7 Other Vikings Teams Have Started 0-3. Here’s How They Finished.
Following their Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in the unfortunate position of having an 0-3 record.
In the 62-year history of the franchise, there have been 7 other Vikings teams to begin their years with an 0-3 record. So, how did those other Minnesota Vikings teams fare by the end of those seasons? Today, we’re going to be taking a look at just that.
7 Vikings Teams to Start 0-3
1962 Vikings
Unsurprisingly, we’re getting started with one of the first Vikings teams in franchise history. Minnesota managed to avoid this fate in 1961 because of a Week 1 victory over the Chicago Bears, but in 1962, the Vikings began their season 0-3 and were outscored by a whopping 68 points in the three losses.
This iteration of the Vikings did not get much better as the season wore on, though. They actually started 0-5 before finally securing their first victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6. They would also win their next game against the Philadelphia Eagles but went on to finish their season 2-11-1.
1966 Vikings
There’s a bit of an asterisk around this Vikings team being included. This is because they actually tied their Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers, 20-20. After that, though, they went on to lose their games in Weeks 2-4, thus leading to an 0-3-1 start.
Again, though, this team would not see much recovery as the year went on. The team finished 4-9-1, and head coach Norm Van Brocklin would be replaced by Bud Grant heading into 1967. After that, the Vikings would do a whole lot of winning for a long time.
1967 Vikings
Well, Minnesota actually did have one more hiccup before taking off into the 1970s as one of the best teams in the NFL. As is often expected with a new head coach on a bad team, Grant’s first season as the Vikings head coach didn’t lead to much winning.
This 1967 Vikings team got off to an 0-4 start, but they came frustratingly close to completely turning things around in the second half of the season. From Weeks 5-14, they would only lose four of their 10 games, with three of them being decided by four points or less.
The problem was that they also only won three games in that span. Weeks 6, 9, and 13 would end in ties, giving them a 3-8-3 record at the end of the year. Still, the final weeks of this season was a sign of great things to come.
2002 Vikings
Following the departure of head coach Dennis Green in 2001, Mike Tice took over on an interim basis for the final game of that season and then landed the full-time gig heading into 2002. Tice’s first Vikings team got off to an 0-4 start, with the defense allowing 40+ points in two of those four losses.
Minnesota had a Week 5 bye, and then they claimed their first victory over the season in Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. They would finish the year 6-10, but they won each of their final three games of the season.
2011 Vikings
Following Brad Childress’ departure midway through the 2010 season, the Vikings gave Leslie Frazier the interim head coaching job. They decided to retain him for 2011, and as is the trend, Minnesota got off to a very rough start by losing their first four games, all decided by one possession.
The offense in 2011 wasn’t great as Adrian Peterson battled an ankle sprain in the second half of the year, but their defense didn’t help much either, allowing 28 points per game. Minnesota would finish with a 3-13 record, marking their worst finish since 1984.
2013 Vikings
Frazier’s final season as the Vikings head coach also got off to an 0-3 start, and once again, Minnesota’s defense was a massive pitfall. The team allowed 30 points per game, and this was also the year of Matt Cassel, Josh Freeman, and Christian Ponder splitting snaps at QB.
They still had Adrian Peterson at the running back spot, but ultimately, the offense couldn’t overcome all the points allowed by their defense. Minnesota finished the year 5-10-1.
2020 Vikings
The most recent 0-3 start for the Vikings was also the most successful one in terms of final record. The 2020 Vikings saw QB Kirk Cousins get off to a tough start, including a 3-INT performance against the Colts in Week 2.
However, this stretch of losses also led to the emergence of Justin Jefferson, who went on to record 88 receptions for 1400 yards and 7 TDs during his rookie season. Minnesota won five of six games following their bye week, but it ended up being too little too late as the Vikings finished 7-9.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
