10. 1976 LOS ANGELES RAMS at 7. 1973 NFC CHAMPION MINNESOTA VIKINGS
7. 1973 NFC CHAMPION MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Record: 12-2
Pythag: 11-3
Off: 9th
Def: 2nd
d. Redskins Div Rnd 27-20
d. Cowboys NFC Title 27-10
Lost Super Bowl Dolphins 24-7
1st NFC Central
HC Bud Grant OC Jerry Burns DC Neill Armstrong
Metropolitan Stadium: 40 degrees
Joe McConnell
Offense
QB Fran Tarkenton 33 UGA
RB Oscar Reed 29 Col St
FB Chuck Foreman 23 R Miami
WR Carroll Dale Va Tech
WR John Gilliam 28 S Carolina St
TE Stu Voigt 25 Wisc
LT Grady Alderman 35 Det Mercy
LG Ed White 26 Cal
C Mick Tingelhoff 33 Nebraska
RG Milt Sunde 31 Minn
RT Ron Yary 27 All Pro USC
Defense
LDE Carl Eller 31 All Pro Minnesota
LDT Gary Larsen 33 Concordia Moorhead
RDT Alan Page 28 All Pro N Dame
RDE Jim Marshall 36 Ohio St
LLB Roy Winston 33 LSU
MLB Jeff Siemon 23 Stanford
RLB Wally Hilgenberg 31 Iowa
LCB Nate Wright 26 S Diego St
RCB Bobby Bryant 29 S Carolina
SS Jeff Wright 24 S Diego St
FS Paul Krause 31 Iowa
K Fred Cox 35 Pitt
P Mike Eischeid 33 U Iowa
KR Brent McClanahan 22 Ariz St
PR Bobby Bryant 29 S Carolina
4 Vikings teams are safely moving forward; the 7th seed in Region 12 is the '73 Vikes that won the NFC Title; second best defense in football. 2 of the Purple People Eaters are All Pros, 31 year old Carl Eller, 28 year old Alan Page. 29 year old Bobby Bryant had 7 picks. On the other side of the ball, 33 year old Fran Tarkenton had 16 scores and 7 picks. 27 year old Ron Yary is also an All Pro - both these teams are gonna try to grind out some offense today.
10. 1976 LOS ANGELES RAMS
Record: 10-3-1
Pythag: 11-3
Off: 3rd
Def: 3rd
1st NFC West
d. Cowboys Div Rnd 14-12
lost Vikings NFC Title 24-13
HC Chuck Knox OC Ken Meyer DC Ray Malavasi
Offense
QB James Harris 29 Grambling
RB Lawrence McCutcheon 26 Colorado St
FB John Cappelletti 24 Penn St
WR Harold Jackson 30 Jackson St
WR Ron Jessie 28 Kansas
TE Bob Klein 29 USC
LT Doug France 23 Ohio St
LG Tom Mack 33 Michigan
C Rich Saul 28 Michigan St
RG Dennis Harrah 23 Miami
RT John Williams 31 Minnesota
Defense
LDE Jack Youngblood 26 All Pro Florida
RDT Larry Brooks 26 Virginia St
LDT Merlin Olson 36 Utah St
RDE Fred Dryer 30 S Diego St
LLB Jim Youngblood 26 Tenn Tech
MLB Hacksaw Reynolds 29 Tennessee
RLB Isiah Robertson 27 All Pro Southern
LCB Rod Perry 23 Colorado
RCB Monte Jackson 23 All Pro S Diego St
SS Dave Elmendorf 27 A&M
FS Bill Simpson 25 Mich St
K Tom Dempsey 29 Palomar
P Rusty Jackson 26 LSU
KR/PR Cullen Bryant 25 Colorado
The Rams have sent 5 teams to round 2 - this '76 team looks for redemption as they lost the NFC Title to the Vikings. 3rd in both offense and defense. 29 year old James Harris gets the start, 10 scores and 6 picks. Lawrence McCutcheon's 26 and had nearly 1500 yards from scrimmage in 14 games. 3 defensive All Pros, 26 year old Jack Youngblood, 27 year old Isiah Robertson, and 23 year old Monte Jackson, who had 10 picks.
1st Qtr
Rams at the 44, Cullen Bryant with the nice return.
1/10 - Lawrence McCutcheon for a yard.
2/9 - John Cappelletti for 8.
3/1 - McCutcheon picks it up - 13 big yards, all the way to the Viking 34.
1/10 - 2 for Cappelletti.
2/8 - McCutcheon gets a yard.
1/10 - James Harris's first attempt - Cappelletti - 19 yard pickup and the Rams are all the way down to the 12.
1/10 - McCutcheon gets right to the goal line -- LA has a first and goal to go.
1/goal - Cappelletti plunges...Into The End Zone....TOUCHDOWN RAMS - LA takes the opening drive right down the field and sticks it into the end zone with the 1 yard run - 7 running plays, 1 pass attempt - two teams looking to run the football here in cold Minneapolis in round 1.
McClanahan with the good return for Minnesota, to the 40.
1/10 - Inside handoff to Oscar Reed, he goes for 18 yards.
1/10 - Chuck Foreman pounding through the line for 14, Rams already at the 28.
The drive stalls, Jack Youngblood sacks knocks Minnesota backward - and when Cox....misses....the FG, LA takes the ball at the 29.
1/10 - Rod Phillips carries for 9.
2/1 - Harris to throw - Harold Jackson, 12 yard pickup and LA is at midfield.
1/10 - Cappelletti stopped at the line.
2/10 - Harris to McCutcheon, nice move by McCutcheon, he's to the 41.
3/1 - McCutcheon breaks through for an 11 yard gain and LA is at the 30.
1/10 - 2 for Phillips.
