The Minnesota Vikings‘ first loss of the season was music to one man’s ears. After the Detroit Lions beat Minnesota 19-15 on Sunday, Larry Csonka and the surviving members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins could once again celebrate — their perfect 17-0 record remains the NFL’s only undefeated season, safe for another year.
Larry Csonka (Credits: ESPN)
Vikings Fall to Lions 19-15: 1972 Dolphins’ Undefeated Record Safe
Minnesota entered Week 8 as the league’s last unbeaten team at 6-0, after the Chiefs and 49ers had already fallen. They ended the day 6-1 following a defensive slugfest at Ford Field. Detroit got the deciding score when Jared Goff found Jameson Williams from seven yards out with 4:35 to play, capping a 19-15 final.
The Vikings briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter when T.J. Hockenson caught a touchdown from Kyler Murray and Minnesota converted the two-pointer to go up 15-12. But the Lions answered, and Jahmyr Gibbs sealed the win with 153 rushing yards on 23 carries.
As analyst Albert Breer put it on social media: the Lions would outlast the Vikings, and the ’72 Dolphins are safe for another year.
Why Larry Csonka Toasts Every Year the Last Undefeated Team Falls
The Dolphins’ surviving stars — including Csonka, Bob Griese, Larry Little, and Paul Warfield — traditionally pop the champagne when the NFL’s last undefeated team loses. Csonka has said the celebration isn’t about being obnoxious; it’s about keeping the memory of that team and that generation of football alive.
“I think it’s less likely as time goes on,” Csonka has said of anyone matching the perfect season. “The number of games keeps increasing, too.” And for another year, he stands alone with his teammates — still the only team to run the table from Week 1 through the Super Bowl.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
