Pittsburgh trailed 29-0 late in third quarter before mounting final-quarter comeback; Ben Roethlisber pass for Pat Freiermuth in the endzone falls incomplete as time expires; Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt exits game with groin injury
Friday 10 December 2021 07:04, UK
Dalvin Cook rushed for an NFL season-high of 205 yards, with two touchdowns, as the Minnesota Vikings built a 29-0 third-quarter lead before ultimately hanging on to a slim 36-28 win in the face of a late Pittsburgh Steelers comeback.
Cook, who missed the Vikings' shock loss to the then-winless Detroit Lions last week with a shoulder injury, had a superb showing on his return to action, but Minnesota nearly contrived to blow an NFL-record 29-point lead in the final 17 minutes on Thursday night.
The Vikings were absolutely dominant in the first half, outgaining their opponents 300 yards to 66, with 176 of those on the ground as Cook ran in two second-quarter scores. Justin Jefferson opened the scoring off a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins, after both teams had missed field goal attempts on their opening drives.
The home side added to their 23-0 half-time advantage with a couple of Greg Joseph FGs in the the third quarter, but the Steelers suddenly and spectacularly sparked into life when Najee Harris had two TDs (one receiving, one rushing) in the space of two and a half minutes, either side of a Cousins interception.
After Minnesota then quickly went three-and-out on their next offensive series, Roethlisberger found James Washington for a 30-yard touchdown to all of a sudden make it a nine-point game - it could have been even better but for a failed two-point conversion attempt following the TD.
Minnesota responded to the challenge in the best possible way, with Cousins finding K.J Osborn deep for a 62-yard scoring strike, but on their next possession, when looking to run out the clock and close out the game, the Vikings quarterback was picked off for a second time by Ahkello Witherspoon.
The Steelers capitalised, Roethlisberger finding Pat Freiermuth in the endzone two plays later, and this time a successful two-point try made it an eight-point game with just over four minutes remaining in the game.
The Vikings offense again would be unable to close out this game, this time punting back to Pittsburgh, who duly drove down the field looking for a potential game-tying TD and two-pointer, but Roethlisberger's last ditch attempt to find Freiermuth again from the 12-yard line fell incomplete as time expired - Minnesota holding on for a crucial victory.
Steelers
![Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) jump into the end zone over Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) for a 29 yard touchdown run in the second quarter , in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The Minnesota Vikings hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a NFL football game at U.S. Bank. ] JERRY HOLT ...Jerry.Holt@startribune.com](https://e0.365dm.com/21/12/768x432/skysports-dalvin-cook-minnesota-vikings_5610059.jpg?20211210062322)
Vikings
The Steelers (6-6-1) next host the Tennessee Titans (8-4) at Heinz Field in a crucial Week 15 clash in the AFC playoff race.
As for the Vikings (6-7), they're next in action a week on Monday for an NFC North divisional meeting with the Bears (4-8) in Chicago.
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