2014 Minnesota Vikings season


The 2014 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 54th in the National Football League and their first under head coach Mike Zimmer. It was the first of two seasons in which the Vikings played at the outdoor TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Construction of U.S. Bank Stadium began on the site of the team's former home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with a target of opening for the 2016 season.
Though the Vikings were eliminated from postseason contention after a loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 15, they improved on 2013's 5–10–1 record, which saw them go through a quarterback carousel and one of the worst defenses in the league that year, and arguably in Vikings' history.

Offseason

Draft

Draft trades

Roster changes

DatePlayer namePositionContract terms
December 30, 2013Adam ThielenWR2 years / $930,000
March 7, 2014Marcus SherelsCB2 years / $2.2 million
March 11, 2014Matt CasselQB2 years / $10 million
March 11, 2014Everson GriffenDE5 years / $42.5 million
March 12, 2014Joe BergerG1 year / $985,000
March 14, 2014Jerome SimpsonWR1 year / $1 million
March 15, 2014Charlie JohnsonG2 years / $5 million
April 7, 2014Matt AsiataRB1 year / $570,000
August 31, 2014Joe BanyardRB
August 31, 2014Kain ColterWR
August 31, 2014Isame FacianeDT
August 31, 2014Chase FordTE
August 31, 2014Zac KerinC
August 31, 2014Justin TrattouDE
September 2, 2014Austin WentworthOT
September 16, 2014Zach LineFB
October 7, 2014Donte FosterWR
October 7, 2014Chandler HarnishQB
November 12, 2014Ryan OttenTE
November 18, 2014Dominique WilliamsRB

DatePlayer namePositionNoteNew team
February 7, 2014Erin HendersonMLBReleased
March 5, 2014John CarlsonTEReleasedArizona Cardinals
March 6, 2014Greg ChildsWRReleasedToronto Argonauts
March 6, 2014Letroy GuionDEReleasedGreen Bay Packers
March 11, 2014Desmond BishopLBUFAArizona Cardinals
March 11, 2014Marvin MitchellLBUFA
March 12, 2014Toby GerhartRBUFAJacksonville Jaguars
March 14, 2014Chris CookCBUFASan Francisco 49ers
March 21, 2014Joe WebbQB/WRUFACarolina Panthers
March 26, 2014Jared AllenDEUFAChicago Bears
April 16, 2014Josh FreemanQBUFANew York Giants
June 16, 2014Kevin WilliamsDTUFASeattle Seahawks
August 25, 2014Robert SteeplesCBReleasedKansas City Chiefs
August 30, 2014Jeff BacaGReleasedCincinnati Bengals
August 30, 2014Chase BakerDTReleased
September 8, 2014Jamarca SanfordFSInjury settlementWashington Redskins
September 18, 2014Jerome SimpsonWRReleasedSan Francisco 49ers
October 2, 2014Rodney SmithWRReleasedCleveland Browns

DatePlayer namePositionPrevious teamContract terms
January 3, 2014Josh SamudaGMiami Dolphins 1 year / $495,000
March 12, 2014Jasper BrinkleyMLBArizona Cardinals1 year / $830,000
March 12, 2014Linval JosephDTNew York Giants5 years / $31.5 million
March 13, 2014Captain MunnerlynCBCarolina Panthers3 years / $14.25 million
March 20, 2014Tom JohnsonDTNew Orleans Saints1 year / $845,000
March 21, 2014Corey WoottonDEChicago Bears1 year / $1.5 million
March 27, 2014Vladimir DucasseGNew York Jets1 year / $795,000
April 8, 2014Lestar JeanWRHouston Texans1 year / $635,000
May 13, 2014Antonio RichardsonOTTennesseeUndrafted FA
May 19, 2014Dom DeCiccoLBChicago Bears
August 31, 2014Mike HarrisOTSan Diego Chargers
September 9, 2014Josh KadduLBPhiladelphia Eagles
September 20, 2014Charles JohnsonWRCleveland Browns
November 3, 2014Pat DevlinQBMiami Dolphins
December 6, 2014Ahmad DixonSMiami Dolphins
December 10, 2014Carter BykowskiOTSan Francisco 49ers
December 17, 2014Jordan McCrayGGreen Bay Packers
December 24, 2014Justin AndersonLBNew York Giants
December 24, 2014Henry JoseyRBJacksonville Jaguars

