Minnesota Vikings · Franchise era 5 of 7
The Peterson years: the Minnesota Vikings story
Franchise era
2001—2013
The Peterson years
Minnesota Vikings
The story in one sentence
Peterson returned from major knee surgery to rush for 2,097 yards, while Brett Favre's 2009 season produced another painful NFC title-game finish.
A singular runner carries changing teams
Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen and Kevin Williams gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for zimmer's defense.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2001
What came before
Moss transformed the league as a rookie and the 15–1 Vikings set a scoring record before falling in overtime one game short of the Super Bowl.
2005-01-09
Wild Card: Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers
2010-01-17
Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys vs Minnesota Vikings
2010-01-24
Conference Championship: Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
After 2013
What came next
Mike Zimmer built an elite defense, and Stefon Diggs's last-second touchdown sent the 2017 Vikings to the NFC Championship Game.
The core