2011 Minnesota Vikings season


The 2011 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 51st in the National Football League, and the first full season under head coach Leslie Frazier, who served as the team's interim head coach for the final six games of the 2010 season. The team failed to improve on their 6–10 record from 2010, going 2–6 before their bye week, before being eliminated from playoff contention in week 12 with a 2–9 record. The team also suffered its first six-game losing streak since the 1984 season.
The team started the season with a new starting quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who had enjoyed great success with the Eagles but had a subpar year with the Redskins in 2010. McNabb played respectably, having a passer rating of 82.9 and only turning the ball over twice, but his 1–5 record as starter led to him being benched in favor of rookie Christian Ponder in Week 6, and McNabb was later waived on December 1, 2011. Despite a poor year for the team as a whole, Jared Allen set a franchise record for most sacks in a season with 22. The team led the league in sacks with 50, but also tied a team record for fewest interceptions caught in a season with only eight.

Offseason

Draft

After finishing with a 6–10 record in the 2010 season, the Vikings were allocated the 12th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Pro Bowler

Preseason

Schedule

The Vikings' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
August 13at Tennessee TitansL 3–140–1LP Field
August 20at Seattle SeahawksW 20–71–1CenturyLink Field
August 27Dallas CowboysL 17–231–2Mall of America Field
September 1Houston TexansW 28–02–2Mall of America Field

Game summaries

Week 1: at Tennessee Titans

Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 3: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 4: vs. Houston Texans

Regular season

Schedule

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Game summaries

Week 1: at San Diego Chargers

Week 2: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 3: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 6: at Chicago Bears

Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 8: at Carolina Panthers

Week 10: at Green Bay Packers

After being swept by the Packers, the Vikings dropped to 2–7.

Week 11: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 14: at Detroit Lions

Week 15: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 16: at Washington Redskins

Week 17: vs. Chicago Bears

Standings

Statistics

Team leaders

Staff

Roster