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1995 Minnesota Vikings season

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1995 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coachDennis Green
Home fieldHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record8–8
Division place4th NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersWR Cris Carter
G Randall McDaniel
QB Warren Moon
DT John Randle
AP All-ProsG Randall McDaniel (1st team)
DT John Randle (1st team)
WR Cris Carter (2nd team)
Uniform

The 1995 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 35th in the National Football League (NFL). Under head coach Dennis Green, they finished with an 8–8 record and still had a chance to make the playoffs entering Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals; however, victories by the Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons in their final games rendered the Vikings' defeat to the Bengals inconsequential, and Minnesota missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1991 season. Despite the team's poor play, rookie safety Orlando Thomas recorded a league-leading 9 interceptions of the season.

Offseason

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Additions Subtractions
LB Jeff Brady (Buccaneers) DT Henry Thomas (Lions)
DB Donald Frank (Raiders) FS Vencie Glenn (Giants)

1995 Expansion Draft

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Minnesota Vikings selected during the Expansion Draft
Round Selection Name Position Expansion team
11 22 Dave Garnett Linebacker Carolina Panthers
26 52 William Sims Linebacker Carolina Panthers
32 63 Eric Guliford Wide receiver Carolina Panthers

1995 Draft

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Pro Bowler
1995 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Notes
Round Selection
1 11 Derrick Alexander Defensive end Florida State from Broncos via Falcons[a]
24 Korey Stringer Offensive tackle Ohio State
2 42 Orlando Thomas Safety Louisiana-Lafayette from Broncos[b]
55 Corey Fuller Cornerback Florida State
3 89 Traded to the Houston Oilers[c]
4 111 Chad May Quarterback Kansas State from Broncos[d]
121 Traded to the Denver Broncos[d]
5 157 James Stewart Running back Miami
6 189 John Solomon Defensive end Sam Houston State from Giants[e]
196 Traded to the Denver Broncos[d]
7 232 Jose White Defensive tackle Howard
243 Jason Fisk Defensive tackle Stanford Compensatory pick
^[a] The Vikings traded a 1994 second-round selection (45th overall) and DE Chris Doleman to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for the Falcons' 1994 second-round selection (40th overall) and a 1995 first-round selection (11th overall) on April 24, 1994.[citation needed]
^[b] The Vikings traded OT Gary Zimmerman to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the Broncos' 1994 first-round selection (18th overall), 1994 sixth-round selection (179th overall) and 1995 second-round selection (42nd overall) on August 23, 1993.[citation needed]
^[c] The Vikings traded QB Warren Moon to the Houston Oilers in exchange for the Oilers' third-round selection (89th overall) and 1994 fourth-round selection (119th overall).[citation needed]
^[d] The Vikings traded a fourth-round selection (121st overall) and a sixth-round selection (196th overall) to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the Broncos' fourth-round selection (111th overall).[citation needed]
^[e] The Vikings traded a 1996 sixth-round selection (182nd overall) and S Vencie Glenn to the New York Giants in exchange for the Giants' sixth-round selection (189th overall) and a 1996 fifth-round selection (137th overall).[citation needed]

Staff

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1995 Minnesota Vikings staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


[1]

Roster

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1995 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, 2 reserve, 5 practice squad

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance[2]
1 August 7 at San Diego Chargers W 23–19 1–0 Jack Murphy Stadium 47,934
2 August 12 at New England Patriots L 14–21 1–1 Foxboro Stadium 56,241
3 August 18 Oakland Raiders W 20–17 2–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 45,306
4 August 26 Kansas City Chiefs L 13–17 2–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 39,349

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 3 at Chicago Bears L 14–31 0–1 Soldier Field 63,036
2 September 10 Detroit Lions W 20–10 1–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 52,234
3 September 17 Dallas Cowboys L 17–23 (OT) 1–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 60,088
4 September 24 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 44–24 2–2 Three Rivers Stadium 57,853
5 Bye
6 October 8 Houston Oilers W 23–17 (OT) 3–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 56,430
7 October 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 17–20 (OT) 3–3 Tampa Stadium 55,703
8 October 22 at Green Bay Packers L 21–38 3–4 Lambeau Field 60,332
9 October 30 Chicago Bears L 6–14 3–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 61,238
10 November 5 Green Bay Packers W 27–24 4–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 62,839
11 November 12 at Arizona Cardinals W 30–24 (OT) 5–5 Sun Devil Stadium 51,342
12 November 19 New Orleans Saints W 43–24 6–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 58,108
13 November 23 at Detroit Lions L 38–44 6–6 Silverdome 74,559
14 December 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 31–17 7–6 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 52,879
15 December 9 Cleveland Browns W 27–11 8–6 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 47,984
16 December 18 at San Francisco 49ers L 30–37 8–7 Candlestick Park 64,975
17 December 24 at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–27 8–8 Riverfront Stadium 34,568

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

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NFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(3) Green Bay Packers 11 5 0 .688 404 314 W2
(5) Detroit Lions 10 6 0 .625 436 336 W7
Chicago Bears 9 7 0 .563 392 360 W2
Minnesota Vikings 8 8 0 .500 412 385 L2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 9 0 .438 238 335 L2

Statistics

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Team leaders

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Category Player(s) Value
Passing yards Warren Moon 4,228
Passing touchdowns Warren Moon 33
Rushing yards Robert Smith 632
Rushing touchdowns Robert Smith 5
Receiving yards Cris Carter 1,371
Receiving touchdowns Cris Carter 17
Points Fuad Reveiz 122
Kickoff return yards Qadry Ismail 1,037
Punt return yards David Palmer 342
Tackles Ed McDaniel 115
Sacks John Randle 10.5
Interceptions Orlando Thomas 9
Forced fumbles Ed McDaniel 6

League rankings

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Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 30)
Passing offense 4,205 262.8 5th
Rushing offense 1,733 108.3 16th
Total offense 5,938 371.1 4th
Passing defense 4,122 257.6 28th
Rushing defense 1,329 83.1 4th
Total defense 5,451 340.7 20th

Awards and records

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  • Cris Carter, led NFL in receiving touchdowns
  • Cris Carter, All-Pro selection
  • Cris Carter, Pro Bowl selection
  • Orlando Thomas, NFL interceptions leader (9)

Milestones

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  • Cris Carter, 100 reception season [3]
  • Warren Moon, 4th 4,000-yard passing season

References

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  1. ^ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  2. ^ "1995 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".
  3. ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 440
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