Vikings Snap Two-Game Losing Streak, Beat Steelers 36-28 Behind Dominant First Half
The reason why the 2021 Vikings season has been so frustrating to fans is because this clearly isn't a team devoid of talent. The record could be so much better than it is, as they've hurt themselves with self-inflicted wounds like penalties and odd coaching decisions, poor late-game execution, and generally playing up or down to the level of their competition each week.
They nearly pulled off the collapse to top all collapses on Thursday night, turning a 29-0 second-half lead over the Steelers into a nail-biting finish like only the Vikings can. But Pat Freiermuth couldn't hold onto a potential last-second touchdown grab on Pittsburgh's final drive and the Vikings held on for a much-needed 36-28 victory that snaps their two-game losing streak and keeps them in solid position for a chance at an NFC wild card spot.
It was an all-too-familiar story down the stretch for a team that has managed to play in close games in virtually every single week this season. Despite leading 29-0 with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Vikings found themselves in a situation they know quite well.
Two seconds on the clock. Steelers ball from the Vikings' 12-yard line. One final play with a chance to tie the game on a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
When Ben Roethlisberger zipped a ball over the middle of the field to an open Freiermuth in the end zone, there was a second where it seemed like it had happened again. Just four days after the Vikings gave up a last-second touchdown to lose to Jared Goff and the Lions, a defense that has struggled all season to come up with clutch late stops had given up a huge scoring drive once more.
Then the ball popped out and hit the ground, and Vikings fans at U.S. Bank Stadium and across the state, country, and world were able to exhale. Harrison Smith and Xavier Woods helped knock the ball loose and secure a victory that may have saved the Vikings' season and Mike Zimmer's job.
This was a tale of two halves for Minnesota. They were as dominant as we've seen them be in a long time in the opening two quarters, jumping out to a 23-0 lead behind an incredible Dalvin Cook performance and a swarming defensive effort. Cook ran for 153 of his 205 yards in the first half, ripping off chunk after chunk with the help of an offensive line that was mauling Steelers defenders left and right.
Remember, Cook did this just 11 days after dislocating his shoulder in a loss to the 49ers. Initial expectations were that Cook wasn't going to return until Week 15 against the Bears, but he pushed through his rehab and was able to get back on the field ahead of schedule. And he didn't just get on the field, he had one of the best performances of his career, finishing with 222 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 28 touches.
Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson didn't have their finest days in this game — Cousins was uncharacteristically inaccurate and Jefferson failed to come down with several balls you expect him to catch — but they did connect for the game's opening touchdown to get the Vikings off to a hot start. Cook and the offense were rolling, but the defense was equally impressive. The Vikings sacked Roethlisberger five times in the game, and four of them came in the first half. They shut down the run game early on, got in Roethlisberger's face, and pitched a shutout until things fell apart late in the third quarter.
At one point in the second quarter, the Vikings were out-gaining the Steelers 300 yards to 43.
Then a switch flipped — and disaster very nearly struck.
A Steelers touchdown pass with around two minutes left in the third quarter seemed harmless enough. But when it was immediately followed with the first of two Cousins interceptions, things suddenly seemed a little more real. The Steelers punched it in again to cut the deficit to 29-14, and they had all the momentum on their side.
It just kept snowballing from there. The Vikings went three and out, the Steelers needed just three plays to score, and suddenly it was 29-20. Cousins came up with a huge response by hitting K.J. Osborn for a 62-yard touchdown, but the Steelers weren't done.
A Cousins interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown set up a score and two-point conversion that cut the Vikings' lead to a nerve-wracking 36-28. The Steelers were able to get another stop and then came inches away from having an opportunity for another two-point try to send the game to OT.
But a win is a win. The Vikings showed their potential with a dominant first 40 minutes in this game, and at 6-7, they're right back in the wild card hunt with four games to play.
If they can bottle up that first-half effort and figure out a way to play an entire 60 minutes of football, they'll have a shot to beat anybody they play the rest of the way. But until they learn how to close out games, they're also going to keep giving their fans heart attacks.
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