I was 7 years old watching this in the family room at our house in Bloomington about 10 minutes from the old Met. Watched it with Mom, Dad, all my siblings, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and friends of the family all crammed into our family room around a 25" Zenith CRT console TV. The roof came off the room as this play unfolded and we all felt there was no way we could lose this game! Sadly, many of the people I watched this with are no longer with us. This is one of my fondest Vikings memories!
I remember that game like yesterday. This my friends was the Vikings last NFC Championship Game win. I was 12 at the time and thought this was going to go on forever. This is one of the last Vikings Shining moments of their utter Purple Power. December 1976. Bobby knew how to play the game. He will be in the Ring of Honor come this fall
I remember this play vividly and painfully. It just seemed like the Vikings, and especially guys like Bobby Bryant, had our number. Over the years I learned to admire and respect those Vikings teams though. As I commented elsewhere, the Vikings were among the very best on special teams, up there with the Rams at least when GA was coach. Some grumbling here about Chuck Knox, but I always felt it was something deeper. Partially an LA thing . . and you see it with many teams, sometimes they suffer adversity early on and just can't seem to develop that winning mentality.
I remember this play vividly -- strange things always happened to the Rams in the playoffs when Ground Chuck Knox coached them. The next year the Vikings, with Tarkenton out for the season, had to go to LA for the playoffs, and a freak monsoon turned the Coliseum into a mud pit. Anytime you visit the Mall of America, go to the big kids area in the middle of the mall. That's the footprint of Metropolitan Stadium, the greatest cold-weather football venue not called Lambeau Field. RIP, old Met.
You have a good memory because that’s exactly what happened when the Vikings went to LA. The Rams used to always complain about the weather how cold it was a Minnesota as an excuse after multiple losses. 77 we had to go to LA and they were going to make us pay and all that sunshine and a fast track, and then a monsoon. Man, I miss playing outdoors as a Viking fan. Still scratch my head on why they would give away a home-field advantage like cold weather. Skol Vikings.
@@skolcityblues2132I’ve been blessed and cursed with a photographic memory for just about every game I watched as a kid. That Bobby Bryant blocked FG return had me gaze in wonder at my TV over how snake-bitten those Rams teams were. They’d get down near the goal line in those playoff games at the Met, and it was like the Bermuda Triangle. I’ve never seen a conclusive replay of whether Ron Jessie scored on the play prior to that. As it was, LA made a bad decision to go for the FG there. That was the year the Vikes were blocking kicks all over the place.
I was 13 too! Blame my older sister for the Raider game. I will never forget. We went to Sunday Mass earlier that day. I told her as we were leaving church, I want to say a quick prayer. I went to the alter rail and asked God for the Vikings to win the Super Bowl. I returned to my sister and she asked me what I prayed for. After hearing this, she then went up to the alter rail and said a prayer. However her prayer was for the dreaded Raiders. Blame my sister Maria for this!!!!
Ahhhh, I remember this! I was 13, in Orange County, CA. Definitely a Purple fan and I was so happy to get to the Super Bowl. Come on Vikings, just ONE SUPERvBOWL WIN before i die. I am in good health, but I can't live forever!
I’m still bitter about this! It was the opening drive of the game. The Rams drove right down the field. The play before Ron Jessie scored a TD for the Rams, but the refs missed it…and no reply. It was a 10 pt turnaround.
Bobby Bryant and Paul Krause teamed up for 104 interceptions in the Vikings secondary. Lem Barney and Dick LeBeau of the Lions teamed up for 118. While Ken Riley and Lamar Parrish of the Bengals teamed up for 122.
Yes, as a Ram fan who got to see them regularly, I knew how good Bryant and Krause were. Back then I hated their guts TBH but have since realized how good they were.
As a Raiders fan in 76, when I saw the Vikes win this game I knew we were going to be champs. The Vikes were already old and we were desperate to win the big one. The Steelers in 76 had the best D ever and I was worried we might lose the AFC Championship to them the way we did at home in 1974. But we won 24-7. The Vikes were a piece of cake. I thought we would win 27-13 and I was not far off.
The ball bounced perfectly to Bryant. I only wish the same perfect bounce occured against the Raiders when Mcneil blocked Guy's punt in the Super Bowl. Look, even this diehard Vikes fan is wise enough to concede that Raider team was superior to the purple. Even so, never know how the rest of the game would have played out with the right bounce or to punch it from the 2 yard line. But knowing the Vikes history, it probably wouldn't have mattered sad to say
Bud's Vikings teams were masters at hanging around in games where the other team was clearly superior, then finding a way to steal them late. Great special teams play and winning the turnover battle were definitely key factors. In the fateful Hail Mary playoff game vs Dallas the Vikings were thoroughly outplayed, yet still led 14-10 late and very nearly stole that game as well.