Date signedPlayer namePositionPrevious teamContract termsDate released
December 30, 2013Brandon BishopSMinnesota Vikings
2 years / $930,000August 25, 2014
December 30, 2013Kip EdwardsCBMinnesota Vikings
2 years / $930,000June 2, 2014
December 30, 2013Kevin MurphyOTMinnesota Vikings
2 years / $930,000August 25, 2014
December 30, 2013Spencer NealyDEMinnesota Vikings
2 years / $930,000July 23, 2014
December 30, 2013Bradley RandleRBMinnesota Vikings
2 years / $930,000May 13, 2014
January 3, 2014Kamar JordenWRCalgary Stampeders 2 years / $930,000August 25, 2014
January 22, 2014Kheeston RandallDTCincinnati Bengals2 years / $1.08 millionAugust 25, 2014
February 11, 2014Simoni LawrenceLBHamilton Tiger-Cats 3 years / $1.54 millionMay 13, 2014
March 10, 2014Larry DeanLBMinnesota Vikings
2 years / $2 millionAugust 31, 2014
March 13, 2014Fred EvansDTMinnesota Vikings
1 year / $1 millionAugust 30, 2014
March 14, 2014Derek CoxCBSan Diego Chargers1 year / $780,000August 25, 2014
April 15, 2014Terrell ManningOLBSan Diego Chargers1 year / $570,000May 13, 2014
April 15, 2014Allen ReisnerTEJacksonville Jaguars1 year / $645,000August 30, 2014
April 17, 2014Kurt ColemanFSPhiladelphia Eagles1 year / $900,000August 30, 2014
May 13, 2014Conor BoffeliGIowaUndrafted FAMay 19, 2014
May 13, 2014Pierce BurtonOTMississippiUndrafted FAAugust 25, 2014
May 13, 2014Kain ColterWRNorthwesternUndrafted FAAugust 30, 2014
May 13, 2014Rakim CoxDEVillanovaUndrafted FAAugust 4, 2014
May 13, 2014Isame FacianeDTFlorida InternationalUndrafted FAAugust 30, 2014
May 13, 2014Donte FosterWROhioUndrafted FAAugust 30, 2014
May 13, 2014Matt HallOTBelhavenUndrafted FAJuly 25, 2014
May 13, 2014Zac KerinCToledoUndrafted FAAugust 30, 2014
May 13, 2014A.C. LeonardTETennessee St.Undrafted FAAugust 6, 2014
May 13, 2014Erik LoraWREastern IllinoisUndrafted FAAugust 25, 2014
May 13, 2014Travis PartridgeQBMissouri WesternUndrafted FAMay 19, 2014
May 13, 2014Tyler ScottDENorthwesternUndrafted FAAugust 25, 2014
May 13, 2014Jake SnyderDEVirginiaUndrafted FAAugust 25, 2014
May 13, 2014Dominique WilliamsRBWagnerUndrafted FAAugust 30, 2014
May 16, 2014Austin WentworthOTFresno StateUndrafted FAAugust 31, 2014
May 19, 2014Mike ZimmerLBJacksonville JaguarsAugust 30, 2014
June 2, 2014Julian PoseyCBCleveland BrownsAugust 30, 2014
June 13, 2014Josh CooperWRCleveland BrownsJuly 25, 2014
July 23, 2014Michael HigginsTENew Orleans SaintsAugust 26, 2014
July 25, 2014Andy CruseWRHouston TexansAugust 25, 2014
July 25, 2014Ty WalkerWRSeattle SeahawksAugust 25, 2014
August 4, 2014Chris CrockerSSCincinnati BengalsAugust 30, 2014
August 10, 2014Kory SperryTEArizona CardinalsAugust 25, 2014
August 18, 2014Justin JacksonLBDetroit LionsAugust 30, 2014
August 31, 2014Donte FosterWRMinnesota VikingsSeptember 29, 2014
August 31, 2014Kendall JamesCBMinnesota VikingsSeptember 2, 2014
August 31, 2014Mike RemmersOTMinnesota VikingsSeptember 3, 2014
August 31, 2014MarQueis GrayTECleveland BrownsNovember 19, 2014
September 1, 2014Chris GreenwoodCBDetroit LionsDecember 17, 2014
September 3, 2014Ahmad DixonSSDallas CowboysSeptember 8, 2014
September 24, 2014McLeod Bethel-ThompsonQBNew England PatriotsOctober 7, 2014
September 24, 2014Ryan OttenTECincinnati BengalsNovember 3, 2014
September 29, 2014Chandler HarnishQBIndianapolis ColtsOctober 3, 2014
October 7, 2014Pierre WarrenSNew Orleans SaintsNovember 18, 2014
November 3, 2014RaShaun AllenTESeattle SeahawksNovember 11, 2014
November 19, 2014Ben TateRBCleveland BrownsDecember 23, 2014
November 25, 2014J'Marcus WebbOTMinnesota VikingsDecember 16, 2014

