2012 Minnesota Vikings
The 2012 Minnesota Vikings went 10–6, finishing 3rd in the NFC North, and lost in the Wild Card round. They scored 379 points and allowed 348.
- Record
- 10–6
- Home
- 7–1
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 379–348
- NFC North
- Place 3 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Wild Card
Where the season ranked
They scored 379 points, the 14th-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 348, tied for the 14th-fewest. Their point differential was +31.
How the season unfolded
The Vikings started 3–1 and were 5–3 after eight games. They won their last four games to finish 10–6.
Their longest winning streak was four games, from Week 14 to Week 17.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 30–7 over the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 (October 7, 2012).
Their heaviest loss was 36–17 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8 (October 25, 2012).
They scored a season-high 37 points against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 (December 30, 2012), winning 37–34.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–1.
They played one overtime game and won it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 4–2 against the NFC North, sweeping the Lions and splitting with the Bears and the Packers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 3–4 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they lost to the Green Bay Packers 24–10 on the road.
Before and after
That was a seven-win improvement on 2011, when they went 3–13.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2009.
In 2013, they went 5–10–1 and missed the playoffs.
2012 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 9, 2012 | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | W 26–23 (OT) |
| Week 2 | Sep 16, 2012 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 20–23 |
| Week 3 | Sep 23, 2012 | vs San Francisco 49ers | W 24–13 |
| Week 4 | Sep 30, 2012 | at Detroit Lions | W 20–13 |
| Week 5 | Oct 7, 2012 | vs Tennessee Titans | W 30–7 |
| Week 6 | Oct 14, 2012 | at Washington | L 26–38 |
| Week 7 | Oct 21, 2012 | vs Arizona Cardinals | W 21–14 |
| Week 8 | Oct 25, 2012 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–36 |
| Week 9 | Nov 4, 2012 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 20–30 |
| Week 10 | Nov 11, 2012 | vs Detroit Lions | W 34–24 |
| Week 12 | Nov 25, 2012 | at Chicago Bears | L 10–28 |
| Week 13 | Dec 2, 2012 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–23 |
| Week 14 | Dec 9, 2012 | vs Chicago Bears | W 21–14 |
| Week 15 | Dec 16, 2012 | at St. Louis Rams | W 36–22 |
| Week 16 | Dec 23, 2012 | at Houston Texans | W 23–6 |
| Week 17 | Dec 30, 2012 | vs Green Bay Packers | W 37–34 |
| Wild Card | Jan 5, 2013 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–24 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2012 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.