Central command
Cunningham, Moss star again as Vikes beat Packers 28-14
Posted: Monday November 23, 1998 12:06 AM
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Purple people eaters: With the victory, the Vikings and Cris Carter now have a three-game lead over the Packers in the NFC Central AP |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Randall
Cunningham, Randy
Moss -- and defense.
No wonder the Minnesota Vikings are on the fast track to the Super Bowl.
Cunningham and Moss, who destroyed Green Bay in their first meeting, did
it again Sunday as Minnesota beat the Packers 28-14 to all but clinch the
NFC Central. But they were almost a supporting cast to a defense that put
them up 10-0 before the offense even had a first down.
"Any time you can hold that team to 14 points, you're playing good
defense," coach Dennis Green said.
The win left the Vikings (10-1) three games ahead of Green Bay (7-4) in
the NFC Central with five games left. Had they lost, they would have been
just a game ahead facing a trip to Dallas for a Thanksgiving Day game.
The Vikings clinched at least a wild card berth when San Francisco beat
New Orleans on Sunday night. Minnesota also has the tiebreaker
because it won the first meeting, a 37-24 victory at Green Bay in which
Cunningham threw over the Packers defense to Moss, Jake Reed and Cris Carter.
But the Vikings were jump-started by the defense in this game: Jimmy Hitchcock's 58-yard
interception return and Gary
Anderson's field goal after Tony Williams' recovery of
Brett Favre's fumble
gave Minnesota a quick 10-0 lead.
Still cruising: Cunningham (7) threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings' win AP | |
But it was sealed by offense, particularly Moss, who might have salted
away offensive rookie of the year honors with eight catches for 153 yards
and had a 61-yard reception negated by a penalty.
"Randy has that rare ability to make a play no matter whether he's
covered or not," offensive coordinator Brian Billick said. "You know with
him there always a chance he might pull this thing off and score. He's a
little bit like Barry
Sanders that way -- well, I'd better not say that, because Barry's
played so much longer."
Cunningham was 20-of-30 for 264 yards. But he didn't get started until
after he came out of the first quarter with a 10-0 lead despite no first
downs by the Minnesota offense.
Twice after Green Bay drew to within six points -- once in the second
quarter and once in the fourth -- Cunningham drove Minnesota for scores,
the second on a 49-yard TD pass to Moss with 3:17 left that put the game
away.
"We know Brett is a great quarterback," Cunningham said. "But it makes a
difference with all the talent we have here on offense. He has to score,
but their defense has to stop us."
In this case, it was the Minnesota defense that made a difference.
With less than two minutes gone, Favre, who was 31-of-39 for 303 yards
with those two critical turnovers, dropped the ball trying to pass.
Williams picked it up and took it to the Green Bay 15. That set up
Anderson's 35-yard field goal.
Ten minutes later, the Packers moved from their 20 to the Minnesota 45.
But Favre, throwing off his back foot, lofted the ball in the flat and
Hitchcock picked it off and sailed untouched into the end zone to make it
10-0.
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Hitchcock's 58-yard interception return for a touchdown put the Vikings up 10-0 AP |
Anderson's 29-yarder six minutes into the second quarter made it 13-0
before Favre drove Green Bay 80 yards in 11 plays, capping it with a
12-yard TD pass to Tyrone
Davis.
But Cunningham brought the Vikings right back, moving 10 plays in 76
yards, finished off by a 4-yard TD pass to Carter.
"Their offense is going to score points," Favre said. "We had a chance to
win at the end and that's all you can ask for."
Indeed they did.
Favre cut it to 20-14 with a 2-yarder to Davis on a 71-yard, 10-play
drive in which he overcame five illegal procedure penalties.
But then Cunningham and Moss hooked up again.
None of this had coach Mike Holmgren of the Packers, who had won the
division three straight times and the NFC title twice, conceding anything.
"I'm not ready to say that," Holmgren replied when he was asked if he
thought Minnesota had proved itself the better team. "The game was real
close in the fourth quarter after we gave up 10 points. No, I don't think
anybody's better than us."
Notes: The Packers lost cornerback Craig Newsome early in the
second quarter when he made a diving play to take a TD away from Moss.
Safety Darren Sharper
appeared to hit Newsome in the head. Coach Mike Holmgren said Newsome had a
deep cut on his knee, and his status for next week's game against
Philadelphia was uncertain. ... Davis' two TDs gave him seven this season
on just 16 catches. ... Moss' eight catches were the most by a Vikings
rookie since Sammy White twice had nine in 1976. ... Mitch Berger tied his own
Vikings record with five kickoffs for touchbacks, set a team season record
with 28 and extended his NFC lead in that category, helping keep the
Packers from getting good field position.
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