2019 Minnesota Vikings season

The 2019 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 59th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their sixth under head coach Mike Zimmer. They improved on their 8–7–1 campaign from 2018 with a Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions, and returned to the playoffs following a one-year absence after the Los Angeles Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. That week, the Vikings were eliminated from contention for the NFC North division title, losing 23–10 to the Green Bay Packers. They defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–20 in overtime in the Wild Card round but lost 27–10 to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.

2019 Minnesota Vikings season
OwnerZygi Wilf
General managerRick Spielman
Head coachMike Zimmer
Home fieldU.S. Bank Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd NFC North
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Saints) 26–20 (OT)
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at 49ers) 10–27
Pro Bowlers
8
AP All-ProsLB Eric Kendricks (1st team)
Uniform

Draft

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Notes

Draft trades

  1. ^ a b c The Vikings traded their third-round selection (81st overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for the third-round selection Detroit received from the Philadelphia Eagles and the sixth-round selection Detroit received from the New England Patriots (88th and 204th overall).
  2. ^ a b c d The Vikings traded the third-round selection they received from the Detroit Lions and their sixth-round compensatory selection (88th and 209th overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the third-round selection Seattle received from the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle's fifth-round selection (92nd and 159th overall).
  3. ^ a b c The Vikings traded the third-round selection they received from the Seattle Seahawks (92nd overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for the third-round selection the Jets received from the New Orleans Saints and the Jets' seventh-round selection (93rd and 217th overall).
  4. ^ a b c d The Vikings traded the third-round selection they received from the New York Jets (93rd overall) to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Baltimore's third-round compensatory selection and two sixth-round selections (102nd, 191st and 193rd overall).
  5. ^ a b c The Vikings traded their fourth-round selection and the sixth-round selection they received from the Detroit Lions (120th and 204th overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the fourth-round selection the Seahawks received from the Green Bay Packers (114th overall).
  6. ^ The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (156th overall) to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Denver's 2018 seventh-round selection (225th overall) and quarterback Trevor Siemian.[3]
  7. ^ a b c The Vikings traded the fifth-round selection they received from the Seattle Seahawks (159th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for the fifth-round selection the Patriots received from the Los Angeles Rams and the seventh-round selection the Patriots received from the Philadelphia Eagles (162nd and 239th overall).
  8. ^ The Vikings traded their seventh-round selection (232nd overall) to the New York Giants in exchange for center Brett Jones.[6]

Staff

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2019 Minnesota Vikings staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Roster

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2019 Minnesota Vikings roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 4 reserve, 10 practice squad

Preseason

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Schedule

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The Vikings' preliminary preseason schedule was announced on April 9, with exact dates and times finalized on April 17.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance NFL.com
recap
1 August 9 at New Orleans Saints W 34–25 1–0 Mercedes-Benz Superdome 73,018 Recap
2 August 18 Seattle Seahawks W 25–19 2–0 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,636 Recap
3 August 24 Arizona Cardinals W 20–9 3–0 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,698 Recap
4 August 29 at Buffalo Bills L 23–27 3–1 New Era Field 57,765 Recap

Game summaries

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Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

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Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 7 13734
Saints 3 9 31025

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Week 2: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 10 3619
Vikings 3 7 7825

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: August 18
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,636
  • Referee: Jerome Boger (23)
  • TV: Fox
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals

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Week 3: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 6 009
Vikings 7 0 01320

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: August 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,698
  • Referee: Walt Anderson (66)
  • TV: KMSP/NFLN
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Buffalo Bills

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Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 3 31023
Bills 3 0 32127

