Vikings all-time tournament: No. 2 seed 1969 knocked out by Tarkenton’s 1976 squad

The Minnesota Vikings’ 1969 and 1976 teams are very similar — both are coached by Bud Grant, both appeared in a Super Bowl and both feature Hall of Fame talent on defense.

But there’s one glaring difference between these teams: quarterback.

That contrariety was exposed in the second round of the all-time tournament, as signal-caller Fran Tarkenton constructed a last-minute drive and led the ’76 Vikings to a 20-17 upset over ’69 Minnesota.

Down goes the No. 2 seed.

Trailing 17-13 with 2:26 to play, Tarkenton and the ’76 Vikings took over on offense from their own 25-yard line. Tarkenton successfully converted on one third down and moved the ball near midfield before the ’76 Vikings faced a fourth-and-8 from the 46-yard line.

With a semifinal berth on the line, Tarkenton threw a strike to receiver Bob Grim, who hauled it in and sprinted the rest of the way into the end zone for a game-winning 54-yard touchdown.

It was Grim’s second catch of the day.

Tarkenton threw for 261 yards and two scores (no interceptions) on 23-of-32 passing, out-dueling opposing quarterback Joe Kapp (12-of-24, 205 yards, 1 INT).

The ’69 Vikings had success on the ground — Bill Brown and Dave Osborn combined for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries – but it wasn’t enough to reach the next round.

The seventh-seeded 1976 team will take on the winner of a matchup between No. 6 seed 2017 and No. 3 seed 1975 in the all-time tournament semifinals.

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