Bobby Bryant -- a great pitcher for the USC Gamecocks, btw -- blocked a kick by Erroll Mann with his face to beat the Detroit Lions [who remember when Tom Dempsey made a field goal that was far from a "chip shot" for the New Orleans Saints].
If ever there was a play that spoke to the futility the Rams faced playing Minnesota in the playoffs, here it it. In the 1976 regular season game, LA gambled on fourth and one at the Viking goal, got stuffed. Lesson learned for Chuck Knox. Take the FG here. And you still get nothing. Only my Ottawa Rough Riders losing to the Alouettes in the CFL Eastern playoffs was more predictable. Or the Washington Capitals going down to the Islanders in the NHL playoffs.Or Jake Lamotta losing to Sugar Ray Robinson.
That play was at 0-0 in the 1st quarter….a 10 or 14 point swing. Ball looked like it was spotted at the half yard line. These days, coaches go for a TD most often in that situation.
Not really - there were still several playing in the mid 70s. Two in this game - Dempsey and Cox. Mann with the Raiders. Cockcroft with Browns. Bakkan on Cards. Moseley on Skins. Jim Turner with Denver. Wasn’t until the early 80’s when the straight on kicker became truly extinct.
I remember this in real time. I believe the Rams had a first and goal fom the one. On third and goal I believe they got a false start and that backed them up to about the 6. This is why they attempted the field goal on 4th down.
Why on earth were the Rams attempting an 18 yard field goal in a championship game? Ball had to be inside the 1. Either you blast it in or they have 99 yards to go to score?!
Knox addressed it after the game. Rams had been held on 4th down in the 10-10 tie earlier in the year and felt the key was to get ahead, which is someone what true. Vikings really had only one scoring drive that wasn’t aided by a TO. But Rams made too many TOs to win.
@@fivedollarsteve thanks - I’ve since read that somewhere else as well. Knox should have known better. 4th and less than a yard for a TD - not going to win many road playoffs games that way.
![CHILE vs. BRASIL [1-2] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5ObJt_71AYc/mqdefault.jpg)
And of course, no stupid ego dance at the end. Classic, tough football.
I was 10, watching from Akron, OH. My family was mostly full of Viking fans. We went nuts, as you can imagine. What a pivotal moment.
I was 7 years old watching this in the family room at our house in Bloomington about 10 minutes from the old Met. Watched it with Mom, Dad, all my siblings, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and friends of the family all crammed into our family room around a 25" Zenith CRT console TV. The roof came off the room as this play unfolded and we all felt there was no way we could lose this game! Sadly, many of the people I watched this with are no longer with us. This is one of my fondest Vikings memories!
I was 13, great memories!
My parents were at the game. We lived by 106th and Penn.
And knowing how the sound carried through Bloomington, you could probably hear roar of the crowd.
I remember that game like yesterday. This my friends was the Vikings last NFC Championship Game win. I was 12 at the time and thought this was going to go on forever. This is one of the last Vikings Shining moments of their utter Purple Power. December 1976. Bobby knew how to play the game. He will be in the Ring of Honor come this fall
My parents were at this game.
I remember watching that live in TV as a kid! Amazing!
Me too. Great era of the Vikings.
Those were the days.
I remember this play vividly and painfully. It just seemed like the Vikings, and especially guys like Bobby Bryant, had our number. Over the years I learned to admire and respect those Vikings teams though. As I commented elsewhere, the Vikings were among the very best on special teams, up there with the Rams at least when GA was coach. Some grumbling here about Chuck Knox, but I always felt it was something deeper. Partially an LA thing . . and you see it with many teams, sometimes they suffer adversity early on and just can't seem to develop that winning mentality.
I remember this play vividly -- strange things always happened to the Rams in the playoffs when Ground Chuck Knox coached them. The next year the Vikings, with Tarkenton out for the season, had to go to LA for the playoffs, and a freak monsoon turned the Coliseum into a mud pit. Anytime you visit the Mall of America, go to the big kids area in the middle of the mall. That's the footprint of Metropolitan Stadium, the greatest cold-weather football venue not called Lambeau Field. RIP, old Met.
As a Rams fan, I think if I visited the Mall of America I might slip and break my leg. 😄
@@fivedollarsteve 🤣
The old Met was the original "Frozen Tundra" coined by NFL Films. After it was replaced by the Metrodome, Green Bay totally stole the nickname.
