The Conference Championships matchup pairs the Minnesota Vikings against the Washington Redskins on 1988-01-17 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The conference bracket's postseason slate includes this matchup as one of the calendar's most-anticipated games.
The starting quarterbacks, the lead-back rotations, and the receiver rooms project the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into.[1][2]
The Conference Championships game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins is the kind of postseason matchup where the conference's projected leaders carry their regular-season pacing into the bracket. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity both staffs have been pointing toward.
The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the home team's offensive line. The bracket continues for the winner.
Around the conference the Conference Championships bracket produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into across the postseason slate. The Minnesota Vikings versus Washington Redskins game is one of the calendar's most-anticipated postseason windows.
The opposite-conference bracket carries through to its own conference matchup. The Monday-night game closes the week with playoff implications that affect the conference seeding.
Across the regular season both the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins tracked the kind of pace that anchored their conference seeding into the Conference Championships. The starting quarterbacks' passing lines came through. The lead backs' rushing workloads were the staffs' projected calls. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotations' pass-rush production.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 10-5 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-6 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-7 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-6 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-7 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 8-7 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 6-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-4-1 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-7 | L6 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 5-10 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-2 | W6 |
| New Orleans Saints | 12-3 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-4 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-9-1 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-11 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-11 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-8 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-8 | W2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-8 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6-9 | W2 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | Kelvin Bryant 42 yard pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Leo Lewis 23 yard pass from Wade Wilson (Chuck Nelson kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | Ali Haji-Sheikh 28 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Chuck Nelson 18 yard field goal | 10-10 |
| Redskins | Gary Clark 7 yard pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 10-17 |
The Washington Redskins won the Conference Championships game on 1988-01-17 against the Minnesota Vikings 0-0. . . . For the other side Wade Wilson went 19 of 39 for 243 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Timmy Smith ran for 72 on 13 carries. The closing two-minute drill produced the kind of in-game adjustment the staff has been calling.[1][2]
The Washington Redskins took the Conference Championships game over the Minnesota Vikings on 1988-01-17. . . .
The afternoon's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script both staffs have been projecting since the regular season closed. The offensive line's pocket time on the dropbacks produced the kind of pass-protection the winning playbook called. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway that defined the closing two quarters. The Conference Championships's afternoon ends with the projected outcome.
The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the wire copy has been writing into. The closing-drive coverage was the kind of stop the winning unit has been generating.
Washington Redskins 0, Minnesota Vikings 0. The Conference Championships's box score reads: . . . On the other side: Wade Wilson went 19 of 39 for 243 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Timmy Smith ran for 72 on 13 carries.
The Washington Redskins's Conference Championships game against the Minnesota Vikings on 1988-01-17 ended with the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into. The conference bracket continues to shape across the calendar's projected postseason pacing.
How it unfolded
. . . The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace both playbooks have been working through across the bye-week preparation. On the defensive side Wade Wilson went 19 of 39 for 243 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions, and Timmy Smith ran for 72 on 13 carries.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The winning front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
. The lead-back rotation: . Receiver room: .
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort both staffs have been projecting. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in postseason play, anchors the bye-week preparation. The receiver room's distribution carried the offensive production.
What it means
The Conference Championships's outcome maps to the projected postseason pacing. The next-round bracket continues. The film room note is the in-game adjustment that decided the closing two quarters.
| Vikings | Redskins | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 16 | 11 |
| Total Yards | 259 | 280 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 19/39 | 9/26 |
| Pass yards | 243 | 119 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 8 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 60 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 183 | 119 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 21 | 34 |
| Rush yards | 76 | 161 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 2 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 10 | 18 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | |||||
| Wade Wilson | 19/39 | 243 | 1 | 1 | 66.5 |
| WAS | |||||
| Doug Williams | 9/26 | 119 | 2 | 0 | 75.6 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | ||||
| Wade Wilson | 4 | 28 | 0 | 11 |
| Alfred Anderson | 4 | 25 | 0 | 9 |
| Darrin Nelson | 8 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Allen Rice | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Rick Fenney | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| D.J. Dozier | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
| WAS | ||||
| Timmy Smith | 13 | 72 | 0 | 34 |
| George Rogers | 12 | 46 | 0 | 9 |
| Ricky Sanders | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Doug Williams | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Gary Clark | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Kelvin Bryant | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | ||||
| Anthony Carter | 7 | 85 | 0 | 23 |
| Steve Jordan | 3 | 56 | 0 | 36 |
| Leo Lewis | 4 | 54 | 1 | 23 |
| Darrin Nelson | 3 | 25 | 0 | 10 |
| Allen Rice | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Alfred Anderson | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| WAS | ||||
| Gary Clark | 3 | 57 | 1 | 43 |
| Kelvin Bryant | 4 | 47 | 1 | 42 |
| Anthony Allen | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Don Warren | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1987 Conference Championships - Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins - Game Thread
