The 2012 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 expansi ...

' 52nd 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 ...

, as well as their second full season under head coach Leslie Frazier. They looked to improve upon their 3–13 season the year before, and did so after defeating 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 hom ...

in Week 5; their win over the Houston Texans in Week 16 made this their first winning season since 2009. The Vikings also made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers to give them a 10–6 regular season record, but were defeated by the same opponents in the Wild Card playoff round the following week.

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 ...

was named the league's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 2,097 yards, just nine yards short of breaking the single-season record held by

Eric Dickerson Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Meth ...

since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. On May 10, 2012, the

Minnesota State Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decen ...

approved a bill for a new stadium for the team that would see a new facility (later named U.S. Bank Stadium) constructed by 2016 and ensure the Vikings' presence in

Minneapolis 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 ...

through the year 2046. The bill was signed by Governor

Mark Dayton Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to ...

on May 14, and approved by the Minneapolis City Council by a vote of 7–6 on May 25.

Offseason

Adrian Peterson broke Vikings franchise rushing record

Pre-draft transactions

The first major transactions of the 2012 offseason were the releases of veteran guards Steve Hutchinson and

Anthony Herrera Anthony John Herrera (January 19, 1944 – June 21, 2011) was an American actor. Early life and family background Herrera was born on January 19, 1944, in Wiggins, Mississippi, to Theresa Jewel (née Blackburn) and Rafael Antonio Herrera. His ...

, and CB Cedric Griffin on March 10, as the Vikings began rebuilding their offensive line and secondary. Three days later, the team re-signed perennial backup QB Sage Rosenfels and DT

Letroy Guion Letroy Shelton Guion Jr. (pronounced ; born June 21, 1987) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Florida State. Guion was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Guion ...

off their unrestricted free agents list. This was followed up with the signing of the Seattle Seahawks' unrestricted free agent TE John Carlson on a five-year contract. The next week, the team brought in FB

Jerome Felton Jerome Jean-Marie Felton (born July 3, 1986) is a former American football fullback. He previously played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he had been a fundamental part of Adrian Peterson's success, including Peterson's 2,097 rushing yards sea ...

, also an unrestricted free agent, from the Indianapolis Colts. They then released DT Remi Ayodele on March 21, but re-signed DT Fred Evans. March 26 was a big day for signings by the Vikings, with the re-signings of WR

Devin Aromashodu Gbolahan Devin Aromashodu (born September 25, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn. Aromashodu has also been a ...

and LB

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 V ...

, as well as the free agent acquisitions of CB Zack Bowman from the Chicago Bears and T Geoff Schwartz from the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. April saw very few transactions go through in anticipation of the 2012 NFL Draft at the end of the month. Nevertheless, the Vikings signed LB Marvin Mitchell and WR

Jerome Simpson Jerome Louis Simpson (born February 4, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers. ...

, despite the fact that Simpson would miss the first three games of the season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Draft

Notes: :

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

traded their first-round selection (4th overall), fourth-round selection (118th overall), fifth-round selection (139th overall), and seventh-round selection (211th overall) to move up one spot to the third overall selection and draft RB

Trent Richardson Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...

. : Minnesota traded their second-round selection (35th overall) and fourth-round selection (98th overall) to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

to move up six spots to 29th overall selection and make this pick. : Minnesota was awarded two compensatory picks for the loss of free agents Ray Edwards, Ben Leber,

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 ...

, and Sidney Rice. :

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 t ...

traded their seventh-round selection (219th overall) and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

fourth-round selection (102nd overall) to Minnesota for their fifth-round selection (138th overall) and the seventh-round selection (223rd overall) that they received from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

in the trade for

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 ...

in 2010. : Minnesota traded their sixth-round selection (173rd overall) to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

for QB Donovan McNabb. :

traded their sixth-round selection (175th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for DE

Jayme Mitchell Jayme Dondrell Mitchell (born March 15, 1984) is a former American football defensive end. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Ole Miss. Mitchell has also played for the Cleve ...

. :

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

traded their

sixth-round selection (176th overall) to Minnesota for the seventh-round selection (211th overall) that they received in the first-round trade with Cleveland. Minnesota later traded the pick they received from Tennessee to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a seventh-round pick and CB A. J. Jefferson.

Post-draft transactions

With the 2012 Draft over, the Vikings resumed their transactions in May, signing a number of undrafted free agents to their roster, and releasing RB

Caleb King Caleb King (born January 10, 1988) is a former American football running back who was a member of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Vikings as a rookie free agent in 2011. He played college footbal ...