Preseason

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

Coming off a season in which the Vikings let almost every team score at least 20 points on them, the Vikings showcased a defense that held the Raiders to a single digit score and kept them scoreless until the last 90 seconds of the 4th quarter, when they eventually scored a touchdown. This was the first time the Vikings' defense held any team to a single digit score since. Rookie Anthony Barr recorded half a sack, and Kurt Coleman intercepted Raiders quarterback Derek Carr once.
On the offense, Matt Cassel started and shined on his sole drive, leading the team down the field, where Matt Asiata scored the Vikings' only touchdown of the game from a yard out. After Cassel's drive, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater entered the game and played a few drives, completing 6 of 13 pass attempts for 49 yards, getting sacked twice, and fumbling once. The Vikings got a field goal on the second drive. Shortly after the half, the signal calling was turned to Christian Ponder, who managed a pair of first-down passes of 17 and 15 yards early on, but produced little thereafter.

Week 2: vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Vikings faced a Cardinals team that shut the Texans out 32–0 in week 1. The Cardinals strained the Vikings' defense, but the offense, headed by Matt Cassel in the first half, was able to keep pace with their scoring to see the Vikings trailing 14–13 at halftime. The Vikings switched to Teddy Bridgewater after the half, and the rookie quarterback orchestrated a pair of drives that put the Vikings back in the lead 24–21. A few drives later, the Vikings' defense would end up being penalized three straight times, allowing the Cardinals to score a touchdown through a botched snap that was recovered by the Cardinals and run into the end zone. The Vikings were given the ball with around a minute to score. Bridgewater led the Vikings down field in comeback fashion to score the game-winner with a pass to Rodney Smith, sealing another preseason victory for the Vikings.

Week 3: at Kansas City Chiefs

The Vikings traveled to Kansas City to play against Matt Cassel's former team. The defense played remarkably well, with Captain Munnerlyn, Chad Greenway and Shaun Prater each recording an interception. The Vikings' defense managed to hold the Chiefs to five points for a majority of the game until they got a touchdown in the final minute for a total of 12. For the third game running, Cassel was the starting quarterback and he played the majority of this game; he gained 152 passing yards with a touchdown pass to Cordarrelle Patterson, and threw a pick, the Vikings' only turnover of their preseason. Bridgewater also saw a little action; though he made few pass attempts, he gained 40 passing yards and made two touchdown passes to Allen Reisner.

