2024 Minnesota Vikings season
| Team | Minnesota Vikings |
| Year | 2024 |
| Record | 14–3 |
| Division Place | 2nd NFC North |
| Coach | Kevin O'Connell |
| General Manager | Kwesi Adofo-Mensah |
| Owner | Zygi Wilf |
| Stadium | U.S. Bank Stadium |
| Playoffs | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Rams) 9–27 |
| Uniform |  |
| Shortnavlink | Vikings seasons |
The 2024 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 64th in the National Football League (NFL), their ninth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium, their 20th under the ownership of Zygi Wilf and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings improved on their 7–10 record from 2023 after a Week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans and made the playoffs after a one-year absence.
After six seasons, the team lost starting quarterback Kirk Cousins when he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason. Despite the team being in a rebuilding year with very low expectations, they started 11–2 for the first time since 2009, anchored by a stout defensive unit and strong performance by quarterback Sam Darnold. In Week 15, they clinched a playoff berth when the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Green Bay Packers. After their win against the Packers in Week 17 to improve to 14–2, the Vikings achieved their best season since going 15–1 in 1998 with their 14th win. However, the Vikings ended their season with two blowout losses: first to the division rival Detroit Lions in their Week 18 game, which clinched the 1st seed for the Lions, then to the rival Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round, which eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs. All four of the team's losses this season happened at the hands of the Lions and the Rams during back-to-back weeks. The Vikings became the first 14-win wild card team in NFL history, but their loss to the Rams meant they set a new record for the most wins by a team that failed to reach the divisional round of the playoffs in the Super Bowl era.
On June 6, 2024, the Vikings unveiled their new "Winter Warrior" uniform, which is all-white and features the first white helmet in franchise history.
The team's first round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, J. J. McCarthy, missed the season after getting surgery on a knee injury he sustained during a preseason game.
Offseason
Players lost
| Position | Player | New team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| RB | Alexander Mattison | Las Vegas Raiders | Released on March 4 |
| DE | Dean Lowry | Pittsburgh Steelers | Released on March 12 |
| OT | Hakeem Adeniji | Cleveland Browns | Signed on March 13 |
| QB | Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons | Signed on March 13 |
| DE | Marcus Davenport | Detroit Lions | Signed on March 13 |
| LB | Jordan Hicks | Cleveland Browns | Signed on March 13 |
| LB | D. J. Wonnum | Carolina Panthers | Signed on March 13 |
| LB | Danielle Hunter | Houston Texans | Signed on March 14 |
| C | Austin Schlottmann | New York Giants | Signed on March 15 |
| NT | Khyiris Tonga | Arizona Cardinals | Signed on March 15 |
| QB | Joshua Dobbs | San Francisco 49ers | Signed on March 19 |
| LB | Troy Dye | Los Angeles Chargers | Signed on March 19 |
| WR | K. J. Osborn | New England Patriots | Signed on March 19 |
| OT | Oli Udoh | New Orleans Saints | Signed on March 19 |
| K | Greg Joseph | Green Bay Packers | Signed on March 28 |
Players added
| Position | Player | Former team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| RB | Aaron Jones | Green Bay Packers | Signed on March 12 |
| LB | Blake Cashman | Houston Texans | Signed on March 13 |
| QB | Sam Darnold | San Francisco 49ers | Signed on March 13 |
| LB | Jonathan Greenard | Houston Texans | Signed on March 13 |
| K | John Parker Romo | Chicago Bears | Signed on March 13 |
| LB | Andrew Van Ginkel | Miami Dolphins | Signed on March 13 |
| WR | Trent Sherfield | Buffalo Bills | Signed on March 14 |
| DE | Jerry Tillery | Las Vegas Raiders | Signed on March 14 |
| G | Dan Feeney | Chicago Bears | Signed on March 15 |
| DE | Jonah Williams | Los Angeles Rams | Signed on March 18 |
| CB | Shaquill Griffin | Carolina Panthers | Signed on March 19 |
| LB | Kamu Grugier-Hill | Carolina Panthers | Signed on March 20 |
| LB | Jihad Ward | New York Giants | Signed on March 20 |
| TE | Robert Tonyan | Chicago Bears | Signed on May 16 |
| CB | Fabian Moreau | Denver Broncos | Signed on July 31 |
| QB | Matt Corral | Birmingham Stallions | Signed on August 16 |
| CB | Stephon Gilmore | Dallas Cowboys | Signed on August 18 |
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | J. J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan | From Jets |
| 11 | Traded to the New York Jets | ||||
| 17 | Dallas Turner | OLB | Alabama | From Jaguars | |
| 23 | Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars | From Browns via Texans | |||
| 2 | 42 | Traded to the Houston Texans | |||
| 3 | 73 | Traded to the Detroit Lions | |||
| 4 | 108 | Khyree Jackson | CB | Oregon | |
| 129 | Traded to the New York Jets | From Lions | |||
| 5 | 146 | Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles | |||
| 157 | Traded to the New York Jets | From Browns | |||
| 167 | Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars | From Chiefs | |||
| 6 | 177 | Walter Rouse | OT | Oklahoma | From Panthers via Jaguars |
| 186 | Traded to the Arizona Cardinals | ||||
| 188 | Traded to the Houston Texans | From Raiders via Patriots | |||
| 203 | Will Reichard | K | Alabama | From Texans via Browns, Broncos and Jets | |
| 7 | 229 | Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders | |||
| 230 | Michael Jurgens | C | Wake Forest | From Falcons via Browns and Cardinals | |
| 232 | Levi Drake Rodriguez | DT | Texas A&M–Commerce | From Broncos via 49ers and Texans |
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Cindric | G | California | |
| K. J. Cloyd | LB | Miami (FL) | |
| Jeremy Flax | OT | Kentucky | |
| Dallas Gant | LB | Toledo | |
