2012 Minnesota Vikings Season

The 2012 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), as well as their second full season under head coach Leslie Frazier.

They looked to improve upon their 3–13 season the year before, and did so after defeating the Tennessee Titans in Week 5; their win over the Houston Texans in Week 16 made this their first winning season since 2009. The Vikings also made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers to give them a 10–6 regular season record, but were defeated by the same opponents in the Wild Card playoff round the following week. Adrian Peterson was named the league's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 2,097 yards, just nine yards short of breaking the single-season record held by Eric Dickerson since 1984.

2012 Minnesota Vikings season
OwnerZygi Wilf
Head coachLeslie Frazier
Home fieldMall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd NFC North
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Packers) 10–24
Pro Bowlers
7
AP All-Pros
4
Team MVPAdrian Peterson
Uniform
2012 Minnesota Vikings Season

On May 10, 2012, the Minnesota State Legislature approved a bill for a new stadium for the team that would see a new facility (later named U.S. Bank Stadium) constructed by 2016 and ensure the Vikings' presence in Minneapolis through the year 2046. The bill was signed by Governor Mark Dayton on May 14, and approved by the Minneapolis City Council by a vote of 7–6 on May 25.

As of 2023, the only player from the 2012 squad still with the Vikings is safety Harrison Smith.

Offseason

2012 Minnesota Vikings Season 
Adrian Peterson rushed to a new career franchise record against Jacksonville in week 1, overtaking Robert Smith's 6,818 rushing yards

Pre-draft transactions

The first major transactions of the 2012 offseason were the releases of veteran guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera, and CB Cedric Griffin on March 10, as the Vikings began rebuilding their offensive line and secondary. Three days later, the team re-signed perennial backup QB Sage Rosenfels and DT Letroy Guion off their unrestricted free agents list. This was followed up with the signing of the Seattle Seahawks' unrestricted free agent TE John Carlson on a five-year contract.

The next week, the team brought in FB Jerome Felton, also an unrestricted free agent, from the Indianapolis Colts. They then released DT Remi Ayodele on March 21, but re-signed DT Fred Evans. March 26 was a big day for signings by the Vikings, with the re-signings of WR Devin Aromashodu and LB Erin Henderson, as well as the free agent acquisitions of CB Zack Bowman from the Chicago Bears and T Geoff Schwartz from the Carolina Panthers.

April saw very few transactions go through in anticipation of the 2012 NFL Draft at the end of the month. Nevertheless, the Vikings signed LB Marvin Mitchell and WR Jerome Simpson, despite the fact that Simpson would miss the first three games of the season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Draft

Pro Bowler
2012 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Contract Notes
Round Overall
1 3 Traded to the Cleveland Browns[a]
4 Matt Kalil T USC 4 years From Browns[a]
29 Harrison Smith S Notre Dame 4 years From Ravens[b]
2 35 Traded to the Baltimore Ravens[b]
3 66 Josh Robinson CB Central Florida 4 years
4 98 Traded to the Baltimore Ravens[b]
118 Jarius Wright WR Arkansas 4 years From Falcons via Browns[a]
128 Rhett Ellison FB USC 4 years Compensatory pick[c]
134 Greg Childs WR Arkansas 4 years Compensatory pick[c]
5 138 Traded to the Detroit Lions[d]
139 Robert Blanton S Notre Dame 4 years From Browns[a]
6 173 Traded to the Washington Redskins[e]
175 Blair Walsh K Georgia 4 years From Browns[f]
7 210 Audie Cole ILB NC State 4 years
211 Traded to the Tennessee Titans[g] From Browns[a]
219 Trevor Guyton DE California 4 years From Seahawks via Lions[d]
223 Traded to the Detroit Lions[d] From Eagles via Patriots[d]
2012 Minnesota Vikings Season 
Brian Robison and the Vikings defense against the Jacksonville Jaguars, September 9

Notes:

