| 1989 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Mike Lynn |
| Head coach | Jerry Burns |
| Home stadium | Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1stNFC Central |
| Playoffs | LostDivisional Playoffs (at49ers) 13–41 |
| All-Pros | DEChris Doleman (1st team) DTKeith Millard (1st team) SJoey Browner (2nd team) |
| Pro Bowlers | SJoey Browner WRAnthony Carter DEChris Doleman TESteve Jordan CBCarl Lee GRandall McDaniel TGary Zimmerman |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The1989 season was theMinnesota Vikings' 29th in theNational Football League (NFL). They finished with a 10–6 record to win the NFC Central Division. This title was secured during one of what is considered by many to be among the most excitingMonday Night Football contests ever: aChristmas Day victory over theCincinnati Bengals at home, at theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was thede facto first playoff game of the year. The Vikings were beaten 41–13 in the divisional round of the playoffs by theeventual Super Bowl championSan Francisco 49ers.
This season was also notable for the number of sacks the defense recorded: 71 overall, with 39 coming from only two players (Chris Doleman andKeith Millard). Millard was named the Defensive Player of the Year after putting up record numbers by a defensive tackle.
| 1989 Minnesota Vikings Draft | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | |
| Round | Selection | ||||
| 1 | 24 | Traded to thePittsburgh Steelers[A] | |||
| 2 | 52 | David Braxton | Linebacker | Wake Forest | |
| 3 | 80 | John Hunter | Offensive tackle | BYU | |
| 4 | 108 | Darryl Ingram | Tight end | California | |
| 5 | 136 | Pick forfeited during1988 supplemental draft[B] | |||
| 6 | 163 | Jeff Mickel | Offensive tackle | Eastern Washington | |
| 7 | 191 | Benji Roland | Defensive end | Auburn | |
| 8 | 219 | Alex Stewart | Defensive end | Cal State Fullerton | |
| 9 | 247 | Traded to theNew England Patriots[C] | |||
| 10 | 275 | Traded to theMiami Dolphins[D] | |||
| 11 | 303 | Brad Baxter | Running back | Alabama State | |
| 12 | 331 | Shawn Woodson | Linebacker | James Madison | |
| 335 | Everett Ross | Wide receiver | Ohio State | From49ers, viaRaiders[E] | |
Notes:
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Beaty | Kicker | North Dakota |
| Robert Carter | Running back | Troy State |
| Jarrod Delaney | Wide receiver | TCU |
| Darrell Ellison | Linebacker | Tulsa |
| Devin Harberts | Wide receiver | Iowa |
| Ken Johnson | Defensive back | Florida A&M |
| Andy Keeler | Guard | Nebraska |
| Tony Peterson | Quarterback | Marshall |
| Everett Ross | Wide receiver | Ohio State |
| Pat Thompson | Punter | BYU |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve lists
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 12 | vsKansas City Chiefs | W 23–13 | 1–0 | Liberty Bowl(Memphis, TN) | 63,528 |
| 2 | August 21 | Washington Redskins | W 24–13 | 2–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 50,213 |
| 3 | August 26 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 14–24 | 2–1 | Anaheim Stadium | 45,087 |
| 4 | September 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–10 | 3–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 49,867 |
The defensive line of Chris Doleman, Keith Millard, Al Noga and Henry Thomas were key contributors in helping the Vikings rank number one in the NFL in total defense. In addition, the Vikings set a franchise record with 71 sacks in one season. Chris Doleman had 21 sacks and was one shy of tying the NFL record.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 38 |
atSoldier Field,Chicago, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Steelers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Vikings | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Vikings | 0 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 26 |
atHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,Minneapolis, Minnesota
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 362 | 356 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 10–4 | 362 | 275 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 312 | 364 | W5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 358 | 377 | L6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 320 | 419 | L4 |
| Week | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | Bye | |||||
| Divisional | January 6 | atSan Francisco 49ers (1) | L 13–41 | 0–1 | Candlestick Park | 64,585 |
In 1989, at the height of his NFL career,the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to theMinnesota Vikings for a total of five players (LBJesse Solomon, DBIssiac Holt, RBDarrin Nelson, LBDavid Howard, DE Alex Stewart) and six draft picks (which led toEmmitt Smith,Russell Maryland,Kevin Smith, andDarren Woodson). This was judged to be one of the turning points in the rise of the Cowboys to the top echelon of the NFL. Walker's trade was widely perceived as an exceptionally poor move considering what the Vikings had to give up in order to get him, and remains one of the most frequently vilified roster moves of the team's history. The Vikings coaches reluctantly accepted Walker after the trade and never totally used the tool they had been given. Scout.com says, "Walker was never used properly by the coaching brain trust (a total oxymoron in this case)".[3]
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Wade Wilson | 2,543 |
| Passing touchdowns | Wade Wilson | 9 |
| Rushing yards | Herschel Walker | 669 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Herschel Walker | 5 |
| Receiving yards | Anthony Carter | 1,066 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Anthony Carter | 4 |
| Points | Rich Karlis | 120 |
| Kickoff return yards | Herschel Walker | 374 |
| Punt return yards | Leo Lewis | 446 |
| Tackles | Chris Doleman Henry Thomas | 94 |
| Sacks | Chris Doleman | 21.0 |
| Interceptions | Joey Browner | 5 |
| Forced fumbles | Chris Doleman | 5 |
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 28) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,189 | 199.3 | 17th |
| Rushing offense | 2,066 | 129.1 | 7th |
| Total offense | 5,255 | 328.4 | 14th |
| Passing defense | 2,501 | 156.3 | 1st |
| Rushing defense | 1,683 | 105.2 | 11th |
| Total defense | 4,184 | 261.5 | 1st |
