Vikings are just 1-7 against the Jets all time
After its baseball team suffered through a brutal, but hardly surprising, thumping at the hands of the New York Yankees this past week, many Minnesotans are now turning their attention back full time to the Vikings, who have an opportunity to right the ship for the Gopher State in its continuing battle against New York's sports franchises.
For it's not just the Yankees who have given Minnesota fans fits over the years.
When most Vikings fans recall bitter memories from the Empire State's football teams, it is usually the New York Giants that come to mind.
The Giants, like the Yankees, have ended the Vikings' seasons more than they have extended it.
The Giants have defeated Minnesota in the playoffs two out of three times during the last two decades: by a 17-10 margin in the 1993 NFC wildcard game and an infamous 41-0 thrashing in the 2000 NFC Championship game. (The Vikings eked out a 23-22 win against them in the 1997 NFC wildcard game).
But the Vikings have actually fared decently during the regular season against the Giants, defeating them in 13 out of 21 contests, including the last four dating back to the 2005 season.
However, it is the other New York football franchise, the Jets, who have been nearly unbeatable when playing Minnesota over the last 40 years.
Since joining the National Football League in 1970, the Jets are 7-1 all time against the Vikings, including winners of the last six contests.
Many games haven't even been close, with the Jets averaging 28 points against the Vikes across these eight matchups, with Minnesota averaging only 17 points.
Despite notching a 12-2 record for the year, the Vikings were just one of three teams to lose to the Jets in the 1970 season, suffering a 20-10 defeat at Shea Stadium that November. The Jets were led by a 117-yard rushing performance by George Nock. Minnesota QB Bob Lee was picked off four times and threw for just 124 yards with 9 completions out of 24 attempts in that game.
In 1975, the Vikings managed their only win of the series, a 29-21 victory at Metropolitan Stadium, with Fran Tarkenton outdueling Joe Namath.
But the Vikes have lost their last six games to the Jets ever since:
· On Monday Night Football in 1979, losing 14-7 at Shea, with Minnesota QB Tommy Kramer getting intercepted four times.
· In the strike-shortened 1982 season, getting throttled 42-14 at the Metrodome, with Kramer throwing another three picks.
· In 1994, losing 31-21 in Minneapolis, despite Warren Moon throwing for 400 yards against the Jets. (Moon was intercepted four times).
· In 1997, in the closest contest of the series, a 23-21 Jets victory at the Meadowlands. Brad Johnson threw for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and no INTs that Sunday afternoon - the best individual performance by a Minnesota QB ever against the Jets.
· In 2002, by a 20-7 score at New York, with Dante Culpepper getting picked off three times and throwing no TDs.
· In 2006, with the Jets doubling up on the Vikings by a 26-13 score at the Dome. Vikings QB duties were split that day between Brad Johnson and Tarvaris Jackson.
Overall, Minnesota's quarterbacks have thrown 20 interceptions and just 11 touchdowns in the eight regular season matchups against the Jets.
Will the addition of future Hall of Famer Randy Moss from the New England Patriots last week put an end to the Vikings team's receiving and quarterback woes tonight?
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