD Top rushers GB – Eddie Lacy – 22 rushes, 100 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 13 rushes, 45 yards, TD Top receivers GB – James Jones – 6 receptions, 109 yards, TD MIN – Kyle Rudolph – 6 receptions, 106 yards, TD

With the loss, the Vikings fell to 7-3 and had their 5-game winning streak snapped.

Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Twelve: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 7 0 3 10 20 Falcons 0 3 0 7 10 at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia Date: November 29 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium) Game attendance: 70,610 Referee: Clete Blakeman (34) TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 1-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 3:42. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 6:30. Second quarter ATL – Shayne Graham 31-yard field goal, 6:13. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 8:03. Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 29-yard field goal, 1:49. Vikings 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 6:10. Fourth quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 39-yard field goal, 6:24. Vikings 13–3. Drive: 14 plays, 67 yards, 8:26. MIN – Adrian Peterson 35-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 4:15. Vikings 20–3. Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 0:19. ATL – Nick Williams 1–yd pass from Matt Ryan (Shayne Graham kick), 1:28. Vikings 20–10. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:47. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 20/28, 174 yards ATL – Matt Ryan – 22/31, 230 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 29 rushes, 158 yards, 2 TD ATL – Tevin Coleman – 18 rushes, 110 yards Top receivers MIN – Kyle Rudolph – 7 receptions, 53 yards ATL – Jacob Tamme – 5 receptions, 69 yards

With the win, the Vikings improved to 8-3.

Week 13: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Thirteen: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 7 14 14 3 38 Vikings 0 0 7 0 7 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: December 6 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 52,430 Referee: Terry McAulay (77) TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter SEA – Thomas Rawls 5-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 3:36. Seahawks 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 81 yards, 7:39. Second quarter SEA – Russell Wilson 8-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 2:04. Seahawks 14–0. Drive: 13 plays, 98 yards, 6:15. SEA – Doug Baldwin 20–yd pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 1:04. Seahawks 21–0. Drive: 1 play, 20 yards, 0:04. Third quarter SEA – Fred Jackson 5–yd pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 9:12. Seahawks 28–0. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:45. SEA – Doug Baldwin 53–yd pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 1:01. Seahawks 35–0. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:52. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 101–yd kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 0:48. Seahawks 35–7. Fourth quarter SEA – Steven Hauschka 23-yard field goal, 8:00. Seahawks 38–7. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:48. Top passers SEA – Russell Wilson – 21/27, 274 yards, 3 TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 17/28, 118 yards Top rushers SEA – Thomas Rawls – 19 rushes, 101 yards, TD MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 4 rushes, 18 yards Top receivers SEA – Doug Baldwin – 5 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TD MIN – Mike Wallace – 2 receptions, 43 yards

The Vikings would suffer a major blowout loss to Seattle. Seattle would dominate the game all day, as Minnesota couldn't get into any rhythm.

With the bitter loss, the Vikings fell to 8-4.

Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Fourteen: Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 7 3 0 10 20 Cardinals 10 0 7 6 23 at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona Date: December 10 Game time: 7:25 p.m. CST/6:25 p.m. MST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, mostly clear — retractable roof open Game attendance: 64,784 Referee: Gene Steratore (114) TV announcers (NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 27-yard field goal, 7:23. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 71 yards, 7:37. MIN – Adrian Peterson 9-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 3:57. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 7 play, 80 yards, 3:26. ARI – John Brown 65-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 1:43. Cardinals 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:14. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 44-yard field goal, 0:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 3:42. Third quarter ARI – Michael Floyd 42-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 8:31. Cardinals 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:49. Fourth quarter ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 23-yard field goal, 14:55. Cardinals 20–10. Drive: 16 plays, 66 yards, 7:13. MIN – Blair Walsh 54-yard field goal, 12:10. Cardinals 20–13. Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 2:45. MIN – Mike Wallace 7-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 4:55. Tied 20–20. Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 5:10. ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 47-yard field goal, 1:23. Cardinals 23–20. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 3:32. Top passers MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 25/36, 335 yards, TD ARI – Carson Palmer – 25/35, 310 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIN – Adrian Peterson – 23 rushes, 69 yards, TD ARI – David Johnson – 19 rushes, 92 yards Top receivers MIN – Kyle Rudolph – 6 receptions, 67 yards ARI – Michael Floyd – 5 receptions, 102 yards, TD

With the loss, the Vikings fell to 8-5.

Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Fifteen: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 0 7 3 7 17 Vikings 7 10 7 14 38 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: December 20 Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,421 Referee: Brad Allen (122) TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Stefon Diggs 15-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 5:44. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 93 yards, 6:22. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 53-yard field goal, 14:22. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 4:16. CHI – Alshon Jeffery 10-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 5:40. Vikings 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:25. MIN – Jerick McKinnon 17-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 0:26. Vikings 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 5:14. Third quarter MIN – Stefon Diggs 33-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 10:40. Vikings 24–7. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 3:10. CHI – Robbie Gould 51-yard field goal, 4:23. Vikings 24–10. Drive: 15 plays, 47 yards, 6:17. Fourth quarter MIN – Teddy Bridgewater 12-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 8:45. Vikings 31–10. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards, 1:10. CHI – Matt Forte 4-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 5:13. Vikings 31–17. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:32. MIN – Zach Line 4-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 1:50. Vikings 38–17. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:23. Top passers CHI – Jay Cutler – 26/37, 231 yards, 2 TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 17/20, 231 yards, 4 TD Top rushers CHI – Matt Forte – 8 rushes, 47 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 18 rushes, 63 yards Top receivers CHI – Matt Forte – 6 receptions, 57 yards, TD MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 4 receptions, 76 yards, TD

With the win, the Vikings improved to 9-5.

Week 16: vs. New York Giants

Week Sixteen: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 3 7 7 17 Vikings 3 16 13 17 49 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: December 27 Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, partly cloudy Game attendance: 52,455 Referee: Tony Corrente (99) TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 32-yard field goal, 0:08. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:44. Second quarter MIN – Kyle Rudolph 28-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Blair Walsh kick), 11:02. Vikings 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 2:04. NYG – Josh Brown 27-yard field goal, 8:22. Vikings 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 2:40. MIN – Harrison Smith 35-yard interception return (kick failed, hit left upright), 4:00. Vikings 16–3. MIN – Blair Walsh 52-yard field goal, 0:04. Vikings 19–3. Drive: 7 plays, 23 yards, 1:01. Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 22-yard field goal, 7:35. Vikings 22–3. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 5:06. MIN – Adrian Peterson 2-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 6:40. Vikings 29–3. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:42. MIN – Blair Walsh 53-yard field goal, 1:51. Vikings 32–3. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 3:27. NYG – Rueben Randle 72-yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 1:02. Vikings 32–10. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:49. Fourth quarter MIN – Jerick McKinnon 7-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 13:31. Vikings 39–10. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:31. MIN – Blair Walsh 27-yard field goal, 9:34. Vikings 42–10. Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 2:44. MIN – Jerick McKinnon 68-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 3:36. Vikings 49–10. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:43. NYG – Myles White 25-yard pass from Ryan Nassib (Josh Brown kick), 1:54. Vikings 49–17. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 1:42. Top passers NYG – Eli Manning – 15/29, 234 yards, TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 15/25, 168 yards, TD Top rushers NYG – Rashad Jennings – 14 rushes, 74 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 22 rushes, 104 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Rueben Randle – 2 receptions, 80 yards, TD MIN – Jarius Wright – 3 receptions, 57 yards

The Vikings would blow out the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football. Adrian Peterson would rush for 104 yards on 22 carries and the Vikings defense forced 3 turnovers (all interceptions by Eli Manning).

With the win, the Vikings improved to 10-5 and with the Packers losing in Arizona earlier in the day, they will face Green Bay for the NFC North Championship.

