year and after easily beating the New Orleans Saints in the divisional game 34–16, the Vikings were humiliated 41–0 by the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game In addition, Robert Smith retired at the end of the year, after playing only eight NFL seasons. 2001: Tragedy and hope Tragedy struck the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2001, when offensive tackle Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp in Mankato, Minnesota. Even though Minnesota is known as a cold-weather state, in July and August it is known to be brutally hot. The 2001 season started off with a 24–13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. This was the only win of the season for Carolina, who ended up 1–15. Over the next 16 weeks, wins for Minnesota were few and far between. Some season highlights included a 35–13 win over the rival Green Bay Packers in Week 6, and a Week 10 victory over the New York Giants in which Randy Moss pulled in 10 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns leading to a 28–16 victory. But despite having a 12th-ranked offense, their defense was in the bottom five, and the Vikings finished 5–11. After the disappointing season, the Vikings bought out the contract of Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force in the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, losing to the Baltimore Ravens. 2002–2005: Mike Tice era On January 10, 2002, Mike Tice, a former Vikings tight end, was named the sixth head coach in team history. Tice was the third of the six Vikings head coaches to be promoted from within the team's coaching ranks but was the first to have actually played for the Vikings. In Tice's first season, the Vikings had a dismal 6–10 record, which he turned around in 2003 with a fast 6–0 start. However, the Vikings struggled in their next nine games going 3–6, and needed a win heading into the Week 17 game against the 3–12 Arizona Cardinals to secure a playoff spot. On the last play of the game and facing a 4th down and 25, wide receiver Nathan Poole caught a 28-yard touchdown pass that gave the Cardinals an 18–17 win. The shocking defeat, coupled with a Green Bay win over Denver, led to the Packers winning the NFC North division