The 1978 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 18th in the National Football League (NFL). The Vikings finished with an 8–7–1 record, and finished in first place in the NFC Central division, despite having a regular season point differential of minus 12. The team appeared in the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years. In the divisional round, the Vikings lost 34–10 to the Los Angeles Rams. Following the season, longtime quarterback Fran Tarkenton retired.
^The Vikings traded a fifth-round selection (132nd overall) to the New York Giants in exchange for TE Bob Tucker.
^The Vikings traded a sixth-round selection (159th overall) to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for DB Windlan Hall and CB Nate Allen.
^The Vikings traded a seventh-round selection (186th overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for S Bill Bradley.
^The Vikings traded S Autry Beamon and LB Amos Martin to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for an eighth-round selection (204th overall).
^The Vikings traded their eighth-round selection (213th overall) and a 1979 10th-round selection (263rd overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for S Phil Wise.
The Vikings won a game they had to win in their bid to win a 10th NFC Central division title in 11 seasons, as Fran Tarkenton completed 26 of 43 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Ahmad Rashad. "That's pretty amazing for a guy who can't throw a football anymore, isn't it?" said the 38-year-old Tarkenton, who raised his 18-year yardage total to 45,143, the first man to surpass 45,000 yards. Tarkenton's third scoring strike to running back Chuck Foreman just before the half went for 16 yards. Terdell Middleton, who entered the game as the NFC's third leading rusher, scored Green Bay's only touchdown on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter, giving Green Bay a 7–7 tie. He finished the game with 81 yards on 15 carries.