, following a short jail term. With the drafting of

Blair Walsh Blair Richard Walsh (born January 8, 1990) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. Walsh played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. In his first year, Walsh set ...

, veteran kicker

Ryan Longwell Ryan Walker Longwell (born August 16, 1974Ryan Longwell
NFLPA.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.

found himself surplus to requirements for the Vikings and he was released on May 7. By the start of June, all of the Vikings draft selections (with the exception of T Matt Kalil) had been signed to long-term contracts.

Preseason

Schedule

This was the first year the Vikings used a TV/radio simulcast for their preseason games.

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 3: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 4: at Houston Texans

Regular season

Schedule

:Team names in bold indicate Vikings' home games.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts

Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 4: at Detroit Lions

File:Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings 2012-09-30 game action.jpg, Minnesota playing at

, September 30 File:Josh Robinson and Calvin Johnson.jpg, Josh Robinson and

Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...

Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 6: at Washington Redskins

Week 7: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions

File:Kluwe Allen Peterson.jpg, Chris Kluwe,

and

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 ...

at the coin flip

Week 12: at Chicago Bears

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 14: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams

Week 16: at Houston Texans

Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers

Adrian Peterson rushed for 199 yards, coming up nine yards short of breaking the single season record by

. This included 5 rushes for 36 yards on the final drive to set up the winning field goal by Blair Walsh. This game was rated #3 on the Top 20 NFL Games of 2012 on NFL.com as AP2K. File:Blair Walsh and Larry Dean.jpg, Blair Walsh and Larry Dean line up to kick off against Green Bay, December 30 File:AJ Jefferson, Christian Ballard, and Vikings in 2012 pregame intro.jpg, Vikings players before the game File:Adrian Peterson tackled 2012-12-30.jpg, Adrian Peterson is tackled File:AD 2097 yards.jpg, Peterson rushes against Green Bay File:Everson Griffen Aaron Rodgers sack.jpg, Aaron Rodgers is sacked by

Everson Griffen Everson Griffen (born December 22, 1987) is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. A graduate of Agua Fria High School, Griffen attended and played college football at USC. He was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round o ...

File:Kyle Rudolph runs ball vs Packers.jpg, Kyle Rudolph running in the week 17 contest File:Chris Kluwe and Blair Walsh.jpg, Chris Kluwe and Blair Walsh, December 30 File:Green Bay at Minnesota.jpg, Green Bay at Minnesota, week 17

Standings

Postseason

Schedule

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Round: at Green Bay Packers

Having secured the NFC's #6 seed, the Vikings traveled to Lambeau Field for a rematch with the Packers. With the two teams meeting in the playoffs for only the second time ever, Blair Walsh capped the game's opening drive with a field goal to put the Vikings 3–0 up. However, the Packers then scored 24 unanswered points to take a 24–3 lead in the 3rd quarter. The Vikings tried to rally a comeback with a touchdown to make it 24–10, but it was too little, too late as time ran out for Minnesota.

Statistics

Team leaders

*Vikings single season record.

League rankings

Pro Bowl

Four Minnesota Vikings players were selected for the

2013 Pro Bowl The 2013 Pro Bowl was the National Football League (NFL)'s sixty-third annual all-star game which featured players from the 2012 season. It took place at 2:30 pm Hawaii–Aleutian Time ( UTC−10:00; 7:30 pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, Ja ...

: two on offense (running back partners Adrian Peterson and Jerome Felton), one on defense (DE Jared Allen) and one special teamer (K Blair Walsh). Of these, Peterson, Felton and Walsh were selected as starters, with Allen going as a reserve. With the withdrawal of

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 divi ...

DeMarcus Ware DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is an American former football outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Troy University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th overall pick in th ...

on January 10 because of a shoulder injury, 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, and was drafted by the Viki ...

was called up to the NFC roster as a replacement. TE

Kyle Rudolph Kyle Daniel Rudolph (born November 9, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second ...

was also added to the NFC roster for his first Pro Bowl two weeks later after Atlanta Falcons TE

Tony Gonzalez Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader ...

dropped out due to injury. Rookie Matt Kalil was also added later as a replacement for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

' tackle,

Trent Williams Trent Williams (born July 19, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was recognized as an All-American, and was drafted ...

, yet another casualty of injury. Rudolph was named the game's MVP.

Staff

Roster

Notes and references

External links

Minnesota Vikings official website2012 Minnesota Vikings at ''ESPN''
{{2012 NFL season by team

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