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: August 29
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 57,765
  • Referee: Shawn Smith (14)
  • TV: KMSP
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance NFL.com
recap
1 September 8 Atlanta Falcons W 28–12 1–0 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,714 Recap
2 September 15 at Green Bay Packers L 16–21 1–1 Lambeau Field 78,416 Recap
3 September 22 Oakland Raiders W 34–14 2–1 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,738 Recap
4 September 29 at Chicago Bears L 6–16 2–2 Soldier Field 62,131 Recap
5 October 6 at New York Giants W 28–10 3–2 MetLife Stadium 75,041 Recap
6 October 13 Philadelphia Eagles W 38–20 4–2 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,837 Recap
7 October 20 at Detroit Lions W 42–30 5–2 Ford Field 60,314 Recap
8 October 24 Washington Redskins W 19–9 6–2 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,776 Recap
9 November 3 at Kansas City Chiefs L 23–26 6–3 Arrowhead Stadium 73,615 Recap
10 November 10 at Dallas Cowboys W 28–24 7–3 AT&T Stadium 91,188 Recap
11 November 17 Denver Broncos W 27–23 8–3 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,883 Recap
12 Bye
13 December 2 at Seattle Seahawks L 30–37 8–4 CenturyLink Field 69,080 Recap
14 December 8 Detroit Lions W 20–7 9–4 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,776 Recap
15 December 15 at Los Angeles Chargers W 39–10 10–4 Dignity Health Sports Park 25,446 Recap
16 December 23 Green Bay Packers L 10–23 10–5 U.S. Bank Stadium 67,157 Recap
17 December 29 Chicago Bears L 19–21 10–6 U.S. Bank Stadium 66,913 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

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Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 01212
Vikings 14 7 7028

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers

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Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 10 6016
Packers 14 7 0021

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders

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Week 3: Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 7 0714
Vikings 7 14 7634

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

The Vikings defeated the Oakland Raiders for their 500th win as a franchise, with an overall record of 500-427-11 at that point.[9]

Week 4: at Chicago Bears

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Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 0 066
Bears 7 3 6016

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Week 5: at New York Giants

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Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 15 7328
Giants 0 7 3010

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 10 10020
Vikings 10 14 7738

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,837
  • Referee: Scott Novak (1)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

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Week 7: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 14 71442
Lions 14 7 3630

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 60,314
  • Referee: Brad Rogers (126)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Brandon Gaudin, Chris Spielman and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: vs. Washington Redskins

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Week 8: Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 6 309
Vikings 3 10 3319

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs

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Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 3 6723
Chiefs 7 3 10626

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys

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Week 10: Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 14 3 11028
Cowboys 0 14 7324

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Week 11: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week 11: Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 10 10 3023
Vikings 0 0 72027

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 10 01330
Seahawks 7 3 171037

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 14: vs. Detroit Lions

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Week 14: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 077
Vikings 7 10 0320

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,776
  • Referee: Walt Anderson (66)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Los Angeles Chargers

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Week 15: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 6 13 61439
Chargers 3 7 0010

at Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California

Game information

Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week 16: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 3 6 8623
Vikings 3 7 0010

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: December 23
  • Game time: 7:15 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 67,157
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich (52)
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland, Lisa Salters and John Parry
  • Preview, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Chicago Bears

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Week 17: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 6 5 7321
Vikings 0 6 01319

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: December 29
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,913
  • Referee: John Hussey (35)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Standings

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Division

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NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 376 313 W5
(6) Minnesota Vikings 10 6 0 .625 2–4 7–5 407 303 L2
Chicago Bears 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 280 298 W1
Detroit Lions 3 12 1 .219 0–6 2–9–1 341 423 L9

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[a] San Francisco 49ers West 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .504 .466 W2
2[a][b] Green Bay Packers North 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 .453 .428 W5
3[a][b] New Orleans Saints South 13 3 0 .813 5–1 9–3 .486 .459 W3
4 Philadelphia Eagles East 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .455 .417 W4
Wild Cards
5 Seattle Seahawks West 11 5 0 .688 3–3 8–4 .531 .463 L2
6 Minnesota Vikings North 10 6 0 .625 2–4 7–5 .477 .356 L2
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Los Angeles Rams West 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .535 .438 W1
8[c] Chicago Bears North 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 .508 .383 W1
9[c] Dallas Cowboys East 8 8 0 .500 5–1 7–5 .479 .316 W1
10[d] Atlanta Falcons South 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .545 .518 W4
11[d] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .500 .384 L2
12 Arizona Cardinals West 5 10 1 .344 1–5 3–8–1 .529 .375 L1
13 Carolina Panthers South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 2–10 .549 .469 L8
14 New York Giants East 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .473 .281 L1
15 Detroit Lions North 3 12 1 .219 0–6 2–9–1 .506 .375 L9
16 Washington Redskins East 3 13 0 .188 0–6 2–10 .502 .281 L4
Tiebreakers[e]
  1. ^ a b c San Francisco finished ahead of Green Bay and New Orleans based on head-to-head sweep.
  2. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of New Orleans based on conference record.
  3. ^ a b Chicago finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b Atlanta finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on division record.
  5. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