Week 4: at Tennessee Titans

The Vikings traveled to Tennessee to face the Titans in the preseason finale. The Vikings' defense excelled in keeping the Titans to a minimal score, and recorded a strip sack by Corey Wootton and an interception by Julian Posey. Teddy Bridgewater was the starter for this game, and led the Vikings to score 10 points in their first two drives. Christian Ponder then took over for the rest of the game, leading three more scoring drives, though he and the offense were unable to score any touchdowns.

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: at St. Louis Rams

The Vikings opened their season on the road against the St. Louis Rams and took the lead in the first half with a field goal in each quarter from 52 yards and 46 yards, respectively, from third-year kicker Blair Walsh and an eight-yard touchdown pass from Matt Cassel to Greg Jennings with 21 seconds left in the half, set up by an interception from Josh Robinson at the Rams' 35-yard line. The Rams struck back early in the third quarter with a field goal from Greg Zuerlein before Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson made the play of the game with a 67-yard touchdown run. The Vikings secured the game late in the fourth quarter as TE Kyle Rudolph connected with Cassel on a seven-yard touchdown pass, while Rudolph's former Notre Dame teammate Harrison Smith took an interception 81 yards for the Vikings' fourth touchdown of the game. Zuerlein added another field goal late in the game to make the final score 34–6 to the Vikings, their first road victory since week 16 of the 2012 season against the Houston Texans.

Week 2: vs. New England Patriots

The Vikings began their opening home game of the season without Adrian Peterson, who was deactivated after being charged with negligent injury of a child for allegedly beating his four-year-old son with a tree branch. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Matt Asiata, who got the Vikings off to a good start with a 25-yard touchdown reception from Matt Cassel on the game's opening possession. The defense then forced the Patriots into a three-and-out, only for Cassel to throw an interception attempting to find Jarius Wright deep downfield. Devin McCourty returned the ball 60 yards to the Minnesota 1-yard line, and two plays later, Stevan Ridley ran in to tie the scores. A second interception early in the second quarter resulted in another scoring drive for New England, as Tom Brady connected with Julian Edelman on a nine-yard TD catch. As the first half drew to a close, the Vikings drove downfield to give Blair Walsh a 48-yard field goal attempt with 19 seconds on the clock; however, Patriots DE Chandler Jones was able to burst through the Minnesota offensive line and block the kick before scooping up the ball and returning it 58 yards for the Patriots' third TD of the half.
After the break, Cassel threw another two interceptions, one in each quarter, with the first resulting in a 47-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal. The second occurred with six minutes left in the game, and the Patriots were able to hang onto possession until the two-minute warning before turning the ball over on downs at the Minnesota 19-yard line. Aided by two pass interference penalties, Cassel led the Vikings down the field and thought he had managed to cut into the New England lead with a 16-yard pass to Greg Jennings with 41 seconds to play, only for Jennings to be ruled out of bounds before gaining possession of the ball. Cassel was then sacked for a 14-yard loss on the next play and the game finished as a 30–7 Patriots win.

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

After initially stating that Adrian Peterson would return to the active roster for their Week 3 game at New Orleans, the Vikings later placed the running back on the inactive list indefinitely, pending the outcome of the court case against him. Despite coming into the game at 0–3, the Saints started well, scoring two touchdowns on their first two drives, although DE Everson Griffen was able to block the extra point attempt on the second. The Vikings responded to going 13–0 down with two field goals from 25 and 30 yards respectively, but an injury to Matt Cassel meant a debut for rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater.
K Blair Walsh hit a 40-yard field goal to open the second half for the Vikings, but New Orleans closed the game out with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Marques Colston early in the fourth quarter. They were aided on the drive by a penalty for unnecessary roughness against CB Captain Munnerlyn for a tackle on Brees, but many thought that Brees should also have been penalized for his reaction and the penalties offset. Regardless, the Vikings were forced to punt on their next possession and the Saints were able to run out the clock for a 20–9 win.

