NFL: Minnesota Vikings beat Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 at Wembley
The Minnesota Vikings got their first win of the season with an exciting 34-27 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in London last night.
The Vikings held off a fourth-quarter charge from the Pittsburgh Steelers to win a thrilling contest and earn their first victory of the season in front of a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium.
Stand-in quarterback Matt Cassel threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns – both to Greg Jennings – while reigning MVP Adrian Peterson ran in two scores, one a brilliant 60-yarder, in his 140-yard total.
As expected, Cassel started at quarterback for Minnesota in place of Christian Ponder – who was sidelined with a rib injury.
The Steelers, meanwhile, were without running back Isaac Redman, but rookie Le’Veon Bell started in the back field on his NFL debut.
Rookie running back Le’Veon Bell also ran in two TDs for Pittsburgh and Ben Roethlisberger threw for 383 yards and one touchdown, but he was hurried and hassled all night by the Vikings and had to fight for every yard.
Four times the Vikings led by ten points, and by the end of the third quarter they were 17 points in front, but they looked like a winless team as they failed to close out the game and allowed Pittsburgh a chance to get back in it.
Roethlisberger hit Jerricho Cotchery for a touchdown, Shaun Suisham kicked a field goal, and Roethlisberger got the ball again and drove his team down to the six-yard line with a TD needed to force overtime – but the Vikings finally got over the line by sacking him and forcing a fumble to end the game.
Cassel had a few nerves as he started his opening drive standing in for Christian Ponder, but he managed to get points on the board on his first drive thanks to a huge 54-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.
Cassel then fired a short pass to Jennings who showed he still has plenty of gas in the tank as he bobbed and weaved 70 yards for the first touchdown of the game for a 10-0 Vikings lead.
Rookie Bell then showed his potential with an eight-yard run capped by a somersault into the end zone, but the master then showed why he is reigning MVP with Peterson breaking off for blistering 60-yard run – the 13th TD run of 60 yards or more in his illustrious career.
Pittsburgh kicked a field goal, and looked to get back on terms when forcing Cassel to fumble, but Simpson recovered the ball for a first down – and that enabled Walsh to slot a 37-yarder to restore the ten-point lead at half time at 20-10.
The Steelers came out firing in the second half with a six-play drive of 80 yards being finished off by Bell’s one-yard burst over the line into the end zone for 20-17.
It was Jennings’ second touchdown of the game to go alongside two from Peterson that put the Vikings in command with a 34-17 lead.
Pittsburgh needed a massive fight back in the fourth quarter to avoid their fourth straight loss.
When Jerrico Cotchery held on to a 15-yard pass from Roethlisberger at the end of a nine-play, 77-yard drive, Minnesota’s lead was cut to 10 points again.
Suisham then made a 28-yard field goal with 3:40 to play and there was just one score separating the teams. A punt with 1:50 to play did nothing to ease the sense of anxiety among the fans in purple.
The Steelers looked like they were coming good at the right time. Coach Tomlin clapped his hands and looked like he truly believed his team were going to tie the game. Pittsburgh went on an epic drive as the noise at Wembley multiplied.
The deciding play came on third and goal, though, as Roethlisberger fumbled the ball, which was dived on by Kevin Williams. The Vikings breathed a sigh of relief. Ponder took a knee to run out the remaining six seconds, and Minnesota earned their first win of the season.
