The
2010 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 ...
' 50th 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 fifth under head coach
Brad Childress
Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...
. After a loss 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 the NFC Championship ended their
2009 season, the Vikings had hoped to defend their
NFC North
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 ...
division title for the third year in a row and contend again for a Super Bowl championship. However, Brett Favre was unable to recover from the injuries he had sustained in the NFC Championship and turned in abysmal performances for most of the season, being forced to sit out three games due to injuries and breaking his consecutive start record at 297 games since September 1992. After the Vikings fell to a 3–7 record with a 31–3 division loss to the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in week 11, Childress was fired and defensive coordinator
Leslie Frazier
Leslie Antonio Frazier (born April 3, 1959) is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the he ...
was named as his interim replacement, going 3–3 in his six games in charge before taking over the job permanently at the end of the season. The team finished 6–10 and ended up in last place in the division for the first time since
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
.
This season also saw the return of star wide receiver
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
, as the Vikings traded a third-round draft pick to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in exchange for Moss and a 2012 seventh-round selection. Although it was his first time back with the Vikings since
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, Moss was waived after only a month in Minnesota, before being claimed off waivers by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, where he played the remainder of the season before retiring at the end of the season. It was also quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
's 20th and final season in the NFL; Favre had started 321 straight games from 1992 to 2010, and retired as the
all-time leader in consecutive starts made by a quarterback. Favre was also the last remaining active player to win a Super Bowl in the 1990s, having led the Packers to their third Super Bowl title in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
.
Further woes befell the team when wide receiver
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
missed two games due to persistent migraine headaches. On December 12, the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...
's inflatable roof collapsed for the first time since
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
after a heavy snowfall. As a consequence, the Vikings had to play that week's game against the Giants at Detroit's
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...
on Monday night. Since the Metrodome's roof could not be repaired in time, the team was forced to play the Bears in Week 15 at
TCF Bank Stadium
Huntington Bank Stadium (formerly known as TCF Bank Stadium) is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The stadium opened in 2009, after three years of construction. It is ...
for their first outdoor home game since
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
.
Offseason
Transactions
In April 2010, the Vikings re-signed
restricted free agent
A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...
s
Ryan Cook (offensive tackle),
Fred Evans (defensive tackle),
Eric Frampton
Eric Ulyssee Frampton (born February 6, 1984) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in th ...
(safety) and
Naufahu Tahi
Naufahu Anitoni Tahi (born October 30, 1981) is a former American football fullback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at BYU. Tahi has also been a member of the Minnesota Vikin ...
(fullback). A week later, on April 21, they signed cornerback
Lito Sheppard
Lito Decorian Sheppard (born April 8, 1981) is an American football coach and former cornerback. During his playing career, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first ...
to a one-year contract after his release by the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. They then added wide receiver
Marquis Hamilton and offensive tackle
Bill Noethlich to their roster in the first week of May.
During the 2010 preseason, the Vikings were struggling at the wide receiver position and signed free agent
Javon Walker
Javon Liteff Walker (born October 14, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Walker also played for the Den ...
– who had been released by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in April – before trading cornerback
Benny Sapp
Benjamin Lee Sapp, II (born January 20, 1981) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Northern Iowa.
Sapp also played for the Miami Dolph ...
to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in exchange for
Greg Camarillo
Greg Camarillo ( ; born April 18, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver.
He played college football at Stanford. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2005.
Camarillo also played for the Miami Dolp ...
. A week later, the Vikings waived the contracts of Bill Noethlich and
Marko Mitchell
Marko Terrell Mitchell (born March 11, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Mitchell was als ...
, placed
J Leman
Jeremy "J" Leman (born March 1, 1985) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at the University of Illinois, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted f ...
on the injured reserve list and designated
Sidney Rice
Sidney R. Rice (born September 1, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Rice played college football at South Carolina. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the s ...
as
Physically Unable to Perform
Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...
.
On September 3, the Vikings traded
Sage Rosenfels
Sage Jamen Rosenfels (born March 6, 1978) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Iowa State. He was then drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played with the Miami Dolp ...
and
Darius Reynaud
Darius Reynaud (born December 29, 1984) is a former American football running back and return specialist. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at West Virginia.
He has also played ...
to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
for a 5th-round pick in the 2011 draft and a conditional 7th-round pick in 2012. Rosenfels became expendable to the Vikings when
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
decided to return for the 2010 season.
Draft
Notes:
:
The Vikings traded their first- and fourth-round selections (30th and 128th overall) to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
in exchange for Detroit's second-, fourth-, and seventh-round selections (34th, 100th and 214th overall).
:
The Vikings traded their second- and third-round selections (62nd and 93rd overall) to
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
in exchange for Houston's second-round selection (51st overall).
:
Minnesota was awarded a fifth-round
compensatory pick for the loss of free agents
Matt Birk
Matthew Robert Birk (born July 23, 1976) is a former American football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He spent most of his professional career playing for the Minnesota Vikings. He was the Republican nom ...
and
Darren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper (born November 3, 1975) is an American convicted serial rapist and a former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football at William & Mary and was selected ...
in the 2009 offseason.
Preseason
Schedule
The Vikings preseason schedule was announced on March 31, 2010.