Week 4: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Having lost Matt Cassel for the season, the Vikings gave Teddy Bridgewater his first career start at home to the Falcons in week 4, but it was running back Matt Asiata who opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run. Roddy White leveled the scores with a 24-yard catch from Matt Ryan, but a 49-yard kickoff return from Cordarrelle Patterson set the Vikings up with a short field on the next drive, which Asiata finished with a 6-yard run to restore Minnesota's seven-point lead. Steven Jackson thought he had tied the scores again on a 3-yard run with six minutes to go in the half, only for the touchdown call to be overturned on review; however, Ryan was able to find FB Patrick DiMarco in the flat on the next play. However, Bridgewater himself restored Minnesota's advantage on the ensuing possession, capping an 80-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run as the game entered its first two-minute warning. After forcing Atlanta into a quick three-and-out, Bridgewater led the Vikings downfield to the brink of another touchdown, but a lack of time meant they had to settle for an 18-yard Blair Walsh field goal to give them a 24–14 lead at the half.
Walsh scored another field goal on the opening drive of the second half, but long touchdowns for Devin Hester and Antone Smith gave the Falcons a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Those would prove to be Atlanta's last points of the game as Asiata picked up his third TD run early in the fourth quarter, with Bridgewater adding two points with a pass to Rhett Ellison. Bridgewater was injured on that drive, meaning that third-string QB Christian Ponder came in for his first appearance of the season. However, his job was simply to hand the ball off to rookie running back Jerick McKinnon, who set up a 55-yard field goal attempt for Walsh. An interception by Harrison Smith led to another field goal from 33 yards, before Josh Robinson closed the game out with another interception.

Week 5: at Green Bay Packers

With only four days between games, Teddy Bridgewater had insufficient time to recover from the injury he picked up in week 4 and Christian Ponder made his first start since week 12 of the 2013 season. The Vikings defense forced Green Bay to punt on the first possession of the game, but soon kicked the ball back to the Packers, allowing Eddie Lacy's running to set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb. The Vikings' ensuing possession again ended with a punt, and Rodgers punished them with a 66-yard TD pass to Jordy Nelson. The teams traded possession as the game moved into the second quarter, until Ponder threw the ball directly to Packers DE Julius Peppers, who returned the interception 49 yards for his team's third TD of the game. Two plays later, Ponder was picked off again, this time by LB Jamari Lattimore, leaving a short field for Rodgers to work into before throwing an 11-yard TD pass to WR Davante Adams.
The second half began in much the same vein, as the Packers forced a Vikings punt on the first possession before marching downfield to set Lacy up for an 11-yard scoring run. The running back went into the end zone again at the end of the Packers' next possession with a 10-yard run, giving the home team a 42–0 lead. CB Marcus Sherels returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards, and Ponder was able to pass downfield to the Green Bay 6-yard line, from where he ran into the end zone for the Vikings' first points of the game. Three plays later, Harrison Smith picked off a pass from Matt Flynn at the Green Bay 30-yard line, but the Vikings were unable to get into the end zone despite the short field and had to settle for a 26-yard Blair Walsh field goal. As the game drew to a close, the Vikings regained possession and drove down to the Packers' 8-yard line, only to be denied on 4th-and-goal, allowing Green Bay to end the game with a kneeldown.

Week 6: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 7: at Buffalo Bills

Week 8: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 9: vs. Washington Redskins

With the close win over the Redskins, the Vikings improved to 4–5. Teddy Bridgewater's third win as a starting rookie quarterback breaks the franchise record shared by both Fran Tarkenton and Christian Ponder.

Week 10: Bye

The Vikings took their bye week in week 10, along with the Texans, Colts, Patriots, Chargers and Redskins.

Week 11: at Chicago Bears

Week 12: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 13: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 14: vs. New York Jets

With the overtime win, the Vikings improve to 6–7 and have therefore improved on last year's record.

Week 15: at Detroit Lions

The loss resulted in the Vikings being officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Week 16: at Miami Dolphins

Week 17: vs. Chicago Bears

Standings

Division

Conference

Roster

Staff

Statistics

Team leaders

Source for this section: Minnesota Vikings' official website.

League rankings

Source for this section: NFL.com.