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Schedule

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Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance NFL.com
recap
Wild Card January 5, 2020 at New Orleans Saints (3) W 26–20 (OT) 1–0 Mercedes-Benz Superdome 73,038 Recap
Divisional January 11, 2020 at San Francisco 49ers (1) L 10–27 1–1 Levi's Stadium 71,649 Recap

Game summaries

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NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (3) New Orleans Saints

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NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) Minnesota Vikings at (3) New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Vikings 3 10 70626
Saints 3 7 010020

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) San Francisco 49ers

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NFC Divisional Playoffs: (6) Minnesota Vikings at (1) San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 3 0010
49ers 7 7 10327

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: January 11, 2020
  • Game time: 3:35 p.m. CST/1:35 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,649
  • Referee: Walt Anderson (66)
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Statistics

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Team leaders

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Category Player(s) Total
Passing yards Kirk Cousins 3,603
Passing touchdowns Kirk Cousins 26
Rushing yards Dalvin Cook 1,135
Rushing touchdowns Dalvin Cook 13
Receptions Stefon Diggs 63
Receiving yards Stefon Diggs 1,130
Receiving touchdowns Adam Thielen 6
Points Dan Bailey 121
Kickoff return yards Ameer Abdullah 325
Punt return yards Mike Hughes 104
Tackles Eric Kendricks 110
Sacks Danielle Hunter 14.5
Interceptions Anthony Harris 6
Forced fumbles Danielle Hunter
Harrison Smith
3

Source: Minnesota Vikings' official website[10]

League rankings

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Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 2,314 231.4 17th
Rushing offense 1,530 153.0 3rd
Total offense 3,844 384.4 8th
Passing defense 2,419 241.9 18th
Rushing defense 912 91.2 7th
Total defense 3,331 333.1 13th

Source: NFL.com[11]

Pro Bowl

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Three Vikings players were selected for the 2020 Pro Bowl when the initial rosters were announced on December 18, 2019: running back Dalvin Cook, safety Harrison Smith and defensive end Danielle Hunter. It was Smith's fifth Pro Bowl and Hunter's second, while Cook made his Pro Bowl debut.[12] With the withdrawal of several NFC players, including San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, defensive end Nick Bosa and cornerback Richard Sherman, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, several Vikings were added to the roster for the Pro Bowl: fullback C. J. Ham, defensive end Everson Griffen, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, quarterback Kirk Cousins and linebacker Eric Kendricks. It was a first Pro Bowl appearance for Ham and Kendricks, a second for Cousins, a third for Rhodes and a fourth for Griffen.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Gates, Christopher (May 14, 2019). "Vikings sign Garrett Bradbury to rookie contract". Daily Norseman. Vox Media. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Tomasson, Chris (May 2, 2019). "Vikings sign eight draft picks, including second-rounder Irv Smith". TwinCities.com. MediaNews Group. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Gates, Christopher (March 14, 2018). "Trevor Siemian Trade: Final details, including draft picks". Daily Norseman. Vox Media. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Tomasson, Chris (May 3, 2019). "Vikings sign sixth-round pick Armon Watts". TwinCities.com. MediaNews Group. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Tomasson, Chris (May 5, 2019). "Vikings lock up seventh-rounder Kris Boyd, leaving two draft picks unsigned". TwinCities.com. MediaNews Group. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Goessling, Ben (August 27, 2018). "Vikings trade with Giants for center Brett Jones". StarTribune. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  7. ^ Tomasson, Chris (July 18, 2019). "Air Force draftee Austin Cutting cleared to sign with Vikings, play in the NFL". TwinCities.com. MediaNews Group. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "NFL announces 32 compensatory draft choices to 15 clubs" (PDF) (Press release). National Football League. February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  9. ^ Tomasson, Chris (September 22, 2019). "Vikings win 500th game in team history, rolling over Oakland 34-14". Twin Cities. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Team Stats". vikings.com. Minnesota Vikings Football. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  11. ^ "NFL Team Stats". NFL.com. November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  12. ^ Smith, Eric (December 17, 2019). "Dalvin Cook, Danielle Hunter & Harrison Smith Selected to Pro Bowl". Vikings.com. Minnesota Vikings Football. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  13. ^ Smith, Eric (January 21, 2020). "5 Vikings Added to NFC Pro Bowl Roster". Vikings.com. Minnesota Vikings Football. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
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