You have a good memory because that’s exactly what happened when the Vikings went to LA. The Rams used to always complain about the weather how cold it was a Minnesota as an excuse after multiple losses. 77 we had to go to LA and they were going to make us pay and all that sunshine and a fast track, and then a monsoon. Man, I miss playing outdoors as a Viking fan. Still scratch my head on why they would give away a home-field advantage like cold weather. Skol Vikings.
@@skolcityblues2132I’ve been blessed and cursed with a photographic memory for just about every game I watched as a kid. That Bobby Bryant blocked FG return had me gaze in wonder at my TV over how snake-bitten those Rams teams were. They’d get down near the goal line in those playoff games at the Met, and it was like the Bermuda Triangle. I’ve never seen a conclusive replay of whether Ron Jessie scored on the play prior to that. As it was, LA made a bad decision to go for the FG there. That was the year the Vikes were blocking kicks all over the place.
One of my very best Vikings memories I was 13 and thought the Vikings could never lose ,,,, then The Radahs two weeks later grrrr !
I was the same age with the same mindset!
I was 12. This was the best play of the game.
I was 13 too! Blame my older sister for the Raider game. I will never forget. We went to Sunday Mass earlier that day. I told her as we were leaving church, I want to say a quick prayer. I went to the alter rail and asked God for the Vikings to win the Super Bowl. I returned to my sister and she asked me what I prayed for. After hearing this, she then went up to the alter rail and said a prayer. However her prayer was for the dreaded Raiders. Blame my sister Maria for this!!!!
Childhood memories, back when the Vikings were significant. The Rams for whatever reason we’re cursed playing Minny back in the day..
WE MUST RETURN TO THE COLD. 0 Super Bowls since they went indoors.
The old Metropolitain Stadium, twins and Vikings memories
Ahhhh, I remember this! I was 13, in Orange County, CA. Definitely a Purple fan and I was so happy to get to the Super Bowl. Come on Vikings, just ONE SUPERvBOWL WIN before i die. I am in good health, but I can't live forever!
My brother and I were at that game. It’s one of my favorite memories as a Vikings fan.
On the basis of proper grammar, I ll give you a thumbs up. Others would have said,,," my and my brother"
I think I was about 6 or 7 when I first saw a game on TV. The Vikings have been MY team ever since. I'm still waiting for the first SB title.
remember watching the game live, vikings goal line defense stopped the rams on 3 plays on the 1 yard line, those were great times to be a viking fan
Vikings/Rams was a big rivalry back then. I still wanted the Rams to win in their only Super Bowl back then.
I’m still bitter about this! It was the opening drive of the game. The Rams drove right down the field. The play before Ron Jessie scored a TD for the Rams, but the refs missed it…and no reply. It was a 10 pt turnaround.
Bobby Bryant scored in the 73 NFC Championship against Dallas on an interception TD, Then scored in the 76 NFC Championship on that return.
Bobby Bryant and Paul Krause teamed up for 104 interceptions in the Vikings secondary. Lem Barney and Dick LeBeau of the Lions teamed up for 118. While Ken Riley and Lamar Parrish of the Bengals teamed up for 122.
Lemar only had 25 interceptions as a Bengal
Yes, as a Ram fan who got to see them regularly, I knew how good Bryant and Krause were. Back then I hated their guts TBH but have since realized how good they were.
Heartbreaking! Rams also lost in '74 championship game on an interception.
As an 11 year old Viking fan this was epic , I’ll never forget it and it stands out as the play of my childhood, what great times
Nice block Nate Allen!!! My Vikes played at the Met--not in that Gay Bar they play in now.
As a Raiders fan in 76, when I saw the Vikes win this game I knew we were going to be champs. The Vikes were already old and we were desperate to win the big one. The Steelers in 76 had the best D ever and I was worried we might lose the AFC Championship to them the way we did at home in 1974. But we won 24-7. The Vikes were a piece of cake. I thought we would win 27-13 and I was not far off.
No way the Purple People Eaters were going to stop Upshaw, Shell, Dalby and company
I knew the Raiders would win it as soon as we got past the Steelers. The AFC dominated the NFC that decade.
Would love to see The CBS call of this game
Great clip!
I didn't think he was ever going to get to the endzone.
Bryant had great speed nobody was going to catch him.
It was a long way away . .
The ball bounced perfectly to Bryant. I only wish the same perfect bounce occured against the Raiders when Mcneil blocked Guy's punt in the Super Bowl. Look, even this diehard Vikes fan is wise enough to concede that Raider team was superior to the purple. Even so, never know how the rest of the game would have played out with the right bounce or to punch it from the 2 yard line. But knowing the Vikes history, it probably wouldn't have mattered sad to say
Bud's Vikings teams were masters at hanging around in games where the other team was clearly superior, then finding a way to steal them late. Great special teams play and winning the turnover battle were definitely key factors.
