The 1970 season was the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

' 10th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

and the first season following the

AFL–NFL merger The AFL–NFL merger was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It paved the way for the combined league, w ...

. Under head coach

Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (born May 20, 1927) is a former head coach and player of American football, Canadian football, and a former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings ...

, they finished with a 12–2 record and won the first ever

NFC Central The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough ri ...

title before losing to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

at home in the NFC Divisional Playoff game. The Vikings' defense became the second defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest points allowed and fewest total yards allowed for two consecutive seasons.The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p. 294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007,

Offseason

1970 Draft

: The Vikings traded their fourth-round selection (103rd overall) to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in exchange for TE

Kent Kramer Kent Devlin Kramer (July 21, 1944 – February 21, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and the Philadel ...

. : The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (155th overall) to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in exchange for TE

Tony Jeter Tony Jeter (born September 8, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). Biography Jeter was born Anthony John Jeter on September 8, 1944, in Steubenville, Ohio. He is the ...

Roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: vs Kansas City Chiefs

Standings

Postseason

Schedule

Statistics

Team leaders

League rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1970 Minnesota Vikings Season Minnesota Vikings seasons

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

NFC Central championship seasons