the last time the vikings were in the nfc championship was 1976.
when is the last time the vikings were in the nfc championship?
1976
the 2009 season was the minnesota vikings' 49th in the national football league and their fourth under head coach brad childress. the vikings improved upon their 10–6 record and defended their nfc north title from 2008, their first successful defense of a divisional title since they won six nfc central titles in a row between 1973 and 1978. they beat the dallas cowboys in the nfc divisional playoff at the hubert h. humphrey metrodome in minneapolis, but lost the nfc championship game in overtime to the eventual super bowl champion new orleans saints, missing out on what would have been their first super bowl since super bowl xi in 1976. this year's nfc championship game is also dubbed by many as the "bountygate game" that also resulted in several players and coaching staff (including head coach sean payton) to get suspended for a year by the league 3 years later. the vikings had ten pro bowlers and four all-pros on their roster, both league-highs for the season.
2009 minnesota vikings season
the game was the third ever conference championship game to be decided in overtime since the afl/nfl merger, joining the 1986 afc championship game and the 1998 nfc championship game. tynes joined rich karlis and morten andersen as the only players to score the decisive points in an overtime conference championship game (coincidentally, all three players were members of the respective visiting teams in those years). since, four more nfc championship games have gone to overtime, with the 2009 nfc championship game and the 2011 nfc championship game won by the saints and giants (tynes would again kick the game-winning field goal in the 2011 game). tynes also set a record for longest field goal by an opposing player in lambeau field playoff history with his game-winning kick. the first nfc championship game ending in overtime on a touchdown was the 2014 nfc championship game, won by the seattle seahawks. the 2018 nfc championship game also went into overtime, which was won by the los angeles rams on a game-winning field goal.
2007–08 nfl playoffs