Game summaries
Week 1: at St. Louis Rams
The Vikings began their 2010 pre-season with a trip to
Edward Jones Dome
The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in Downtown St. Louis, downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and ...
to take on the league's worst team from 2009, the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
. The Rams roster featured rookie quarterback
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...
, signed as the #1 overall pick in the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...
. Meanwhile, the Vikings were without six members of their regular starting offense, including QB
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
and RB
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
. The Rams got the first touchdown of the game with 1:29 remaining in the first quarter, when
Danny Amendola
Daniel James Amendola (born November 2, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Texas Tech. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
After spending his entire rookie season ...
returned a
Chris Kluwe
Christopher James Kluwe (; born December 24, 1981) is a former American football punter and writer. Kluwe played at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, where he was a 1999 USA Today All-USA high school football team, 1999 ''USA ...
punt for 93 yards. The Vikings responded with two TDs in the second quarter; first, backup QB
Sage Rosenfels
Sage Jamen Rosenfels (born March 6, 1978) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Iowa State. He was then drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played with the Miami Dolp ...
passed for two yards to wide receiver
Logan Payne
Logan Payne (born January 21, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Minnesota.
...
, before throwing a 65-yard TD pass to tight end
Garrett Mills
Michael Garrett Mills (born October 12, 1983) is a former American football tight end. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulsa.
Mills also played for the Minnes ...
. Rosenfels got his third passing TD in the third quarter, with a 71-yard pass to WR
Marko Mitchell
Marko Terrell Mitchell (born March 11, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Mitchell was als ...
. The victory was completed with 6:49 left in the game as fellow rookies – QB
Joe Webb
Joseph Webb III (born November 14, 1986) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He also plays as a kick returner. After playing college football for the UAB Blazers, Webb was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round ...
and TE
Mickey Shuler Jr.
Mickey Charles Shuler Jr. (born October 9, 1986) is a former American football tight end. He is the son of former New York Jets All-Pro tight end, Mickey Shuler.
Early years
He attended East Pennsboro High School in Enola, Pennsylvania. As ...
– combined for a two-yard pass.
Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The Vikings' second preseason game took them to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
to take on the
49ers. The game marked the return of quarterback Brett Favre to the Vikings' starting lineup, but he lasted just four plays; the first was a 13-yard pass to RB Adrian Peterson for a first down, but he was sacked for a loss of 10 yards two plays later and was replaced by
Tarvaris Jackson
Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson (April 21, 1983 – April 12, 2020) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for both Alabama State and Arkansas. He played professionally for the ...
for the Vikings' next drive.
By the time Favre took the field, the 49ers were already leading 7–0 via a 4-yard run from
Anthony Dixon
Anthony Rishard "Boobie" Dixon (born September 24, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Mississippi State Univers ...
. It was not until the 2nd quarter that the Vikings got their first points on the board, with
landing a 40-yard field goal. San Francisco responded with two
Joe Nedney
Joseph Thomas Nedney (born March 22, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nedney played college football at San Jose State and signed as an undrafted player with the Miami Dolphins in 1996. He ...
field goals in the second half before the Vikings' rookie QB Joe Webb took advantage of a gap in the 49ers defense to rush 48 yards for a touchdown, bringing Minnesota within three points with two minutes left to play. Kicker
Rhys Lloyd attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by San Francisco, and by the time the Vikings got the ball back they were on their own 8-yard line with 9 seconds left in the game. They attempted to go for the win, but Webb was sacked in the end zone for a safety as the clock ran out, giving the 49ers a 15–10 win.
Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Vikings returned to the Metrodome in Week 3 for the first time since their 2009 Divisional Play-off to take on the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. Quarterback Brett Favre lasted for eight series and threw for 187 yards on 16 completions, but the Vikings only came away with 10 points while he was on the field. The first points of the game came from an interception of a Favre pass, as Seattle safety
Earl Thomas
Earl Winty Thomas III (born May 7, 1989) is an American former football free safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. During his time with the Sea ...
got to the ball ahead of wide receiver
Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State.
Berrian also played for the Minnes ...
and returned it for an 86-yard touchdown. Nevertheless,
Darius Reynaud
Darius Reynaud (born December 29, 1984) is a former American football running back and return specialist. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at West Virginia.
He has also played ...
returned the ensuing kickoff for 73 yards, giving Adrian Peterson the opportunity to rush 23 yards in two plays to level the scores at 7–7.
Olindo Mare
Olindo Franco Mare (born June 6, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at MacMurray College and Syracuse Orange#Football, S ...
and Ryan Longwell then traded field goals to make the scores 10–10 at halftime. Another field goal from Mare put the Seahawks ahead on their first drive of the second half, but the Vikings responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Sage Rosenfels to new wide receiver
Javon Walker
Javon Liteff Walker (born October 14, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Walker also played for the Den ...
with just over seven minutes left in the game. Minnesota sealed the win with less than three minutes on the clock, when
Joe Webb
Joseph Webb III (born November 14, 1986) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He also plays as a kick returner. After playing college football for the UAB Blazers, Webb was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round ...
tossed the ball seven yards for fullback
Ryan D'Imperio
Ryan D'Imperio (born August 15, 1987) is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 237th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers University. He fi ...
to return the Vikings to a winning preseason record.
Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos
The Vikings completed their preseason schedule with a home game against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. To accommodate the Vikings playing in the 2010
NFL Kickoff game
The National Football League Kickoff game, along with related festivities, marks the official start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the se ...
the following Thursday, this game was also played on a Thursday, and head coach
Brad Childress
Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...
opted to rest the majority of his starting lineup. As in each of their three previous preseason games, the Vikings conceded the first points of the game, allowing
LenDale White
LenDale Anthony White (born December 20, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round (45th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Den ...
to rush two yards into the endzone and convert on 2nd-and-goal. The Vikings were unable to earn a first down on each of their first three series, but after punting on the third, the Broncos' rookie quarterback
Tim Tebow fumbled the snap on their return drive;
Erin Henderson
Erin Henderson (born July 1, 1986) is a former American football inside linebacker that played nine seasons in National Football League (NFL). He is currently an assistant linebackers coach at Avila University. He was signed by the Minnesota Viki ...
picked up the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Ryan Longwell put Minnesota ahead with a 27-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, and from that point the Vikings never relinquished their lead.
Albert Young then converted a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line to give Minnesota a 10-point lead at halftime. The two teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, as Tebow threw a 39-yard pass to
Matthew Willis for Denver, and
Ian Johnson rushed 4 yards for Minnesota. A 14-yard pass from
Brady Quinn
Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn (born October 27, 1984) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame, where he won the Maxwell Award, and w ...
to
Alric Arnett
Alric Arnett (born June 26, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League. He played for the Orlando Predators and Calgary Stampeders. He played college football for the We ...
brought the Broncos to within three points going into the last 12 minutes of the game, but on the very next series, Joe Webb threw a 63-yard pass to a wide open Javon Walker on the right side of the field, and the wide receiver walked into the end zone. Broncos kicker Matt Prater completed the scoring with a 49-yard field goal with just under five minutes left, giving the Vikings a 31–24 win and a 3–1 preseason record.
Regular season
Schedule
Based on the
NFL's predetermined scheduling formula, the Vikings played every team in the
NFC East
The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys ...
and
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the d ...
, the teams from the
NFC South
The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when ...
and
NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
that finished the same place in their division as the Vikings did last year (which were the division winners), as well as their usual
NFC North
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 ...
division rivals. The schedule was announced on April 20, 2010: the season began with the Vikings taking on 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 the
NFL Kickoff Game
The National Football League Kickoff game, along with related festivities, marks the official start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the se ...
on Thursday, September 9, while the bye week will come in Week 4. The season culminated with road games against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
and the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
.
Notes:
*Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
* Orange indicates that the game was originally scheduled for Mall of America Field but was moved to the indicated location due to the
collapse of the Metrodome roof. The Giants game was rescheduled from December 12 to December 13.
*The Vikings' road game against the Philadelphia Eagles was postponed from December 26 to December 28 due to inclement weather.
Game summaries
Week 1: at New Orleans Saints
The Vikings began the
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League and the 45th of the Super Bowl era.
The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orle ...
by taking part in the annual
NFL Kickoff Game
The National Football League Kickoff game, along with related festivities, marks the official start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the se ...
against the defending
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
champions, 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 a rematch of the previous season's
NFC Championship Game
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
. Minnesota lost the coin toss and gave up a touchdown on the first drive of the game; New Orleans received the ball from the kickoff and then took 5 plays to go 77 yards, culminating with
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
passing 29 yards down the right sideline for WR
Devery Henderson
Devery Vaughn Henderson Jr. (born March 26, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver who spent 9 seasons with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). The Louisiana-born Henderson played for Louisiana State Univer ...
, who dived into the endzone for the score. The 1st quarter ended with the Vikings defense forcing the Saints to go 3-and-out, with the subsequent punt beginning the 2nd quarter.
The Vikings began the next drive at their own 11-yard line, before taking 16 plays to go 66 yards and into field goal range. They failed to convert on 3rd down at the New Orleans 23-yard line, giving
the chance to score a 41-yard field goal. Minnesota forced another 3-and-out on the Saints' next possession, but
Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State.
Berrian also played for the Minnes ...
muffed the catch on the punt return, and the Vikings began their next drive at their own 18-yard line. To rub salt in the wound, on the 3rd play of the drive,
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
was hit hard by
Roman Harper
Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl invitation (fir ...
and he threw a pass right into the hands of Saints MLB
Jonathan Vilma
Jonathan Polynice Vilma (born April 16, 1982) is a former American football linebacker and current Fox NFL analyst. He played college football at the University of Miami, winning a National Championship in 2001. He went on to be drafted by the N ...
. With less than 90 seconds left in the half,
Garrett Hartley
Garrett Hartley (born May 16, 1986) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Later that year he became the placekicker for the New Orleans Saints, for whom he ...
stepped up for a 46-yard field goal attempt, but he hooked the kick wide left of the uprights. Beginning at the 36-yard line with 1:19 left in the half, Favre controlled the clock and picked up a 1st down before throwing consecutive 33-yard and 20-yard passes to TE
Visanthe Shiancoe
Visanthe O. Shiancoe (; born June 18, 1980) is a British former American football tight end. After playing college football for Morgan State, he was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Giant ...
for the Vikings' first touchdown of the season. Ryan Longwell's extra point attempt was blocked by DT
Remi Ayodele
Remilekun "Remi" Ayodele (born April 22, 1983) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early year ...
