1998 Vikings ranked among best teams to miss out on a Super Bowl

The 1998 Minnesota Vikings, widely regarded as one of the franchise's finest teams, failed to make it to the Super Bowl, according to ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz. Their offensive prowess, spearheaded by Randall Cunningham, and formidable defense, featuring John Randle and Ed McDaniel, propelled them to a 15-1 record, the best in franchise history.

Despite their impressive season, the Vikings were outranked by the Broncos and 49ers in DVOA, a metric that evaluates a team's efficiency by comparing play success to league averages. The Vikings' offense, while record-setting, ranked third in DVOA behind the Broncos and 49ers, a ranking potentially influenced by playing indoors for ten out of sixteen games and facing easier defenses.

The team's specialization in long, explosive touchdowns also failed to impress DVOA, which doesn't fully appreciate such plays' predictive value. Since 1998, the Vikings have yet to match this level of success, with their closest attempt in 2017 ending in a 38-7 loss to the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in the conference championship game.