The Vikings have won three straight games despite failing to gain at least 250 yards in any of them. But there’s a silver lining in Minnesota’s dubious achievement.
In the Super Bowl era, two other teams have won three in a row in the regular season without gaining at least 250 yards. The first was the 1969 Vikings, who went to the Super Bowl. The second was the 1999 Rams, who nearly upended the Greatest Show on Earth for a berth in Super Bowl XXXIV.
The all-time record for consecutive wins without gaining 250 yards, including playoffs, is four. And that team went to the Super Bowl and won it.
The 2000 Ravens won the final two games of the regular season and their first two playoff games without gaining at least 250 yards. In a Week 16 win over the Cardinals, the Ravens gained 214 yards. In a Week 17 victory over the Jets by the score of 34-20, the Ravens were outgained 524 to 142.
In the wild-card round, the Ravens gained 240 yards in a 21-3 win over the Broncos. In the divisional round, the Ravens beat the Titans by the score of 24-10. In that game, the Titans gained 317 yards, and the Ravens gained only 134.
The point is obvious. When a defense is truly dominant, teams can win without much of a contribution on offense. And with coach Kevin O’Connell embracing the reality that winning is the only thing, the Vikings have focused on playing great defense, performing well on special teams, and minimizing the turnovers on offense.