MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings held on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-28 by forcing an incomplete pass in the end zone on the final play. Ben Roethlisberger’s throw to Pat Freiermuth was on target. Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith sandwiched the rookie tight end at just the right moment to dislodge the ball. The Vikings nearly squandered a 29-0 late third-quarter lead. 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 and the Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 for their eighth straight win. Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov also scored for the Wild, who took over the NHL lead with 39 points, their most through 26 games in franchise history. Jonathan Dahlen and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks. Minnesota’s eight-game winning streak is the longest current run in the league and the third-longest in franchise history. The Wild have scored at least four goals in seven consecutive games. Cam Talbot made 33 saves to improve to 15-5.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Never mind the comeback the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the second half. Mike Tomlin had seen enough before that. The 15th-year coach was so upset he started benching players in search of a spark. The defense gave up 176 yards rushing to the Minnesota Vikings in the first half. The offensive line allowed four sacks of Ben Roethlisberger before halftime. The Steelers fell behind 29-0 late in 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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