Vikings Aim to Extend Teams' Recent Success at U.S. Bank Stadium

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — We’re just about five months away from the first regular season game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The state-of-the-art venue will become the Vikings third permanent home and fourth overall. Minnesota posted a 97-59-4 mark (.606 winning percentage) in 160 regular season games at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings then moved inside for 32 seasons and went 168-92-0 (.646) in 260 regular season games at the Metrodome.Head Coach Mike Zimmer shepherded the Vikings to an 11-5 record in the past two regular seasons of home games at the University of Minnesota. The .689 win percentage was the highest of any team playing in a temporary venue, and the Vikings became the first nomads in the NFL to host a playoff game. Zimmer has said he’s excited about the new stadium and wants fans to make it a true home-field advantage for his team. “I just want it to be loud in there,” said Zimmer, who is entering his third year at the helm of the Vikings. With the franchise soon moving into new digs, we tracked the inaugural season for all 32 NFL teams in their current or most recent stadium, starting from Green Bay’s move to Lambeau Field in 1957 all the way to when San Francisco opened up Levi’s Stadium two years ago. Four of the past five teams to open new stadiums have posted double-digit win totals in their debut seasons. Since the records go back a bit, not every team played a 16-game season at the time. There were other factors such as the strike-shortened 1982 season in which the Vikings opened up the Metrodome and went 5-4 overall and 4-1 at home. The team was 3-11 overall and 3-4 in its inaugural season at Metropolitan Stadium.Here’s what we found across the league: Teams went a combined 235-241-3 in the first year of their new stadium, good for an overall .494 win percentage. But they were even better playing in their new homes, going 135-107-3 for a win percentage of .557. Half of the 32 teams recorded winning seasons, and eight made the playoffs, although none won a Super Bowl. A quartet of teams — Carolina (1996), Pittsburgh (2001), Philadelphia (2003) and Dallas (2009) — each won their respective divisions. Tennessee opened its new stadium in 1999 and didn’t win the AFC Central despite finishing 13-3 and going a perfect 8-0 at home. But the Titans made a run to Super Bowl XXXIV before falling just short against the St. Louis Rams. While the official schedule hasn’t been released yet, Minnesota will host its NFC North rivals (Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay), along with Arizona, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis and the New York Giants. How will the 2016 Vikings fare in U.S. Bank Stadium? We’ll have to wait and see. The chronological chart below shows how teams fared overall and at home in their first season in their current or most recent stadiums: Team | Stadium | Year | Overall Record | Home Record Packers | Lambeau Field | 1957 | 3-9 (.250) | 1-5 (.167) Raiders | O.co Coliseum | 1966 | 8-5-1 (.607) | 3-3-1 (.500) Chargers | Qualcomm Stadium | 1967 | 8-5-1 (.607) | 5-2-1 (.689) Bears | Soldier Field | 1971 | 6-8 (.429) | 4-3 (.571) Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | 1972 | 8-6 (.571) | 3-4 (.429) Bills | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 1973 | 9-5 (.643) | 5-2 (.714) Saints | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | 1975 | 2-12 (.143) | 2-5 (.429) Vikings | Metrodome | 1982 | 5-4 (.555) | 4-1 (.800) Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | 1987 | 8-7 (.533) | 4-3 (.571) Falcons | Georgia Dome | 1992 | 6-10 (.375) | 5-3 (.625) Jaguars | EverBank Field | 1995 | 4-12 (.250) | 2-6 (.250) Rams | Edward Jones Dome | 1995 | 7-9 (.434) | 3-5 (.375) Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | 1996 | 12-4 (.750) | 8-0 (1.000) Redskins | FedEx Field | 1997 | 8-7-1 (.531) | 5-2-1 (.689) Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | 1998 | 6-10 (.375) | 4-4 (.500) Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | 1998 | 8-8 (.500) | 6-2 (.750) Browns | FirstEnergy Stadium | 1999 | 2-14 (.125) | 0-8 (.000) Titans | Nissan Stadium | 1999 | 13-3 (.813) | 8-0 (1.000) Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | 2000 | 4-12 (.250) | 3-5 (.375) Broncos | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | 2001 | 8-8 (.500) | 6-2 (.750) Steelers | Heinz Field | 2001 | 13-3 (.813) | 7-1 (.875) Lions | Ford Field | 2002 | 3-13 (.188) | 3-5 (.375) Texans | NRG Stadium | 2002 | 4-12 (.250) | 2-6 (.250) Patriots | Gillette Stadium | 2002 | 9-7 (.563) | 5-3 (.625) Seahawks | CenturyLink Field | 2002 | 7-9 (.434) | 3-5 (.375) Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | 2003 | 12-4 (.750) | 5-3 (.625) Cardinals | Univ. of Phoenix Stadium | 2006 | 5-11 (.313) | 3-5 (.375) Colts | Lucas Oil Stadium | 2008 | 12-4 (.750) | 6-2 (.750) Cowboys | AT&T Stadium | 2009 | 11-5 (.689) | 6-2 (.750) Giants | MetLife Stadium | 2010 | 10-6 (.625) | 5-3 (.625) Jets | MetLife Stadium | 2010 | 11-5 (.689) | 5-3 (.625) 49ers | Levi’s Stadium | 2014 | 8-8 (.500) | 4-4 (.500)

News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Vikings Aim to Extend Teams' Recent Success at U.S. Bank Stadium

Hanzus Explains Where Vikings Fit In Power Rankings Following First Wave of Free Agency

Where Do The Vikings Stand After The First Wave of Free Agency As The Draft Approaches?

Trevor Sikkema on Vikings' Approach To Free Agency So Far, Team's First Round Options In The Draft and More

Oliver: This Is A Great Opportunity and A Great Time To Be A Viking

Film Room: How Byron Murphy's Versatility and Smarts Will Make Him An Impact Player For The Vikings

Oliver Explains Why He Signed With The Vikings, Excelling at Being A Blocking Tight End and More

Murphy on Becoming A Viking: It Already Feels Like Home

The Voyage | Episode 04 | Season 4