1971 Minnesota Vikings season

1971 was the 11th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings won the NFC Central title as they finished with a record of 11 wins and three losses, before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys at home, 20–12, in the NFC Divisional Playoff game.

In 2007, ESPN.com ranked the 1971 Vikings as the fourth-greatest defense in NFL history, ^[1] saying, "[c]onsidering that their motto was 'Meet at the quarterback,' it's no surprise that the [Purple People] Eaters held opposing QBs to a 40.4 rating, one of the lowest ever." ESPN also noted that the 1971 Vikings "shut out three opponents, and only one team scored more than 20 points against them. As a result, Alan Page became the first defensive player to ever be named NFL MVP. Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and safety Paul Krause joined Page on the All-Pro team."

Offseason

NFL Draft

Regular season

Schedule

Playoffs

Standings

Awards, records, and honors

All-Pros

First Team

• OT Ron Yary (AP, NEA, PFWA, PFW)
• DE Carl Eller (AP, NEA, PFWA, PFW)
• DT Alan Page (AP, NEA, PFWA, PFW)
• S Paul Krause (NEA)

Pro Bowlers

• WR Bob Grim
• OT Ron Yary
• DE Carl Eller
• DT Alan Page
• S Paul Krause

League leaders

• Bob Lee – Most punts (89), most punting yards (3515)
• Charlie West – Longest interception return (89 yards)
• Alan Page – Most safeties (2)

References

• "1971 Minnesota Vikings Statistics & Players". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/min/1971.htm. Retrieved January 13, 2010.