Big Plays on Defense Seal 27-17 Win Over Vikings

All season long Steelers faithful have waited for the defense to step up and make some big plays when it mattered. Sunday at home against the Vikings, they not only did it once – but twice. The defense put up two huge scores to seal a 27-17 win over what was an undefeated Vikings team (6-0) coming into Heinz Field.

The first big play was a LaMarr Woodley fumble return caused by Brett Keisel, as the big guy lumbered 77 yards for a score to give the Steelers a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Then after the special teams gave it right back allowing an 88-yard kickoff return to Percy Harvin to make it 20-17, the defense did it again, closing out the win as Keyaron Fox took back a pick 82 yards for a score with a minute left.

The Steelers (5-2) were lackluster at best on offense, as they scored just one touchdown and settled for two Jeff Reed field goals. They wasted a big scoring chance in the 4th quarter up 13-10 when Rashard Mendenhall went in the air and lost the ball on the Vikings three. That score was followed up by the Vikings drive that eventually saw Keisel come around and strip Favre, allowing Woodley to pick up the ball and go the distance.

After Harvin made the Steelers pay with a kick return to make it 20-17, the Steelers offense gained one first down before having to punt, giving the Vikings one last shot. They got down to the Steelers 18, but Favre’s pass intended for Chester Taylor bounced off his hands, and right into Fox’s, who took it the rest of the way to seal the win.

Pittsburgh’s offense was able to give them the lead before halftime 10-7, as after an Adrian Peterson TD gave Minnesota the lead, Ben Roethlisberger put a drive together, hitting Mike Wallace with a pretty 40-yard score late in the half to give Pittsburgh the three-point lead. Roethlisberger had his most quiet day of the year, going 14 of 26 for 175 yards with the one score.

The Steelers offense had 259 yards against the Vikings, but, as Mike Tomlin would always say – style points don’t matter, as long as you get the win – and today the Steelers did just that. Favre was 34 of 51 for 334 yards, but the Steelers got to him quite a bit, getting to him for four sacks.

Peterson had 69 yards on the ground on 18 carries for Minnesota, and had four catches for 60 yards. Sydney Rice had 11 grabs for 136 yards for the Vikings. The Steelers did little in the pass game, and were led by Wallace with 72 yards, and Santonio Holmes who had two grabs for 59 yards. Hines Ward had just one catch for three yards.

The now Steelers can relax as they are on the bye. They return to the feld on Monday, November 9th as they travel to Denver to play the Broncos.

Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Jeff Reed, Mike Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall, steelers, Vikings