    ^[a] Cleveland traded their first-round selection (4th overall), fourth-round selection (118th overall), fifth-round selection (139th overall), and seventh-round selection (211th overall) to move up one spot to the third overall selection and draft RB Trent Richardson.
    ^[b] Minnesota traded their second-round selection (35th overall) and fourth-round selection (98th overall) to Baltimore to move up six spots to 29th overall selection and make this pick.
    ^[c] Minnesota was awarded two compensatory picks for the loss of free agents Ray Edwards, Ben Leber, Tarvaris Jackson, and Sidney Rice.
    ^[d] Detroit traded their seventh-round selection (219th overall) and 2013 fourth-round selection (102nd overall) to Minnesota for their fifth-round selection (138th overall) and the seventh-round selection (223rd overall) that they received from New England in the trade for Randy Moss in 2010.
    ^[e] Minnesota traded their sixth-round selection (173rd overall) to Washington for QB Donovan McNabb.
    ^[f] Cleveland traded their sixth-round selection (175th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for DE Jayme Mitchell.
    ^[g] Tennessee traded their 2013 sixth-round selection (176th overall) to Minnesota for the seventh-round selection (211th overall) that they received in the first-round trade with Cleveland.[a] Minnesota later traded the pick they received from Tennessee to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a seventh-round pick and CB A. J. Jefferson.

Post-draft transactions

With the 2012 Draft over, the Vikings resumed their transactions in May, signing a number of undrafted free agents to their roster, and releasing RB Caleb King, following a short jail term. With the drafting of Blair Walsh, veteran kicker Ryan Longwell found himself surplus to requirements for the Vikings and he was released on May 7. By the start of June, all of the Vikings draft selections (with the exception of T Matt Kalil) had been signed to long-term contracts.

Preseason

Schedule

This was the first year the Vikings used a TV/radio simulcast for their preseason games.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue NFL.com
recap
1 August 10 at San Francisco 49ers L 6–17 0–1 Candlestick Park Recap
2 August 17 Buffalo Bills W 36–14 1–1 Mall of America Field Recap
3 August 24 San Diego Chargers L 10–12 1–2 Mall of America Field Recap
4 August 30 at Houston Texans L 24–28 1–3 Reliant Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

Preseason Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 3 006
49ers 7 10 0017

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills

Preseason Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 7 7014
Vikings 10 6 31736

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 3: vs. San Diego Chargers

Preseason Week 3: San Diego Chargers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 3 0612
Vikings 0 3 0710

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 4: at Houston Texans

Preseason Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 10 14024
Texans 7 7 14028

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue NFL.com
recap
1 September 9 Jacksonville Jaguars W 26–23 (OT) 1–0 Mall of America Field Recap
2 September 16 at Indianapolis Colts L 20–23 1–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
3 September 23 San Francisco 49ers W 24–13 2–1 Mall of America Field Recap
4 September 30 at Detroit Lions W 20–13 3–1 Ford Field Recap
5 October 7 Tennessee Titans W 30–7 4–1 Mall of America Field Recap
6 October 14 at Washington Redskins L 26–38 4–2 FedExField Recap
7 October 21 Arizona Cardinals W 21–14 5–2 Mall of America Field Recap
8 October 25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 17–36 5–3 Mall of America Field Recap
9 November 4 at Seattle Seahawks L 20–30 5–4 CenturyLink Field Recap
10 November 11 Detroit Lions W 34–24 6–4 Mall of America Field Recap
11 Bye
12 November 25 at Chicago Bears L 10–28 6–5 Soldier Field Recap
13 December 2 at Green Bay Packers L 14–23 6–6 Lambeau Field Recap
14 December 9 Chicago Bears W 21–14 7–6 Mall of America Field Recap
15 December 16 at St. Louis Rams W 36–22 8–6 Edward Jones Dome Recap
16 December 23 at Houston Texans W 23–6 9–6 Reliant Stadium Recap
17 December 30 Green Bay Packers W 37–34 10–6 Mall of America Field Recap
    Team names in bold indicate Vikings' home games.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 1: Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Jaguars 3 6 311023
Vikings 0 7 79326

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 3 01420
Colts 7 10 3323

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 3: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 3 10013
Vikings 7 10 0724

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 4: at Detroit Lions

Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 10 3 7020
Lions 3 3 0713

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 5: Tennessee Titans at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 0 077
Vikings 7 6 10730

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 6: at Washington Redskins

Week 6: Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 9 0 31426
Redskins 0 17 71438

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Week 7: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 7: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 7 0714
Vikings 7 7 7021

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 10 10 10636
Vikings 0 10 7017

at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 10 3020
Seahawks 14 6 7330