In the fateful Hail Mary playoff game vs Dallas the Vikings were thoroughly outplayed, yet still led 14-10 late and very nearly stole that game as well.
Imagine if Minnesota had drafted Gene Upshaw instead of Gene Washington and -- why not? -- Ken Stabler. 😊
Paul Allen would have said....AND BRYANT IS GOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!
Look at my RAMS in their striking, classic colors and uniforms. What a travesty the crap they wear today...smh.
Bobby Bryant -- a great pitcher for the USC Gamecocks, btw -- blocked a kick by Erroll Mann with his face to beat the Detroit Lions [who remember when Tom Dempsey made a field goal that was far from a "chip shot" for the New Orleans Saints].
Man, it looked nice outside for a december game in minnesota
Back when the Vikings were the Ironmen from the North.
Joe McConnell PBP. Truly a great and under appreciated announcer. As evidenced here by the lack of awareness.
If ever there was a play that spoke to the futility the Rams faced playing Minnesota in the playoffs, here it it. In the 1976 regular season game, LA gambled on fourth and one at the Viking goal, got stuffed. Lesson learned for Chuck Knox. Take the FG here. And you still get nothing. Only my Ottawa Rough Riders losing to the Alouettes in the CFL Eastern playoffs was more predictable. Or the Washington Capitals going down to the Islanders in the NHL playoffs.Or Jake Lamotta losing to Sugar Ray Robinson.
Yeah, didn't figure that Rams' kicker was going to chase him down. lol
What do you mean, he looked athletic?
Was that Andy Reid kicking the field goal??
Tom Dempsey
When NFL football was still worth watching. Seems like forever ago.
That play was at 0-0 in the 1st quarter….a 10 or 14 point swing. Ball looked like it was spotted at the half yard line. These days, coaches go for a TD most often in that situation.
When the men had class and were cool .
One can make a case that this is the biggest play in Viking history
I remember the play
In the modern NFL that would have been called back for a penalty because Viking players came off the bench onto the field.
Yeah, well. Made no difference in the actual play, Just a formality type of call.
SOME WE EARLY SEE THESE KIND PLAYS ANY MORE.
Straight on kickers were certainly a rarity by 1976
Not really - there were still several playing in the mid 70s. Two in this game - Dempsey and Cox. Mann with the Raiders. Cockcroft with Browns. Bakkan on Cards. Moseley on Skins. Jim Turner with Denver. Wasn’t until the early 80’s when the straight on kicker became truly extinct.
@@dlong2870 I remember Ray Wersching of the 49ers kicking straight on up until he retired in 1987..... and Moseley was around until 1987 I think.
@@jim72068 Wershing was a soccer style kicker but yes Moseley was a straight on.
ruclips.net/video/CkLSvHQdPGs/видео.htmlsi=cv2IjMuTWtEV8Tme
1:05:27
I remember this in real time. I believe the Rams had a first and goal fom the one. On third and goal I believe they got a false start and that backed them up to about the 6. This is why they attempted the field goal on 4th down.
This one play was the difference in the outcome of the game.
Looked like most of the Vikings players were giving zero effort. Bryant just kind of faked like he was trying till he saw the ball.
I was there
Why on earth were the Rams attempting an 18 yard field goal in a championship game? Ball had to be inside the 1. Either you blast it in or they have 99 yards to go to score?!
Knox addressed it after the game. Rams had been held on 4th down in the 10-10 tie earlier in the year and felt the key was to get ahead, which is someone what true. Vikings really had only one scoring drive that wasn’t aided by a TO. But Rams made too many TOs to win.
@@fivedollarsteve thanks - I’ve since read that somewhere else as well. Knox should have known better. 4th and less than a yard for a TD - not going to win many road playoffs games that way.
@@dlong2870One of the greatest front fours in NFL history might have factored into that decision.
@@ugotmossed84 no doubt but either you pound it in or it’s first and the length of the field for the Vikes. Foolish move and it cost them dearly.
Watched this game on TV. Vikings have been going downhill since.
I remember, I believe it was Sammy White who blocked the kick.
Rams could never beat the Vikings. I believe they tied in the regular season.
And of course the Vikings once again got their asses kicked in the Super Bowl. Again.
The least prepared NFC team in Super Bowl history.
I think it is the water!! 😅
The Vikings haven't won an NFC title since this game.
FACT :(
I painfully recall this game… and this play specifically. 🤬