in 1998, Anderson signed with the Minnesota Vikings and converted all 35 of his attempted field goals and all 59 extra points in regular season play, becoming the first placekicker to finish the regular season with a 100% success rate on both field goals and extra points, hence the use of the term "perfect season". However, after Anderson made all of his field goal and points after touchdowns during the entire season, he missed a crucial short kick (38 yards) in the 4th quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.

Anderson holds the NFL record for points in a single season with no touchdowns scored, kicking 59 PATs and 35 field goals in 1998 for a total of 164 points. He is tied with Morten Andersen for most seasons scoring at least 100 points (14).

Anderson also holds second place for most career points in the NFL with 2,434. He held the record for several years after passing George Blanda's old record in October 2000, but was himself passed by Morten Andersen in 2006.