There only had been one significant December snow in the Twin Cities in 1977 and that was a 4-incher. So, the Vikings could have rolled back the tarp the usual 25-30 yards at the right-field end of Met Stadium’s football surface and conducted practices for the upcoming contest.
Quite a sight it was at times, Bud Grant’s NFC powerhouse teams going through their play sheet on one-third of the field once winter had arrived on the Bloomington prairie. This time, though, Bud’s Vikes had a playoff appointment in Los Angeles and it was arranged to have a few days of practices in Tucson, Ariz.
Three times since Grant started taking the Vikings to the playoffs in 1968, our Purple People Eaters had been matched with the Rams’ Fearsome Foursome, with all those postseason games played right around Christmas here in Minnesota.
The Vikings won ‘em all: 23-20 in their first-ever home playoff game in 1969; 14-10 in the NFC title game in 1974; and 24-13 in the NFC title game in 1976.
The Rams hosted the Vikings in a Monday night game on Oct. 24, 1977. Final: Rams 35, Vikings 3. The quarterback ratings for the night: Rams: Pat Haden, 104.5; Vikings: Fran Tarkenton, 19.4.
Yet, providing Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Meredith with unlimited opportunity to poke fun at Bud and the Vikings on the Monday night telecast was not the revenge the Rams sought. They wanted to thump the Vikes in the playoffs, and now they would be getting that chance on Dec. 26.
Back in 1977, there were two AFC playoff games on Saturday (24th), and the Vikings-Rams and Bears-Cowboys in the NFC on Monday, with Christmas Day protected from the uncouthness of the gridiron.
Three weeks after the Rams fiasco, the Vikings had been playing Cincinnati at Met Stadium. Tarkenton completed 17 of 18 passes for an NFL single-game accuracy record, then was tackled by lineman Gary Burley and suffered a broken right fibula. Rookie Tommy Kramer finished up the 42-10 Vikings’ blowout.