, but the Vikings went in at the half with a 2-point lead.
After receiving the ball to start the second half, the Vikings were unable to get past midfield and gave the ball back to the Saints on the New Orleans 26-yard line. In the space of 10 plays, the Saints were up to the Minnesota 1-yard line, from where
Pierre Thomas was able to jump over the line of scrimmage to restore New Orleans' lead. In the 4th quarter, the Saints had another shot at a field goal, this time from 32 yards, but again Hartley pulled the kick wide of the posts. New Orleans got the ball back with 5:32 left in the game, and ran out the clock to claim a 14–9 win.
Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 2 saw the Vikings make their regular-season return to Mall of America Field with an interconference matchup against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, who they had not played since Week 11 of the
2006 season. Yet again, Minnesota conceded the first points of the game – on Miami's first offensive play of the game,
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman starti ...
threw a 46-yard pass to
Brandon Marshall
Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...
to get the Dolphins to the Minnesota 27-yard line; eight plays later, they had the ball in the endzone via a 5-yard pass from Henne to WR
Brian Hartline
Brian Jack Hartline (born November 22, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver who currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. He played college football at Ohio State, and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the four ...
. The 2nd quarter saw
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
throw his second interception of the season – his first of four turnovers during the game. The second came midway through the 3rd quarter when the 21-year veteran fumbled on a sack into his own endzone; the ball was recovered by Dolphins LB
Koa Misi
Nawa'akoa Lisiate Foti Analeseanoa "Koa" Misi (born January 17, 1987) is a former American football outside linebacker. He played college football at Utah.
College career
After graduation from Montgomery High School, Misi began his college car ...
to give Miami a two-possession lead.
A Minnesota fightback began soon after, but not before Favre threw another interception, picked off by CB
Jason Allen at the Miami 2-yard line. However, on Miami's first play after the turnover, RB
Ricky Williams
Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977) is an American former football running back who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
After playing baseball an ...
fumbled during a tackle by LB
E. J. Henderson
Eric N. "E. J." Henderson (born August 3, 1980) is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2003 NFL Dra ...
; Henderson's brother
Erin
Erin is a Hiberno-English word for Ireland originating from the Irish word ''"Éirinn"''. "Éirinn" is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland, "Éire", genitive "Éireann", the dative being used in prepositional phrases such as ''"go hà ...
recovered the ball and made his way to the 1-yard line, giving the Vikings a 1st-and-goal opportunity. Favre failed to pick out TE Visanthe Shiancoe with the first play of the drive before allowing
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
to barge through the line of scrimmage for the touchdown. A 13-play drive at the start of the 4th quarter got the Vikings into the Dolphins' redzone, but the Miami defense forced them to settle for a 28-yard field goal.
With just under six minutes left in the game, Minnesota DT
Pat Williams forced another Miami fumble, recovered by E. J. Henderson 24 yards from the Miami endzone. A succession of rushing attempts from Adrian Peterson followed, getting the Vikings to within a yard of a go-ahead touchdown, but LB
Karlos Dansby
Karlos Montez Dansby (born November 3, 1981) is a former American football outside linebacker. He played college football for Auburn University and received All-American recognition. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round o ...
stopped him short of the line on 4th-and-goal. The Vikings had one more attempt to steal the win inside the final two minutes, but Favre's attempted pass to Shiancoe on 4th-and-6 from the Dolphins' 27 fell incomplete, allowing Henne to run the game out with a kneel down, and the Vikings suffered their first home loss in the regular season for the first time since 2008 against the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
.
Week 3: vs. Detroit Lions
The Vikings stayed at home for their Week 3 encounter with their divisional rivals, the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. Both teams went into the game with 0–2 records, hoping to move away from the bottom of the division standings. Deep into the 1st quarter, Vikings QB Brett Favre continued his interception-throwing form, as he was picked off by Lions DT
Corey Williams while attempting to throw a short pass to RB
Toby Gerhart
Tobin Bo Gunnar Gerhart (born March 28, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford University, and was a unanimous ...
. Williams set off on a run, but Gerhart recovered to bring him down at the Minnesota 12-yard line. Three short plays later, Detroit had the ball in the end zone, QB
Shaun Hill
Shaun Christopher Hill (born January 9, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college fo ...
finishing off the drive with a 5-yard pass to TE
Tony Scheffler
Tony Scheffler (born February 15, 1983) is a former American football tight end of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football and baseball at Wes ...
. The Vikings were forced to punt the ball away on their first drive after the touchdown, but Detroit PR
Stefan Logan
Stefan Logan (born June 2, 1981) is a current podcast host for ProSportsExtra and former American professional gridiron football player who played as a running back and special teamer in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football ...
fumbled while attempting to catch the ball, which was recovered by Vikings LB
Chad Greenway
Chad Greenway (born January 12, 1983) is a former American football linebacker who spent his entire 11-year career with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa Hawkeyes Football, Iowa, and ...
24 yards from the Detroit goal line. With the first play of the drive, Favre threw a 24-yard pass to WR
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
, who made a diving catch for the game-tying touchdown. Detroit's next drive resulted in a missed field goal, allowing the Vikings to go 66 yards back down the field for a touchdown, finished off by a 6-yard run from Adrian Peterson. With a minute left in the first half, Favre was picked off yet again, as his throwing arm was hit by Lions DE
Cliff Avril
Clifford Samuel Avril (born April 8, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Purdue and was drafted in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He has also played for the Seattle Seahaw ...
