From Kansas City to Minnesota, we go … like it’s 1969 or something, and Super Bowl IV is around the corner. This NFL Thursday miniseries continues today with an examination of the Vikings franchise: in 62 seasons since joining the NFL as an expansion team, the organization has made 31 postseason appearances while winning 21 division titles—and losing four Super Bowls without ever having won one. That stings!

The franchise has been the most successful one (.548 winning percentage) without a Super Bowl title, which is an interesting burden to carry forward every year with expectation. The playoff record (21-31) is not stellar, but this is a team that has been there more than most other NFL outfits. Losing the SB in 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1976 was a rough stretch, but any team would be fortunate to get there as much as that, for sure.

No. 5: 1976 Minnesota Vikings

With an 11-2-1 record, the Vikings won the NFC Central Division—that ol’ NFL Norris, as it were. Minnesota was No. 9 on offense, No. 2 on defense, and No. 5 overall in the SRS rankings. The Vikings dominated the Washington Redskins to open the playoffs, before escaping the Los Angeles Rams, 24-13, to win the NFC crown. Then, Minnesota just ran out of … everything … against the Oakland Raiders in SB XI.

We named running back Chuck Foreman (17 Approximate Value) our NFL MVP for this season, and he was supported ably by tackle Ron Yary (15) and seven other players who each reached double-digit AV. After jumping ahead of Washington, 35-6, the Vikings cruised to a 35-20 victory. Minnesota also led the Rams, 17-0, in the third quarter before easing to victory. But falling behind 19-0 to the Raiders hurt big time, obvi.

No. 4: 1988 Minnesota Vikings

Expectations for this group were high after the 1987 playoffs: the Vikings responded with the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. However, an 11-5 record only got them second place in the NFC Central, despite the No. 4 offense and the No. 2 defense. That meant the wild-card postseason route, and Minnesota started off right with a 28-17 victory over the Rams. But then the San Francisco 49ers got some serious payback, 34-9. Ouch.

Cornerback Carl Lee (21 AV), defensive tackle Keith Millard (18), strong safety Joey Browner (16), and T Gary Zimmerman (15) led the way for this talented squad. Playing at home, the Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Los Angeles in the first quarter and never looked back. However, the 49ers—the eventual SB champs, surprisingly—were ready at home for Minnesota this time: It was 21-3, San Francisco, at the half.

No. 3: 1998 Minnesota Vikings

This is the famous team that posted a 15-1 record on its way to the No. 1 SRS ranking overall. The No. 1 offense and the No. 6 defense helped the Vikings win the NFC Central, easily. Minnesota jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead against the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional round on the way to a 41-21 victory. A Super Bowl berth/title seemed inevitable to many, but then … this happened, and it was all over in a flash.

Quarterback Randall Cunningham (19 AV), guard Randall McDaniel (18), wide receiver Randy Moss (18), defensive end John Randle (16), RB Robert Smith (16), and center Jeff Christy (15) topped this deep roster—with Moss winning ROTY nods. Up by 10 in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game at home against the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings seemed to have the game under control. But then the missed kick …

No. 2: 1970 Minnesota Vikings

With a 12-2 record, the Vikings won the then-new NFC Central, based on the No. 3 offense, the No. 1 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. Minnesota seemed destined to return to the Super Bowl a year after losing it. But QB Gary Cuozzo had one of the worst playoff performances ever—33.9 QB rating, on 9-for-27 passing with 2 interceptions—and the 49ers pulled off a road upset in Minneapolis by a 17-14 score.

The Famed Purple People Eaters led this team’s value charts: DT Alan Page (24 AV) and DE Carl Eller (20) both had MVP-caliber seasons, really. Overall, 13 players posted at least 10 AV on this roster—the top 10 of them on defense, crazily enough. Thus, the offense didn’t have to do much, and against S.F. in the postseason, that obviously caught up to the Vikings: it gained 241 yards and turned the ball over 4 times.

No. 1: 1969 Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings won the last year of the NFL’s old Central Division with a 13-1 record. Minnesota pulled off the 1-1-1 trifecta, too, among the league’s 16 teams. The Vikes lost their opener by 1 point to the New York Giants, and then they rattled off 15 straight wins, including NFL playoff victories over the Rams and the Cleveland Browns, to win the NFL title. But the magic came to an end in Super Bowl IV against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Eller (20 AV) and Page (20) did the most damage, again, and they were joined by 5 other players with at least 15 AV—and 16 players overall with at least 10 AV. Pretty unreal! Even so, Minnesota had to come from behind to beat L.A. in the playoffs, 23-20, before taking a 27-0 lead against the Browns in the NFL Championship Game and winning, 27-7. But it was all Chiefs in SB IV, as they built a 16-0 halftime lead.