Week 17: at Green Bay Packers

Week Seventeen: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 3 3 14 0 20 Packers 3 0 0 10 13 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin Date: January 3, 2016 Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST Game weather: Cloudy, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 78,412 Referee: Bill Vinovich (52) TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 39-yard field goal, 10:45. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 4:15. GB – Mason Crosby 28-yard field goal, 2:02. Tied 3–3. Drive: 15 plays, 70 yards, 8:43. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 32-yard field goal, 2:55. Vikings 6–3. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:37. Third quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 3-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 10:32. Vikings 13–3. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:55. MIN – Captain Munnerlyn 55-yard fumble return (Blair Walsh kick), 4:28. Vikings 20–3. Fourth quarter GB – Richard Rodgers 16-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 13:27. Vikings 20–10. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:01. GB – Mason Crosby 43-yard field goal, 5:35. Vikings 20–13. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 4:25. Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 28/44, 291 yards, TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 10/19, 99 yards Top rushers GB – Eddie Lacy – 13 rushes, 34 yds MIN – Adrian Peterson – 19 rushes, 67 yds, TD Top receivers GB – James Jones – 4 receptions, 102 yards MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 3 receptions, 33 yards

The Vikings would clinch the NFC North for the first time since 2009 with the win.

With the win, the Vikings ended their season at 11-5 and finished 3-0 on the road against their division.

Postseason

See also: 2015–16 NFL playoffs

Schedule

Playoff round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	January 10, 2016	Seattle Seahawks (6)	L 9–10	0–1	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. #6 Seattle Seahawks

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: #6 Seattle Seahawks at #3 Minnesota Vikings – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 0 0 0 10 10 Vikings 3 0 6 0 9 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Date: January 10, 2016 Game time: 12:05 p.m. CST Game weather: Clear, Template:Convert/F Game attendance: 52,090 Referee: Walt Coleman (65) TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 22-yard field goal, 1:01. Vikings 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 25 yards, 5:52. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 43-yard field goal, 7:04. Vikings 6–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:45. MIN – Blair Walsh 47-yard field goal, 0:02. Vikings 9–0. Drive: 8 plays, 19 yards, 4:39. Fourth quarter SEA – Doug Baldwin 3-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 11:37. Vikings 9–7. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:25. SEA – Steven Hauschka 46-yard field goal, 8:04. Seahawks 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 12 yards, 2:33. Top passers SEA – Russell Wilson – 13/26, 142 yards, TD MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 17/24, 146 yards Top rushers SEA – Christine Michael – 21 rushes, 70 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 23 rushes, 45 yards Top receivers SEA – Doug Baldwin – 5 receptions, 42 yards, TD MIN – Stefon Diggs – 4 receptions, 26 yards

The Vikings' only points in this game came from the foot of kicker Blair Walsh, whose three field goals put them 9–0 up by the end of the third quarter; however, Seattle would outscore them 10–0 in the fourth quarter, with a touchdown catch from Doug Baldwin being followed by a 46-yard Steven Hauschka field goal in the first seven minutes of the quarter. The Vikings had a chance to win it with 20 seconds remaining, but Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal, reminding Vikings fans of Gary Anderson's missed field goal in the 1998 NFC Championship Game, which would have sent the team to a fifth Super Bowl.

Pro Bowl

Running back Adrian Peterson was the only Minnesota Viking selected for the 2016 Pro Bowl. It was Peterson's seventh Pro Bowl selection, tying him for the fourth-most in Vikings franchise history with offensive tackle Ron Yary. After Houston Texans DE J. J. Watt suffered an injury in the wildcard round game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was called up to replace him, his first career Pro Bowl selection. Griffen was followed by a fellow first-time Pro Bowler, safety Harrison Smith, on January 25, after Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks was ruled out of the game due to injury. The next day, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and linebacker Anthony Barr were added to the Pro Bowl roster as replacements for injured Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins respectively.

