6 most surprising Minnesota Vikings seasons of all-time

5. 2001 Vikings

Everything seemed to be heading in the right direction for the Vikings as they were preparing for the 2001 season.

Minnesota appeared in two of the previous three NFC Championships and they had one of the top young offenses in the NFL led by quarterback Daunte Culpepper and wide receiver Randy Moss.

But the Vikings were dealt a gigantic blow before the season even began. Minnesota’s starting right tackle, Korey Stringer, unexpectedly passed away during the team’s training camp due to heatstroke.

It was something that had a tremendous impact on the Vikings’ performance in 2001 and rightfully so. Stringer had been with Minnesota since 1995 and he was just coming off his first Pro Bowl season.

The Vikings only ended up winning five games in 2001 and it’s easy to believe that their teammate’s death had a lot to do with the results.

Minnesota just failed to recapture any of the magic they had during their run to the NFC Championship in 2000. Moss still played out of his mind in 2001, but Culpepper had a disappointing performance after an impressive campaign during the previous year.

2001 was a year full of unpleasant surprises for the Vikings and it all culminated when the team fired longtime head coach Dennis Green before the season even came to a close.

Despite Green leading Minnesota to the playoffs in eight of his 10 years as their head coach, the Vikings’ ownership apparently felt that the franchise was better off without him. Minnesota then proceeded to qualify for the postseason just once in their first six years after firing Green.