, giving
Alphonso Smith
Alphonso Smith, Jr. (born October 20, 1985) is an American former professional and college football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Smith played college football for Wake Forest University, ...
a simple interception. The Lions drove 36 yards into the Minnesota half, and
Jason Hanson
Jason Hanson (born June 17, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker who spent his entire 21-year career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football with the Washi ...
ended the 2nd quarter with a field goal from 33 yards.
Minnesota began the second half with the ball and took 10 plays to get into the Detroit red zone; however, the Detroit defense stood firm and the Vikings were limited to a 31-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell. The Lions managed to get back into the Minnesota half on their next possession, but they went 3-and-out on the Minnesota 41-yard line before punting into the end zone for a
touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead on or behind a team's own goal line (i.e., in their end zone) and the opposing team gave the ball the momentum, or impetus, to trav ...
. On the very next play, Vikings HB Adrian Peterson broke a career-long 80-yard run for a touchdown to put Minnesota 24–10 up. On Detroit's next possession, a sack on 3rd-and-20 by Vikings DE
Brian Robison on QB Shaun Hill sparked a mass brawl between the two teams. As the defense made their way off the field, Brett Favre was seen giving them vigorous verbal encouragement. Midway through the 4th quarter, Minnesota RB Toby Gerhart fumbled the ball in a tackle, and it was recovered by Detroit FS
Louis Delmas
Louis Delmas (; born April 12, 1987) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Western Michigan. He was also a member of the Miami Dolphins.
...
. The Lions then drove back down the field from their own 22-yard line to within 4 yards of the Minnesota end zone in just under 5 minutes. However, on 1st-and-goal, Vikings LB
Ben Leber
Ben Leber (born December 7, 1978) is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and later played for the Minnesota Vikings.
Earl ...
intercepted Shaun Hill's attempted pass to RB
Maurice Morris
Maurice Autora Morris (born December 1, 1979) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Oregon ...
inside the end zone before returning it to the Minnesota 18-yard line. The Vikings failed in their attempt to run the clock down to the two-minute warning and had to punt the ball away, giving the Lions one final chance to reduce their deficit. Beginning the drive at their own 38-yard line, they got to the Minnesota 10-yard line within seven plays, but CB
Antoine Winfield intercepted Hill's attempt at another touchdown pass to Tony Scheffler inside the endzone for a touchback with only a minute to go. Brett Favre knelt the ball down to run out the clock and the Vikings picked up their first win of the regular season.
Week 4: Bye week
The Vikings took their 2010 bye week in Week 4 of the season – their earliest bye week since the
2004 season. There were mixed results for their divisional rivals, with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
beating the Detroit Lions by 2 points, while the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
were beaten 17–3 by the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
.
In the days leading to their Week 5 game, the Vikings pulled off a dramatic trade, acquiring receiver
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
from the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. The move reunited Moss with the team that drafted him in 1998 and came after Moss caught 50 touchdowns with New England, including a one-handed touchdown catch against the Jets four weeks earlier.
Week 5: at New York Jets
Coming off their bye week, the Vikings flew to
New Meadowlands Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants ...
for a Week 5 interconference duel with the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
on Monday night. Minnesota trailed early in the first quarter as Jets kicker
Nick Folk
Nicholas Alexander Folk (born Niklaus Aleksandre Faulke, November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona, where he received first-tea ...
got a 25-yard field goal. The Vikings' deficit increased in the second quarter as Folk made a 53-yard and a 22-yard field goal.
Minnesota's frustrations continued in the third quarter as Folk got a 34-yard field goal. The Vikings would respond as quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
threw his 500th career touchdown pass by finding wide receiver
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
on a 37-yard touchdown pass, but New York answered with Folk's 31-yard field goal. After the delay at the end of the third quarter due to adverse weather conditions the Vikings would strike back in the fourth quarter as Favre found wide receiver
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
on a 34-yard touchdown pass (with a failed 2-point conversion), but the Jets replied with a 23-yard touchdown run from running back
Shonn Greene
Shonn Greene (born August 21, 1985) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Iowa, where in 2008, he was recognized as a unanimous All-American and also won the Doak Walker Award and the Jim ...
. Minnesota tried to rally as Favre found Harvin again on an 11-yard touchdown pass, but New York would put the game away as cornerback
Dwight Lowery
Dwight Larte Lowery (born January 23, 1986) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State.
Early years
Lowery attended Soquel Hi ...
returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown.
Week 6: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Jets and save their season, the Vikings went home for a Week 6 duel with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, in a rematch of last year's Divisional Playoff game, won 34–3 by the Vikings. Minnesota trailed in the first quarter as Cowboys quarterback
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...
completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Roy Williams. The Vikings answered with quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
finding wide receiver
Greg Camarillo
Greg Camarillo ( ; born April 18, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver.
He played college football at Stanford. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2005.
Camarillo also played for the Miami Dolp ...
on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Dallas struck back in the second quarter as Romo found Williams again on a 2-yard touchdown pass.
