With a 6-6 record, the 2023 Vikings have earned their Week 13 bye.
Along the journey, there have been triumphant moments and encouraging discoveries, as well as setbacks and the necessity to accommodate numerous injuries to key players.
The Minnesota Vikings will begin a crucial five-game stretch to end the regular season when they visit the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7 and on bye this week) when they return to action in Week 14.
The 2023 Vikings have earned their Week 13 bye with a 6-6 record.
There have been victories and positive discoveries along the way, but there have also been setbacks and the need to make accommodations for multiple key player injuries.
When the Minnesota Vikings return to action in Week 14, they will play host to the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7 and on bye this week), starting a critical five-game stretch to end the regular season.
Bud Grant understood that 1972 ought to be the anomaly rather than the norm.
Better days could return for the 1973 Vikings if they fixed the mistakes that led to five losses decided by three points or less en route to a 7-7 record.
Icons such as Bud, who become household names, are often visionaries; however, he thrived on grounded realities.
His teams’ combined record in regular-season games from 1969 to 1971 was 35-7. During the run, the team experienced two postseason victories—including the 1969 NFL Championship—for the first time in its history before losing in Super Bowl IV and the Divisional Round the following two years.
In 1972, Fran Tarkenton made a comeback to Minnesota, giving the team the elite quarterback that many thought would be the clincher for a championship. Ultimately, Tarkenton was the player who had shone for the team that selected him in the third round prior to the team’s debut, from 1961 to 1966.
