Bryan DeArdo over at CBS Sports recently ranked the top five rivalries of the 1980s.
Why? Because there’s not exactly a whole lot of sports content out there right now, that’s why.
The Vikings appeared on the list at No. 5 with their rivalry with the 49ers.
The Vikings were 3-5 against the 49ers during the decade and 1-2 against the 49ers in the postseason. Both teams had three-game winning streaks during this stretch.
Here’s a bit of what DeArdo wrote about the rivalry:
After having their way with most of the NFC during the first half of the ’80s, the 49ers were beginning to come back to the field by 1985. That season, the Vikings won for the first time that decade against the 49ers after dropping games against San Francisco in 1983 and ’84. Two years later, Minnesota, led by Anthony Carter’s 227 receiving yards, shocked the heavily favorited 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. The loss nearly led to the retirement of 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, who called the defeat the most difficult one of his career. During the game, the 49ers benched Joe Montana in favor of Steve Young, which led to a highly publicized quarterback controversy that continued well into the 1988 season.
The Vikings are 22-19-1 all-time in the regular season against the 49ers, but just 1-5 in the playoffs. One of those five losses came last season in the NFC divisional round where the 49ers won 27-10.