Minnesota took the lead in the third quarter as wide receiver
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
returned the half's opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, followed by a 1-yard touchdown run from running back
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
. The Cowboys tied the game in the fourth quarter as Romo threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Dez Bryant
Desmond Demond Bryant (born November 4, 1988) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma State, where he earned All-American honors in 2008. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fir ...
. Afterwards, the Vikings closed out the game as kicker
booted a 38-yard field goal.
Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Coming off their home win over the Cowboys, the Vikings flew to
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...
for a Week 7 NFC North Sunday night duel with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, as quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
made his return to take on his former team, in their first meeting on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Minnesota trailed early in the first quarter as Packers running back
Brandon Jackson got a 1-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, the Vikings responded as wide receiver
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
got a 17-yard touchdown run. Green Bay struck back in the second quarter as quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Andrew Quarless
Andrew Christopher Quarless (born October 6, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Penn State. Quarless was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and later won Super Bow ...
, yet Minnesota took the lead with running back
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
getting a 1-yard touchdown run, followed by kicker
booting a 28-yard field goal after a bizarre reversal of a touchdown reception by Visanthe Shiancoe.
The Packers began the third quarter with Rodgers completing a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Greg Jennings
Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Western Michigan an ...
, followed by linebacker
Desmond Bishop
Desmond Lamont Bishop (born July 24, 1984) is a former American football linebacker that is currently the defensive coordinator at Edison High School in Stockton, California. He played college football for the University of California, Berkel ...
returning a Favre interception 32 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings would answer with Favre finding wide receiver
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Minnesota tried to rally in the fourth quarter with an apparent 30-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Harvin with 48 seconds left, which would have been the game winner, but Harvin had only one foot in bounds, nullifying the touchdown. Favre tried two more times to get into the end zone, but Green Bay's defense held for the win.
Week 8: at New England Patriots
The Vikings made their first trip to
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown Boston. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Footb ...
since 2002 and the game marks the return of
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
to Foxboro following an early-October trade from the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
.
In the second quarter, the Vikings took the lead after RB
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
got a 1-yard TD run. The Patriots replied with RB
Danny Woodhead
Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an amateur golfer who has qualified for the United States Golf Association championship tournaments, and was a former professional American football running back. He played college football a ...
getting a 3-yard TD run. The Vikings got the lead back in the third quarter with kicker
nailing a 24-yard field goal. They fell behind with QB
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
completing a 65-yard TD pass to WR
Brandon Tate
Brandon Tate (born October 5, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina.
Early years and family
Tate a ...
, and when RB
BenJarvus Green-Ellis
BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis (born July 2, 1985) is a former American football running back who played for the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals. Green-Ellis was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played co ...
made a 13-yard TD run. They tried to come back in the 4th quarter after QB
Tarvaris Jackson
Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson (April 21, 1983 – April 12, 2020) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for both Alabama State and Arkansas. He played professionally for the ...
completed a 1-yard TD pass to FB
Naufahu Tahi
Naufahu Anitoni Tahi (born October 30, 1981) is a former American football fullback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at BYU. Tahi has also been a member of the Minnesota Vikin ...
(with a successful 2-point conversion as Jackson passed to WR
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
) but couldn't do anything after Green-Ellis got a 2-yard TD run.
Week 9: vs. Arizona Cardinals
The Vikings came into Week 9 in desperation mode as they went against the 3–4 Cardinals, whom they lost the previous December in the desert. The Vikings came into the game wearing their purple pants and played the Cardinals in what was arguably a desperation game not only for the season, but head coach Brad Childress' job. His job had become more scrutinized after he acted alone to cut WR Randy Moss, which drew a bunch of boos and jeers at Childress. However, the action did not start until the 2nd quarter, when the Vikings drove down the field and had a 2nd and goal. Favre threw to
Peterson behind the line, but Peterson dodged a few players and got into the end zone, which made the game 7–0 in the 2nd quarter. The very next play, when the Vikings kicked off, Stephens-Howling returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown which tied the game. After that, the Vikings responded with kicker
nailing a 21-yard field goal. They fell behind with QB
Derek Anderson completing a 30-yard TD pass to WR
Andre Roberts to close out the first half. This was followed by DB
Michael Adams returning a Percy Harvin kickoff fumble 30 yards for a touchdown, and with kicker
Jay Feely
Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for sever ...
making a 22-yard field goal. The lead was closed down by Peterson as he got a 4-yard TD run, and by QB
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
's 25-yard TD pass to TE
Visanthe Shiancoe
Visanthe O. Shiancoe (; born June 18, 1980) is a British former American football tight end. After playing college football for Morgan State, he was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Giant ...
. In overtime the decision was made when Longwell successfully made a 35-yard field goal to give the Vikings the win, bringing their record up to 3–5 and temporarily saving their quarterback's and head coach's jobs.
Week 10: at Chicago Bears
Coming off their win over the Cardinals the Vikings flew to
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...
for an NFC North rivalry match against the Bears. In the first quarter the Vikings took the lead after kicker
hit a 36-yard field goal. They fell behind in the second quarter when QB
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
threw a 17-yard TD pass to TE
Greg Olsen. They got the lead back after QB
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
completed a 53-yard TD pass to WR
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
. They trailed again when Cutler got a 19-yard TD pass to WR
Devin Hester
Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest return specialist i ...
