Good old fashioned smashmouth football is what you get here in the mid 1970's. The Vikes were known as the Purple People Eaters and the Cards were the first flight of Air Coryell. Minnesota started off the scoring with a neat opening drive to go up 7-0. A perfect blend of running and passing kept the Cardinal D off guard. Chuck Foreman banged it in from the 1 for the score. After a 12 play, 78
yard drive the cards settled for a Jim Bakken FG. Bakken would attempt another FG on their next drive only to see the points
come off the board thanks to a false start. West had to come on to kick. The Vikes go a 21 yarder from Cox to go up 10-3 at the half. Neither team did much in the 3rd. The only score was a safety when Ken Reaves sacked Fran Tarkenton in the end zone. That made the score 10-5 as the hometown fans began wondering if they were in the 8th inning of a Twins game and not the 4th quarter of a Vikings contest. The 4th
quarter started with a quick 5 play Air Coryell lighting strike drive that culminated in a Mel Gray from Jim Hart TD from 12 yards out. For the first time all day the hometown Vikes were down 12-10. Both teams slugged it out and relied on their
defenses. The Cards gave the Vikes good field possession late in the game. Tarkenton led the Purple bunch on a quick drive that culminated in a Fred Cox 49 yard FG with :39 seconds left to go in the contest. All Minnesota needed to do was kickoff and keep the ball away from
Terry Metcalf. Unfortunately for
them Metcalf got it and almost ran to daylight. 53 yards later the Cardinals had :27 ticks of the clock from the Viking 35. Hart quickly hit Metcalf for 4 yards, then Thomas for 11 and finally Gray for another 11 to put the ball on the Viking 9 yard line with :05 left to go. Bakken strolled on for the game winner, but the Cardinals had 12 men on the field and had to back up 5 yards. Bakken, who is an experienced vet wasn't phased as he kicked a 31 yarder straight through the uprights to give the Cardinals an
opening day 15-13 road win.
Good old fashioned smashmouth football is what you get here in the mid 1970's. The Vikes were known as the Purple People Eaters and the Cards were the first flight of Air Coryell. Minnesota started off the scoring with a neat opening drive to go up 7-0. A perfect blend of running and passing kept the Cardinal D off guard. Chuck Foreman banged it in from the 1 for the score. After a 12 play, 78 yard drive the cards settled for a Jim Bakken FG. Bakken would attempt another FG on their next drive only to see the points 
come off the board thanks to a false start. West had to come on to kick. The Vikes go a 21 yarder from Cox to go up 10-3 at the half. Neither team did much in the 3rd. The only score was a safety when Ken Reaves sacked Fran Tarkenton in the end zone. That made the score 10-5 as the hometown fans began wondering if they were in the 8th inning of a Twins game and not the 4th quarter of a Vikings contest. The 4th 
quarter started with a quick 5 play Air Coryell lighting strike drive that culminated in a Mel Gray from Jim Hart TD from 12 yards out. For the first time all day the hometown Vikes were down 12-10. Both teams slugged it out and relied on their defenses. The Cards gave the Vikes good field possession late in the game. Tarkenton led the Purple bunch on a quick drive that culminated in a Fred Cox 49 yard FG with :39 seconds left to go in the contest. All Minnesota needed to do was kickoff and keep the ball away from Terry Metcalf. Unfortunately for 
them Metcalf got it and almost ran to daylight. 53 yards later the Cardinals had :27 ticks of the clock from the Viking 35. Hart quickly hit Metcalf for 4 yards, then Thomas for 11 and finally Gray for another 11 to put the ball on the Viking 9 yard line with :05 left to go. Bakken strolled on for the game winner, but the Cardinals had 12 men on the field and had to back up 5 yards. Bakken, who is an experienced vet wasn't phased as he kicked a 31 yarder straight through the uprights to give the Cardinals an opening day 15-13 road win.
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