The History of the Minnesota Vikings Playing on Christmas Day
The Vikings are going to play on Christmas Day in 2020 for the fourth time in franchise history. They're set to take on the Saints in New Orleans in Week 16 on the holiday, in a Friday afternoon matchup that will be the only game of the day. Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas isn't typically associated with the NFL; there have been just 21 games in the league's history played on December 25th.
The Vikings, interestingly enough, have played in three of those 21. Let's take a look back down the annals of history.
1971 Divisional Playoffs: Cowboys 20, Vikings 12
During the first round of the playoffs following the 1971 season, the NFL scheduled games on Christmas Day for the first time in its history. The 11-3 Vikings, two years removed from their first Super Bowl appearance, hosted the 11-3 Cowboys at Metropolitan Stadium. Despite out-gaining Dallas 311-183, the Vikings turned the ball over five times, including two interceptions apiece from quarterbacks Gary Cuozzo and Bob Lee. They were unable to climb out of a 20-3 deficit. The Cowboys would go on to win the Super Bowl that year, while the Vikings would make three Super Bowl appearances in the next five years.
Fun fact: the other game played that day was an AFC divisional matchup between the Chiefs and Dolphins that went deep into a second overtime. The Dolphins won after 82 minutes and 40 seconds in a game that is still the longest in NFL history.
1989 Regular Season: Vikings 29, Bengals 21
The Vikings were also part of the first regular season game on Christmas Day in NFL history. It was a Monday Night Football game at the Metrodome in Week 16 between the 9-6 Vikings and the 8-7 Bengals. The Vikings got out to a 19-0 lead and held on, with Wade Wilson besting reigning MVP Boomer Esiason. The win gave the Vikings the NFC Central championship, but they would go on to be routed by the 49ers in the first round of the playoffs. The 1989 Vikings season is probably best known for the infamous Herschel Walker trade.
2005 Regular Season: Ravens 30, Vikings 23
16 years later, the Vikings played on Christmas Day for the third time in their history. It was a Sunday night in Baltimore, with the 8-6 Vikings needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive against the 5-9 Ravens. The game went back and forth through three quarters, but Kyle Boller and the Ravens pulled away in the fourth quarter. Brad Johnson threw touchdowns to Travis Taylor and Jermaine Wiggins for Minnesota. The 2005 season is another infamous one in Vikings history, as that was the year of the "Love Boat" scandal. This loss led to the firing of Mike Tice after the season.
2020 Regular Season: Vikings at Saints
This will be the first Christmas Day game for the NFL since 2017, and the Vikings' first in 15 years. It will also take place on a Friday, which is a rarity for the league.
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