Final roster

2015 Minnesota Vikings final roster
	Quarterbacks  5 Teddy Bridgewater  6 Taylor Heinicke 13 Shaun Hill Running backs 44 Matt Asiata 48 Zach Line FB 31 Jerick McKinnon 28 Adrian Peterson Wide receivers 14 Stefon Diggs 12 Charles Johnson 84 Cordarrelle Patterson 19 Adam Thielen 11 Mike Wallace 17 Jarius Wright Tight ends 83 MyCole Pruitt 82 Kyle Rudolph		Offensive linemen 61 Joe Berger C 68 T. J. Clemmings T 62 Nick Easton C 63 Brandon Fusco G 79 Mike Harris G 75 Matt Kalil T 67 Zac Kerin G 74 Austin Shepherd T 78 Jeremiah Sirles G Defensive linemen 90 B. J. Dubose DT 72 Kenrick Ellis DT 73 Sharrif Floyd DT 97 Everson Griffen DE 99 Danielle Hunter DE 92 Tom Johnson DT 98 Linval Joseph DT 91 Zach Moore DE 96 Brian Robison DE 94 Justin Trattou DE		Linebackers 55 Anthony Barr OLB 52 Chad Greenway OLB 54 Eric Kendricks MLB 51 Edmond Robinson OLB 59 Jason Trusnik MLB 58 Brandon Watts OLB Defensive backs 36 Robert Blanton SS 41 Anthony Harris SS 24 Captain Munnerlyn CB 23 Terence Newman CB 29 Xavier Rhodes CB 21 Josh Robinson CB 34 Andrew Sendejo SS 35 Marcus Sherels CB 22 Harrison Smith FS 26 Trae Waynes CB Special teams 18 Jeff Locke P 47 Kevin McDermott LS  3 Blair Walsh K		Reserve lists 60 Carter Bykowski OT (IR) 57 Audie Cole MLB (IR) 95 Scott Crichton DE (IR) 85 Rhett Ellison TE (IR) 32 Antone Exum FS (IR) 71 Phil Loadholt OT (IR) 59 Casey Matthews MLB (IR) 25 Jabari Price CB (IR) 93 Shamar Stephen DT (IR) 65 John Sullivan C (IR-DFR) Practice squad 76 Isame Faciane G 15 Isaac Fruechte WR 69 Toby Johnson DT 86 Dominique Jones TE 37 Johnny Lowdermilk SS 56 Terrance Plummer MLB 49 Blake Renaud FB 50 Alex Singleton OLB 43 Dominique Williams RB 66 David Yankey G Rookies in italics 53 Active, 10 Inactive, 10 Practice squad

Staff

2015 Minnesota Vikings final 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 – Jamaal Stephenson Director of Pro Scouting – Ryan Monnens Head Coaches Head Coach – Mike Zimmer Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Norv Turner Quarterbacks – Scott Turner Running Backs – Kirby Wilson Wide Receivers – George Stewart Assistant Wide Receivers – Drew Petzing Tight Ends – Kevin Stefanski Offensive Line – Jeff Davidson Assistant Offensive Line – Hank Fraley Offensive Quality Control – Andrew Janocko			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – George Edwards Defensive Line – Andre Patterson Assistant Defensive Line – Robert Rodriguez Defensive Assistant – Jeff Howard Linebackers – Adam Zimmer Defensive Backs – Jerry Gray Assistant Defensive Backs/Defensive Quality Control – Jonathan Gannon Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Mike Priefer Assistant Special Teams – Ryan Ficken Strength and Conditioning Head Athletic Trainer – Eric Sugarman Head Strength and Conditioning – Evan Marcus Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jeff Hurd Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Chaz Mahle

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Teddy Bridgewater	3,231
Passing touchdowns	Teddy Bridgewater	14
Rushing yards	Adrian Peterson	1,485
Rushing touchdowns	Adrian Peterson	11
Receptions	Stefon Diggs	52
Receiving yards	Stefon Diggs	720
Receiving touchdowns	Kyle Rudolph	5
Points	Blair Walsh	135
Kickoff return yards	Cordarrelle Patterson	1,019
Punt return yards	Marcus Sherels	311
Tackles	Eric Kendricks	92
Sacks	Everson Griffen	10.5
Interceptions	Terence Newman	3
Forced fumbles	Anthony Barr	3

Source: Minnesota Vikings' official website

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 32)
Passing offense	2,928	183.0	31st
Rushing offense	2,211	138.2	4th
Total offense	5,139	321.2	29th
Passing defense	3,759	234.9	12th
Rushing defense	1,748	109.2	17th
Total defense	5,507	344.2	13th

Source: NFL.com.

External links

• Official website