The 1988 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 28th in the National Football League. They finished with an 11–5 record, and finished second to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Central division. The Vikings had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 1988. The team allowed 4,091 total yards, 4.3 yards per play, and 243 first downs, all best in the league. The Vikings also had a league-best 53 takeaways. Opposing quarterbacks had a league-worst 41.2 passer rating against the Vikings' defense, the lowest total of the 1980s and fifth all-time for the Super Bowl era. The Vikings made the postseason for the second consecutive time under coach Jerry Burns. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-17 in the wildcard round, but lost 34–9 in the divisional round to the San Francisco 49ers, who went on to win their third Super Bowl. This was the last time the Vikings won a playoff game until 1997.

Offseason

1988 draft

Notes:

Supplemental draft

Undrafted free agents

Staff

Roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 5: at Miami Dolphins

Week 11: at Dallas Cowboys

Standings

Playoffs

Schedule

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card: vs. (#5) Los Angeles Rams

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (#2) San Francisco 49ers

Statistics

Team leaders

• Vikings single season record

League rankings