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 4
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,584
  • Referee: Jerome Boger (23)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jaime Maggio
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 10: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 3 71424
Vikings 10 3 31834

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: November 11
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (domed stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,059
  • Referee: Pete Morelli (135)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, John Lynch and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: at Chicago Bears

Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 0 7010
Bears 10 15 3028

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: November 25
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,306
  • Referee: Scott Green (19)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 14 0014
Packers 10 0 10323

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 14: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 14: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 7 0714
Vikings 14 0 7021

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: December 9
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (domed stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,134
  • Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams

Week 15: Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 23 3336
Rams 0 7 01522

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

Week 16: at Houston Texans

Week 16: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 6 3723
Texans 3 0 306

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 23
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,688
  • Referee: John Parry (132)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jaime Maggio
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 17: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 141034
Vikings 10 10 71037

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: December 30
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (domed stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,134
  • Referee: Mike Carey (94)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Adrian Peterson rushed for 199 yards, coming up nine yards short of breaking the single season record by Eric Dickerson. This included five rushes for 36 yards on the final drive to set up the winning field goal by Blair Walsh. This game was rated #3 on the Top 20 NFL Games of 2012 on NFL.com as AP2K.

Standings

NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Green Bay Packers 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 433 336 L1
(6) Minnesota Vikings 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 379 348 W4
Chicago Bears 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 375 277 W2
Detroit Lions 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 372 437 L8

Postseason

Schedule

Playoff round Date Opponent Result Record Venue NFL.com
recap
WC January 5 at Green Bay Packers L 10–24 0–1 Lambeau Field Recap

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Round: at Green Bay Packers

NFC Wild Card Round: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 0 0710
Packers 7 10 7024

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Having secured the NFC's #6 seed, the Vikings traveled to Lambeau Field for a rematch with the Packers. With the two teams meeting in the playoffs for only the second time ever, Blair Walsh capped the game's opening drive with a field goal to put the Vikings 3–0 up. However, the Packers then scored 24 unanswered points to take a 24–3 lead in the 3rd quarter. The Vikings tried to rally a comeback with a touchdown to make it 24–10, but it was too little, too late as time ran out for Minnesota.

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing yards Christian Ponder 2,935
Passing touchdowns Christian Ponder 18
Rushing yards Adrian Peterson 2,097 *
Rushing touchdowns Adrian Peterson 12
Receiving yards Percy Harvin 677
Receiving touchdowns Kyle Rudolph 9
Points Blair Walsh 141
Kickoff return yards Percy Harvin 574
Punt return yards Marcus Sherels 287
Tackles Chad Greenway 148
Sacks Jared Allen 12.0
Interceptions Harrison Smith
Antoine Winfield
3
Forced fumbles Jamarca Sanford 4

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 2,751 171.9 31st
Rushing offense 2,634 164.6 2nd
Total offense 5,385 336.6 20th
Passing defense 3,908 244.2 24th
Rushing defense 1,692 105.8 11th
Total defense 5,600 350.0 16th

Pro Bowl

Four Minnesota Vikings players were selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl: two on offense (running back partners Adrian Peterson and Jerome Felton), one on defense (DE Jared Allen) and one special teamer (K Blair Walsh). Of these, Peterson, Felton and Walsh were selected as starters, with Allen going as a reserve.

With the withdrawal of Dallas Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware on January 10 because of a shoulder injury, Vikings LB Chad Greenway was called up to the NFC roster as a replacement. TE Kyle Rudolph was also added to the NFC roster for his first Pro Bowl two weeks later after Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez dropped out due to injury. Rookie Matt Kalil was also added later as a replacement for the Washington Redskins' tackle, Trent Williams, yet another casualty of injury. Rudolph was named the game's MVP.

Staff

2012 Minnesota Vikings staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Mike Priefer
  • Assistant special teams – Chris White

Strength and conditioning

  • Head athletic trainer/director of sports medicine – Eric Sugarman
  • Strength and conditioning – Tom Kanavy
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Martin Streight
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Aaron McLaurin

Roster

2012 Minnesota Vikings final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 4 inactive, 8 practice squad

Notes and references

Tags:

2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Offseason2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Preseason2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Regular season2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Postseason2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Statistics2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Pro Bowl2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Staff2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Roster2012 Minnesota Vikings Season Notes and references2012 Minnesota Vikings Season

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