Minnesota Vikings Live Stream

The Purple People Eaters joined the NFL from the AFL in 1961. Named for northern Midwest Nordic traditions, the Minnesota Vikings are known as much for their chants and horns as for their rivalries with several teams.

It took almost a decade before the Vikings claimed their first Western Central Division title before losing the playoffs to the Baltimore Colts. The following year in the 1969 season they beat the LA Rams in the Divisional playoffs before winning the final NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns. Super Bowl IV was the final game before the AFL-NFL merger where the AFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs played the NFL champions. The Chiefs defense proved too strong for the Vikings as they went down 23-7.

The 1970s were to prove frustrating for fans as the Minnesota Vikings seemed on the verge of ultimate success so often only to fall at the last hurdle after moving to NFC Central. Under coach Bud Grant the team won eight Division and three Conference titles in the decade. They reached three Super Bowls in four years but came away empty-handed each time. Super Bowl VIII was against the Miami Dolphins who won their second successive title after dominating the first three quarters. IX was the battle of the Defenses as the Vikings took on the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Steel Curtain was just too strong. Their final chance came in the 1976 season when they faced the Oakland Raiders but were beaten 32-14.

After Grant's tenure came to an end, other manager's continued the pattern of some success in Division titles but unable to progress past the playoffs, losing the Conference Championship on numerous occasions. A notable example was the Conference Championship in 2009 when they played the New Orleans Saints, going down to a field goal in OT after several bad fumbles during regular time. With their destiny in their own hands, the Minnesota Vikings have too often fallen short when it mattered most.

In NFC Central and NFC North since 2002, the Minnesota Vikings have built up a considerable rivalry with other teams, most notably the Green Bay Packers. Games are always hotly-contested and usually close. The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears also have a special place in the hearts of Vikings fans, with Bears games often full of surprises. Those supporters make their feelings well-known with loud horns and Skol Chants, an adaptation of a traditional Scandinavian War Cry.