MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings held out to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-28 by forcing an incomplete pass into the end zone on the final play. Ben Roethlisberger’s pitch to Pat Freiermuth hit home. Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith paired the rookie tight end just in time to dislodge the ball. The Vikings nearly blew a 29-0 lead late in the third quarter. Dalvin Cook rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in his faster-than-expected return from a shoulder injury for the Vikings. Roethlisberger had three touchdown passes in the second half. The Vikings improved to 6-7. The Steelers are 6-6-1.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Jordan Greenway scored twice as the Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 for their eighth straight victory. Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov also scored for the Wild, who took the NHL lead with 39 points, their most in 26 games in franchise history. Jonathan Dahlen and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks. Minnesota’s eight-game winning streak is the league’s current longest career and the third longest in franchise history. The Wild have scored at least four goals in seven straight games. Cam Talbot made 33 saves to improve to 15-5.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Never mind what comeback the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the second half. Mike Tomlin had seen enough before that. The 15-year-old coach was so upset that he started sending players to the bench looking for a spark. The defense gave up 176 yards rushing to the Minnesota Vikings in the first half. The offensive line allowed four sacks by Ben Roethlisberger before halftime. The Steelers fell behind 29-0 at the end of the third quarter. They lost 36-28. Tomlin hinted at more changes after being particularly disappointed by the offensive and defensive lines.
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