Mike Alstott (40) runs for a touchdown against the Vikings at
Raymond James Stadium
Mention "1998" to a Vikings fans, and they're instantly taken back to the Metrodome on a dreary January afternoon in the NFC Championship game.
But that loss to the Super Bowl-bound Atlanta Falcons wasn't the only tough loss the team suffered that season.
In 1998, only one team had finished the regular season with an unblemished record: the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were 14-0 en route to a Super Bowl Championship. When the league expanded to a 16-game season in 1978, the closest anybody had come was 15-1...the 1984 San Francisco 49ers and the 1985 Chicago Bears. Both of those teams won the Super Bowl.
The Vikings finished the 1998 regular season schedule
with one loss and the first 15-win NFL season since 1985.
On November 1st 1998, the 7-0 Minnesota Vikings headed to Tampa to play in the brand new Raymond James Stadium for the first time. The Vikings had destroyed the Buccaneers in Week One 31-7. Randy Moss had caught two touchdowns in his NFL debut, and Hall of Fame teammate Cris Carter added two of his own. Fans and analysts alike predicted similar results in the second match up.
Even though Randall Cunningham had taken over for the injured Brad Johnson in Week 2, the Vikes hadn't missed a beat. Heading into the game in Tampa, the Vikings were averaging 34 points per game. Tampa was looking to even their overall record at 4-4 against their NFC Central division rival.
Tampa Bay scored first on a ten yard Warrick Dunn touchdown before Robert Smith scored from nine yards out to tie the game at 7-7. Dunn's touchdown was the first opening half touchdown for Tampa Bay that season...coming in their eighth game of the year. Bucs QB Trent Dilfer added a second with a touchdown pass to Reidel Anthony to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
Unlike the first meeting between these two teams, it wasn't Carter or Moss that dominated this game offensively for the Vikings. It was Jake Reed, who was on the receiving end of a 44 yard touchdown to tie the score again. Michael Hustad and Gary Anderson exchanged field goals in the last fourty seconds of the first half for a 17-17 halftime score.
Jake Reed finished with six receptions for 117 yards
and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay
Cunningham found Reed in the end zone again in the third quarter, giving the Vikings their first lead of the game. But Mike Alstott and the Tampa Bay offense were moving the ball at will. Up to that point in the season, Trent Dilfer's play had been inconsistent. In this game, they relied on Mike Alstott, who ran for a career high 128 yards, and Warrick Dunn, who added 115 of his own. It was the first time in franchise history that Tampa Bay had two 100+ yard rushers in the same game, and set their single-game rushing mark with 246 yards.
Dilfer did a good job limiting turnovers, as did Randall Cunningham, who finished with 291 yards and two touchdowns. Cunningham's one mistake of the game was a fourth quarter Derrick Brooks interception that led to a 38-yard Hurstad field goal and a 24-20 lead.
The Vikings were unable to capitalize on their two possessions. After scoring on their first four possessions, they had thrown an interception and now had to punt. A booming 54 yard Mitch Berger punt was called back after Mike Morris was called for a holding penalty. Berger's second punt only went 38 yards, and was returned for 10 yards by Jacquez Green.
The holding call on long snapper Mike Morris was a 26 yard swing
Photo / Craig Lassig, Getty Images
Tampa Bay had the ball on the Minnesota 43 yard line, and seven plays later they had taken the lead on a six-yard Alstott touchdown.
The Viking's final possession began with a 21 yard catch by Cris Carter before a Robert Smith no gain, an incompletion to Greg DeLong and an 11 yard sack by Brad Culpepper before Berger had to punt again.
The Vikings needed a quick three and out to get the ball back. With 3:00 and on their own 38 yard line, the defense knew they were going to get a heavy dose of Alstott. And they weren't able to stop him. He had gains of eight, three and five yards before ripping of a 37 yard run to seal the win for Tampa Bay.
The Vikings would later become the first 15-1 team not to win a Super Bowl.
No comments:
Post a Comment