PurplePTSD: The Minnesota Vikings And A Bowl To Forget

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

Cole Smith

2022-02-12

Last Sunday, most fans skipped the NFL Pro Bowl. Those that suffered through the nearly-three hour scrimmage complained and threw sharp criticism towards the game. Fans could count on one hand the amount of times a player went to the ground. On one hand, it’s hard to believe the players don’t have more pride. But with millions of dollars on the line, it’s also easy to understand why players wouldn’t want to risk getting injured in an exhibition game.

But what if I told you that there was an abomination that used to take place that was even worse than what we see from the Pro Bowl? A game that pitted the third- and fourth-best teams in the league against each other to crown a third-place team? You’d balk at the idea, but this was an event that took place for a decade. And of course, what’s more fitting than the Minnesota Vikings being involved in one of them, battling for bronze?

This game had a name. Legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi called the game many things, including the “S–t Bowl”. Officially, the game was called the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl. To fans and players, it was known as the Playoff Bowl.

The Vikings made their one and only appearance in the not-so-big-game in 1968 following a 24-14 loss to the Baltimore Colts in the Divisional Playoffs. Even though the Colts would face the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship before heading to Super Bowl III, this was before the AFL-NFL merger. The Playoff Bowl only included the NFL, so the two losers of the Divisional Round squared off.

Minnesota would face the Dallas Cowboys, who had lost the NFL Championship Game to the Packers the previous two years. The Vikings, meanwhile, had just made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history prior to their loss to the Colts. The two teams faced off in front of a sleepy crowd of 22,961 one week before the Super Bowl.

With Dallas playing in a game that seemed far beneath them, it wasn’t surprising that the Vikings jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Vikings’ cornerback Bobby Bryant started the scoring when he weaved through several defenders on his way to an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. Kicker Fred Cox hit two field goals. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s offense only managed to pick up two first downs in the opening quarter.

On defense, the early version of the Purple People Eaters wasn’t doing much to stop the Cowboys’ offense. Dallas outgained Minnesota 257 to 95 in the first half. This was aided by defensive breakdowns by Minnesota. Facing 3rd-and-20 at the Vikings’ 49-yard line, Cowboys’ quarterback Don Meredith fired a pass down the middle of the field to Bob Hayes. No one was around Hayes, and he walked into the endzone from the 5-yard line. Following a field goal, Dallas cut the Vikings’ lead to 13-10 heading into halftime.

Dallas did a weird thing back then, alternating quarterbacks during games on purpose. This continued even when they had Roger Staubach. So to begin the second half, Craig Morton replaced Meredith. The score held at 13-10 for most of the quarter. Following a Carl Eller sack, Dallas faced 3rd-and-17 at the Vikings’ 20-yard line. Undeterred, Morton found halfback Craig Baynham at the 6-yard line. Baynham broke three Vikings tackles, running into the endzone to give the Cowboys a 17-13 lead.

Minnesota benched Joe Kapp in the fourth quarter for Gary Cuozzo. Minnesota’s offense started moving the ball on the muddy field. But the rain helped end a 67-yard drive that got inside the Cowboys’ 5-yard line when a pitch went through halfback Jim Lindsey’s hands.

Late in the quarter, the Vikings moved down the field again. Their drive stalled at the 32-yard line, and with 4:11 left in the game, head coach Bud Grant opted for a field goal. Cox missed the 39-yard attempt (Grant said after the game he’d do it again). Minnesota would get the ball back, but one last desperation drive ended at the Cowboys’ 35-yard line before time ran out. Dallas was victorious, winning 17-13. Don Meredith won offensive MVP honors, and Eller won defensive MVP honors despite losing.

But with little on the line except for pride (winners received $1,200 each, losers received $500), both teams fought tooth-and-nail until the end. Players tackled to the ground, injured players were dragged off the field, and each player battled on the same muddy surface for a glorified participation trophy.

The Playoff Bowl lasted only one more season. Played a week before the Vikings lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV, the LA Rams stomped the Cowboys 31-0 in the final matchup. With the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the league finally realized that a “losers’ game” wasn’t going to bring new fans in.

Perhaps the craziest part of this game is that it isn’t in any of the league’s official record books. It was purely an exhibition game. But it symbolized a different time when motivations were different for players and America’s favorite sport was still finding its footing. For that, the Playoff Bowl, and the Vikings’ inclusion in it, should be recognized.

*Research was aided via the January 6, 1969 edition of the Minneapolis Tribune

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.