. The Bears extended their lead in the third quarter after kicker
Robbie Gould
Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...
nailed a 34-yard field goal. The Vikings replied with Longwell making a 33-yard field goal, but fell further behind with Gould hitting a 37-yard field goal, and in the 4th quarter with Cutler making a 19-yard TD pass to TE
Kellen Davis
Kellen M. Davis (born October 11, 1985) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.
College career
Davis was ranked among t ...
.
Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers
Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Bears the Vikings played on home ground for an NFC North rivalry match against the Packers. In the 1st quarter the Vikings took the lead as kicker
hit a 24-yard field goal. They fell behind from the second quarter onwards as the Packers rallied with kicker
Mason Crosby
Mason Walker Crosby (born September 3, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado, and earned unanimous All-American honors. The Packers chos ...
making a 42-yard field goal, followed by QB
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
completing an 11-yard TD pass to WR
Greg Jennings
Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Western Michigan an ...
, followed by his 3-yard TD pass to WR
James Jones. In the second half Rodgers connected with Jennings again on a 46 and then a 22-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to finish off the Vikings.
The following day
Brad Childress
Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...
was fired as Head Coach and
Leslie Frazier
Leslie Antonio Frazier (born April 3, 1959) is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the he ...
was named Interim Head Coach.
Week 12: at Washington Redskins
![Kevin Williams at Redskins](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Kevin_Williams_at_Redskins.jpg)
The Vikings' eleventh game was an NFC duel with the Redskins at
FedExField
FedExField (originally Jack Kent Cooke Stadium) is an American football stadium located in Summerfield, Maryland, east of Washington, D.C. The stadium is the home of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 un ...
. In the 1st quarter the Vikings trailed early as QB
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...
completed a 10-yard TD pass to TE
Fred Davis. They replied as RB
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
got a 5-yard TD run. The Vikings pulled ahead with RB
Toby Gerhart
Tobin Bo Gunnar Gerhart (born March 28, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford University, and was a unanimous ...
getting a 5-yard TD run, followed by kicker
nailing a 31-yard field goal. The Redskins tried to come back, but only came away with 40-yard and a 42-yard field goals from kicker
Graham Gano
Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free ag ...
, giving the Vikings the win.
Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Vikings' 12th game was an interconference duel with the Bills inside their dome and the first home game for interim head coach Leslie Frazier. On their first series, QB Brett Favre attempted a pass, but he was hit from behind and was intercepted by Bills CB Drayton Florence. Favre was slow to get up afterwards and he was able to walk off the field on his own power, but did not return to the game, citing a shoulder injury (later revealed to be a sprain in his throwing shoulder). At 297 consecutive starts over 19 seasons, this injury would put an end to Favre's all-time NFL consecutive start streak. In his place, backup QB Tarvaris Jackson took over for the rest of the game. They got off to a bad start after Jackson's pass was intercepted by CB
Drayton Florence
Drayton Florence, Jr. (born December 19, 1980) is a former American football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played coll ...
and returned 40 yards for a touchdown. They overcame this deficit with Jackson getting a 31-yard TD pass to WR
Sidney Rice
Sidney R. Rice (born September 1, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Rice played college football at South Carolina. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the s ...
. It was originally ruled an interception, but Frazier challenged the play and the officials sided with the Vikings, saying that Rice had two hands on the ball, resulting in a touchdown. It was followed in the second quarter by RB
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
getting a 2-yard and a 3-yard TD run. Then Jackson found Rice again on a 6-yard TD pass, followed by kicker
nailing a 38-yard field goal. They continued to dominate in the fourth quarter when Peterson ran 43 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. The Bills responded with QB
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...
getting a 12-yard TD pass to TE
David Nelson. However, the Bills were unable to overcome such a large deficit and couldn't come up with another come-from-behind victory.
Week 14: vs. New York Giants
Originally scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST on Sunday, December 12, this game was moved to Monday night after severe blizzard conditions in the
Minneapolis – Saint Paul
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
area that forced the Giants to spend the night in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
after their flight was diverted, while the operators of the Metrodome asked for more time to clear all the snow from the stadium's bubbled roof. The roof later collapsed, forcing the NFL to use
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
as an alternate site. Despite the one-day delay, Brett Favre was listed as inactive for the game due to his shoulder injury. With the loss, the Vikings dropped to 5–8, and were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings' 14th game was a division rivalry rematch against the Bears at
TCF Bank Stadium
Huntington Bank Stadium (formerly known as TCF Bank Stadium) is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The stadium opened in 2009, after three years of construction. It is ...
which was played on Monday Night. In the first quarter the Vikings took the lead with QB
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
throwing a 23-yard TD pass to WR
Percy Harvin
William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
. However, they failed to maintain this lead after kickier
Robbie Gould
Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...
made a 29-yard field goal, followed by QB
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
completing a 67 and a 15-yard TD pass to wide receivers
Johnny Knox and
Devin Hester
Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest return specialist i ...
respectively, then with Gould nailing a 23-yard field goal. The Vikings caused more problems after a three-and-out converted into a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown by Hester. They tried to break the lead with QB
Joe Webb
Joseph Webb III (born November 14, 1986) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He also plays as a kick returner. After playing college football for the UAB Blazers, Webb was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round ...
scrambling 13 yards for a touchdown, but they continued to struggle after Cutler got a 9-yard TD pass to WR
Rashied Davis
Rashied Khalid Davis (born July 24, 1979) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was originally signed by the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at San Jose S ...