2/8 - Harris finds Cappelletti, 14 yard pickup and LA is at the 14 yard line - Minnesota had the second best defense in '73 but Chuck Knox and Ken Meyer are just pounding away at them early on.
1/goal - Phillips is stacked up
2/goal - McCutcheon -- he is easily Into the End Zone ---- TOUCHDOWN RAMS - LA two possessions, 2 TD drives - tremendous quarter for LA.
Vikes at the 33, they get 7 yards and the qtr ends.
2nd Qtr: Rams 14 Vikings 0
LA dominating so far, Vikes have 2nd and 3 at the 40.
After an incomplete pass, Merlin Olsen forces a Chuck Foreman fumble, the Rams take over at the Viking 42, already up 2 scores.
1/10 - McCutcheon gets 2.
2/8 - Cappelletti busts all the way to the 21.
1/10 - McCutcheon 10 yard pickup - LA just running all over the Vikings today.
The drive ends there - chip shot FG and it's 17-0.
Vikes at the 37 - 3 and out. LA at their 37.
They get 1 first down, 11 yards from Harris to McCutcheon, the drive ends, the Vikes take over at their own 29, still down 17, halfway through the second.
1/10 - a dozen for Foreman
1/10 - 7 for Reed
2/3 - Just nothing going for Fran Tarkenton today, but he picks up the first here, hitting Foreman to the LA 46.
1/10 - Reed for 5
2/5 - Ed Marinaro gets his first carry, 2 yards.
3/3 - Tarkenton to Reed -- and Reed's got blocking -- Oscar Reed's gonna go 26 yards to the 13.
But -- the drive ends here, Merlin Olsen sacks Tarkenton -- and when Cox....Misses....the short FG it's still 17-0 at the 2 minute warning.
LA at the 20.
1/10 - Harris - Jackson, 13 yards.
1/10 - Harris - Jackson, 15 yards -- the Rams are romping. A holding call on the next play takes LA back 10.
1/20 - Harris to Bob Klein, 4 yards
2/16 - Incomplete
3/16 - Harris, under pressure - thro -- Picked Off by Paul Krause -- Krause's got some green -- Krause's got some green - Paul Krause Is Gonna Go All the way to the End Zone --- TOUCHDOWN VIKINGS -- Paul Krause with the Pick 6 -- that's the big play the Vikes have been looking for - Paul Krause takes a pick back to the house and it is 17-7 LA.
That'll be it - LA is unable to move the ball in the final moments and it is halftime.
3rd Qtr: Rams 17 Vikings 7
LA has had its way today, but Krause's pick 6 just before the half gives Minnesota a bit of hope.
Brent McClanahan big runback, out to the 49.
1/10 - Tarkenton hits Stu Voigt for 21 and right away the Vikes are at the 30.
1/10 - Foreman gets 6.
2/4 - Reed gets 7, Vikes at the 17, just 3 plays in.
1/10 - Reed stopped at the line
2/10 - Tarkenton gets sacked by Isiah Robertson, that's the 3rd LA sack.
3/14 - Tarkenton scrambling, keeps the play alive, John Gilliam 14 yard gain, Vikes first and goal at the 4.
1/goal - Reed...Reed is going to roll - Into The End Zone --- TOUCHDOWN VIKINGS - back to back scores for Minnesota and we have a football game, 17-14.
Rams at the 26.
1/10 - McCutcheon is stacked up.
2/10 - 2 for McCutcheon.
3/8 - Harris -- Ron Jessie -- it's his first reception of the day - 31 yard catch and run, the Vikes are at the 41.
But....that is all, Alan Page gets the first Minnesota sack - Vikes now get the ball back midway through the qtr at their own 18, the deficit now just 3 points.
The drive gets just one first down - Tarkenton 12 yards to Carroll Dale, the former Packer who we saw in the prior game - but the drive never reaches midfield - LA gets the ball back in good shape at their own 40.
3 and out - the Viking defense has stood tall since that first quarter LA hammer, Vikes now at the 22, 2 minutes left in the qtr.
3 and out - prior to the punt, the qtr ends.
4th Qtr: Rams 17 Vikings 14
Minnesota is in the game, they trail by 3 and are about to give the ball back to LA.
Another outstanding return, Cullen Bryant takes the ball to the Viking 47 yard line.
1/10 - Harris. Harris is gonna go deep -- Harris deep - there's the rookie -- Dwight Scales -- Harris hits him in Stride --- TOUCHDOWN RAMS -- a beautiful, beautfiful ball from Harris to Scales and the Rams go up 24-14 on the first play of the 4th qtr.
Vikes at the 33.
They get one first down, Tarkenton 11 yards to Foreman - but with a little more than 10 minutes left, LA will get the ball back at the 22.
One first down - 8 yard McCutcheon run - but that's all - Vikes, down 10, get the ball back at the 26.
Just can't move the ball at all. 3 and out. LA at the 28. 6 minutes left.
One first down - Harris 17 to Jackson.
Another punt - Vikes have the ball at the 19, trailing by 10 with 3 minutes to go. They need to go quick.
They get 2 first downs - 12 yard passes to Marinaro and Gilliam - but at the LA 40 they turn the ball over on downs allowing the Rams to run the rest of the clock.
Final: Rams 24 Vikings 14
The 10th seeds join the 12th and 13th in advancing in Region 12; LA gaining revenge for the '76 NFC Title loss.
Harris: 15 for 25, 214 yds, 1 TD/1 INT
Tarkenton: 14 for 21, 182 yds
McCutcheon: 18 carries, 79 yds
Reed: 9 carries, 41 yds 1 TD
Jackson: 4 catches, 57 yds
Gilliam: 4 catches, 63 yds
Player of the Game: Merlin Olsen