| Devron Harper | WR | Mercer | |
| Ty James | WR | Mercer | |
| Jeshaun Jones | WR | Maryland | |
| Trey Knox | TE | South Carolina | |
| Tyler Manoa | DE | Arizona | |
| Donovan Manuel | LB | FIU | |
| Dwight McGlothern | CB | Arkansas | |
| Gabriel Murphy | OLB | UCLA | |
| Doug Nester | G | West Virginia | |
| Owen Porter | OLB | Marshall | |
| Bo Richter | OLB | Air Force | |
| Spencer Rolland | OT | North Carolina | |
| Taki Taimani | DT | Oregon |
Draft trades
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
Schedule
The Vikings' preseason opponents and preliminary schedule was announced on May 15, in conjunction with the release of the regular season schedule.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | W 24–23 | 1–0 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | at Cleveland Browns | W 27–12 | 2–0 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 26–3 | 3–0 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles
Regular season
Schedule
The Vikings' schedule for the 2024 NFL season was announced on May 15, 2024. In addition to home and away matchups against each of their NFC North divisional rivals, they were also scheduled to play against each of the teams in the NFC West and AFC South, as well as the teams that also finished in third place in each of the NFC South, NFC East and AFC East. Their AFC East opponent, the New York Jets, served as the opposition for the Vikings' home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, which is part of the NFL International Series.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at New York Giants
Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 3: vs. Houston Texans
Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
Week 5: vs. New York Jets
Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams
Several sports media outlets and fans heavily criticized the officiating at the end of the game, as the referees missed a face mask penalty on Byron Young when he sacked Sam Darnold in the end zone, sealing the win for the Rams. Blake and the other umpires claim they were unable to see it with the other players blocking them.
Week 9: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 11: at Tennessee Titans
Week 12: at Chicago Bears
Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers
With the close win, the Vikings swept the Packers for the first time since 2017 and won nine consecutive games in the regular season for the first time since 1975. The Vikings improved to 14–2, their first time winning at least 14 games in the regular season since 1998, when they went 15–1.
Week 18: at Detroit Lions
The league flexed this game to Sunday night, as the winner of the game would clinch the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye, whereas the loser would finish as the #5 seed and visit the Rams the next week. The Vikings were dominated on both sides of the ball, and ended the regular season with a 14–3 record. The team's 14 wins were the most for any wild card team in NFL history. Additionally, they were swept by the Lions for the second consecutive season.
Standings
Division
Conference
Postseason
Schedule
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | at Los Angeles Rams (4) | L 9–27 | 0–1 | State Farm Stadium | Recap |
Game summaries
NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Los Angeles Rams
Amid the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, on January 9, the NFL moved the game to its alternate venue, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in the interest of public safety.
Statistics
Team leaders
| Category | Player(s) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Sam Darnold | 4,319 |
| Passing touchdowns | Sam Darnold | 35 |
| Rushing yards | Aaron Jones | 1,138 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Aaron Jones | 5 |
| Receptions | Justin Jefferson | 103 |
| Receiving yards | Justin Jefferson | 1,533 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Justin Jefferson | 10 |
| Points | Will Reichard | 110 |
| Kickoff return yards | Ty Chandler | 205 |
| Punt return yards | Brandon Powell | 164 |
| Tackles | Blake Cashman | 112 |
| Sacks | Jonathan Greenard | 12.0 |
| Interceptions | Byron Murphy | 6 |
| Forced fumbles | Jonathan Greenard | 4 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
League rankings
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 4,043 | 237.8 | 6th |
| Rushing offense | 1,855 | 109.1 | 19th |
| Total offense | 5,898 | 346.9 | 12th |
| Passing defense | 4,114 | 242.0 | 28th |
| Rushing defense | 1,588 | 93.4 | 2nd |
| Total defense | 5,702 | 335.4 | 16th |
Source: ProFootballReference.com
Notes
References
- Bobby, Kownack, Vikings clinch postseason berth thanks to Seahawks' loss versus Packers, NFL.com, December 16, 2024, January 12, 2025
- Kevin, Seifert, Minnesota Vikings unveil white alternate uniforms, ESPN.com, June 6, 2024, June 12, 2024
- Vikings Agree to Terms with 17 Undrafted Free Agents, Vikings.com, April 27, 2024
- Vikings 2024 Undrafted Free Agents Include 4 Offensive Linemen & 9 Defensive Players, Vikings.com, May 3, 2024
- 2024 Opponents Determined, NFL Communications, January 12, 2024, January 12, 2024
- John, Breech, 2024 NFL schedule release tentatively set for May 15: How to watch, stream plus top games and what we know, CBS Sports, May 8, 2024, May 10, 2024
- Peters, Craig, Vikings Designated to Play at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2024, Minnesota Vikings, January 11, 2024, January 11, 2024
- Seifert, Kevin, Ref explains late no-call on Byron Young sack in Vikings-Rams, ESPN, 25 October 2024
- NFL moves Vikings-Rams playoff tilt to Arizona due to fires, ESPN.com, January 10, 2025, January 10, 2025
- 2024 Minnesota Vikings Statistics & Players, pro-football-reference.com, January 10, 2025
- 2024 NFL Standings & Team Stats, Pro-Football-Reference.com, January 10, 2025
- 2024 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics, Pro-Football-Reference.com, January 10, 2025
External links
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Category:Minnesota Vikings seasons
Minnesota Vikings