, followed by Gould hitting a 34 and a 20-yard field goal. The loss dropped the Vikings to 5–9, securing them their first losing season since 2006.
Week 16: at Philadelphia Eagles
The
December 2010 North American blizzard
The December 2010 North American blizzard was a major nor'easter and historic blizzard affecting the Contiguous United States and portions of Canada from December 22–29, 2010. From January 4–15, the system was known as ''Windstorm Benjamin'' i ...
postponed the game until Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
The NFL postponed the game shortly after noon, even before there was any snow accumulation in Philadelphia,
after Philadelphia Mayor
Michael Nutter
Michael Anthony Nutter (born June 29, 1957) is an American politician who served as the 98th Mayor of Philadelphia. Elected on November 6, 2007, he was reelected to a second term on November 8, 2011. He is a previous member of the Philadelphia ...
declared a snow emergency for the city.
This was the 20th NFL game to be played on a Tuesday, and the first since
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
. This was also the first Tuesday game in Vikings franchise history.
Trying to snap a two-game losing streak, the Vikings flew to
Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field is an American football stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It serves as the home stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University. ...
for a Week 16 intraconference duel with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
on Tuesday night. Minnesota trailed in the first quarter as Eagles quarterback
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's firs ...
completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Clay Harbor
Clayton Lee Harbor (born July 2, 1987) is a former American football tight end and current television personality. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri State ...
. The Vikings answered in the second quarter with cornerback
Antoine Winfield returning a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown.
Minnesota took the lead in the third quarter with a 30-yard field goal from kicker
, followed by a 9-yard touchdown run from rookie quarterback
Joe Webb
Joseph Webb III (born November 14, 1986) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He also plays as a kick returner. After playing college football for the UAB Blazers, Webb was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round ...
. Philadelphia struck back with Vick getting a 10-yard touchdown run which cut the lead to a field goal, but the Vikings came right back with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
.
Week 17: at Detroit Lions
The Vikings' final game was a division rivalry rematch against the Lions. In the second quarter the Vikings trailed early as kicker
Dave Rayner
David Michael Rayner (born October 26, 1982) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan ...
nailed a 55-yard field goal, followed by QB
Shaun Hill
Shaun Christopher Hill (born January 9, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college fo ...
completing a 7-yard TD pass to WR
Nate Burleson
Nathaniel Eugene Burleson (born August 19, 1981) is a Canadian-born television host, American football commentator, and former wide receiver. He played college football for the University of Nevada, Reno and was drafted into the National Footb ...
, followed by Rayner making a 37-yard field goal. The Vikings got on the board too as an interception was returned 36 yards for a touchdown by DE
Jared Allen
Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...
. This was followed by kicker
hitting a 27-yard field goal. Detroit extended their lead with RB
Maurice Morris
Maurice Autora Morris (born December 1, 1979) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Oregon ...
getting a 5-yard TD run. The Vikings tried to come back, but only came away with a 48-yard field goal from Longwell, giving the Vikings a loss and thus closing out the season on a 6–10 record.
Standings
Statistics
Team leaders
League rankings
Pro Bowl
After Minnesota's disappointing season, only one Vikings player was selected to play in the
2011 Pro Bowl
The 2011 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2010 season. It took place at 7:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. local time) on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The NFC won 55–41, despi ...
: RB
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
. He missed out on the NFC's starting lineup to the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
'
Michael Turner, and was joined on the bench by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
'
Steven Jackson
Steven Rashad Jackson (born July 22, 1983) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Oregon State and was sele ...
. Peterson received the most fan votes out of all running backs in the NFL (948,410), and the sixth most out of all players, behind five quarterbacks.
After the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
' rookie defensive tackle
Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Ngwa Suh ( , born January 6, 1987) is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska, where he earned All-American honors, and was drafte ...
went for surgery on an injured shoulder,
Kevin Williams was called up as an alternate. However, due to the imminent arrival of a new baby to him and his wife, Williams himself withdrew from the roster on January 22; he was replaced by the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
' DT
Darnell Dockett
Darnell Maurice Dockett (born May 27, 1981) is a former American football defensive end who had a ten-season career playing for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of th ...
. Two days later, CB
Antoine Winfield was added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster to replace the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
'
Charles Woodson
Charles Cameron Woodson (born October 7, 1976) is a former American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Mic ...
and
Tramon Williams
Tramon Vernell Williams Sr. (born March 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana Tech, and was signed by the Houston Texans as an un ...
, both of whom withdrew due to their participation in
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champi ...
. The final Viking to be added to the NFC roster was LB
E. J. Henderson
Eric N. "E. J." Henderson (born August 3, 1980) is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2003 NFL Dra ...
, who received his first career Pro Bowl selection.
Coming in as injury cover for
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
's
Patrick Willis
Patrick L. Willis (born January 25, 1985) is an American former football middle linebacker who played his entire eight-year career with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the 49ers in the first roun ...
and
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
's
Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former football linebacker who spent his entire 13-season career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where he bec ...
, Henderson travelled to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, but did not take the field.
Staff
Roster
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Minnesota Vikings Season
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 ...
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 ...