Vikings defeat ends final unbeaten season, preserving 1972 Dolphins record

The Minnesota Vikings' 19-15 defeat by the Detroit Lions on Sunday ended the last unbeaten regular season of the 2026 NFL campaign. The result guarantees that no team will match the 17-0 record set by the 1972 Miami Dolphins. This marks the 54th consecutive year that the 1972 squad has maintained its status as the only perfect team in the Super Bowl era, a period that began in 1966.

Larry Csonka, a fullback and Pro Football Hall of Famer who played for the 1972 Dolphins, publicly celebrated the streak on social media on November 1, 2026. He shared a photograph of himself holding a glass and a cigar, wearing his Super Bowl ring. Csonka posted a message congratulating the Detroit Lions and cheering his former teammates and fans for the milestone. He wrote, "CONGRATS to the #DetroitLions on the Win and a game well played today. CHEERS to all my '72 undefeated teammates and #MiamiDolphin fans on our now 54 year record!"

The Vikings entered Week 8 with a 6-0 record, making them the final unbeaten team in the league. Their loss to the Lions extinguished the last hope of a perfect season this year. Csonka had previously shared a similar celebratory photo in 2024, when the Kansas City Chiefs' undefeated season ended in Week 11.

Csonka contributed significantly to the 1972 Dolphins' invincibility. He led the team with 1,117 rushing yards and scored six touchdowns during the regular season. In Super Bowl VII, he gained 119 yards on the ground, including a 49-yard run, as Miami defeated the Washington Redskins to complete the perfect campaign.

The closest a team has come to breaking the record was in 2007. The New England Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII with an 18-0 record but lost to the New York Giants. Since that defeat, the 1972 Dolphins' 17-0 season has remained the sole perfect campaign in professional football history.