MINNEAPOLIS - Adrian Peterson was
fired up as always, so determined to beat Green Bay he stormed to
the sideline at one point in the fourth quarter with a demeanor
that could be described, politely, as angry.
Success for Minnesota's star
running back, though, came as usual through patience.
Peterson rushed for 192 yards and
reached across the goal line with 2:22 left to lift the Vikings to
a 28-27 victory on Sunday that ended their five-game losing streak
to the Packers.
Though he set an NFL record with
296 yards in one game during his rookie season, Peterson
acknowledged this as the most satisfying performance of his brief
career.
"That's what it's all about.
We came in, knew it was going to be a dogfight, and we pulled it
out," Peterson said.
Mason Crosby's 52-yard field goal
attempt in the closing seconds was just wide, helping the Vikings
(5-4) pull into a first-place tie with the Chicago Bears. Green
Bay (4-5) is one game back in the NFC North.
The Packers' leaking front seven
— they ranked 27th in the NFL in yards rushing allowed entering
the game — suffered another setback when middle linebacker Nick
Barnett limped off with what coach Mike McCarthy called a bruised
right knee on the first series of the second half.
The secondary was sharp, again,
picking off Gus Frerotte three times and turning that into 17
points. Nick Collins ran an interception back 59 yards for a
score, and 2½ minutes later Will Blackmon's 65-yard punt return
put Green Bay in front 24-21 late in the third quarter.
But the Packers let the Vikings
march 69 yards in seven plays for the winning score after Crosby's
second field goal stretched their lead to six with 5:56 left.
On the climactic drive, Peterson
carried four times for 40 yards and caught two passes for 24
yards.
"He's a great back. He wanted
the ball at the end. They gave it to him," Collins said.
Peterson ran the ball 30 times. He
gave Minnesota the lead on a 29-yard scamper sprung by a big block
from tight end Jim Kleinsasser and help from guard Anthony Herrera
and tackle Ryan Cook. The Vikings ran right all afternoon, telling
Peterson to look for the backside cut.
"Somewhere he's going to bust
out on you, and I thought our offensive line did a great job of
exerting their well on that defensive front," coach Brad
Childress said.
Childress unsuccessfully challenged
the spot of a no gain on third-and-1 midway through the fourth
quarter. During the review, Peterson angrily walked off the field
and was yelling toward the coaches — another sign of his
confidence that he can take over the game when he needs to. He
fumbled on fourth down and the recovery was short of the marker,
but his chance came soon after.
After Crosby's miss, the Vikings'
sideline erupted.
Childress had never beaten McCarthy
since they were hired in 2006.
"You put so much equity into
this game, you need to let it go," Childress said. "I'm
just so happy for those guys, like I said. Players, coaches,
owners, fans. Just that they're able to do that.
"I'm happy to have that game
ball, and I will paint it up and put it in a prominent spot."
Aaron Rodgers' first game at the
Metrodome, the site of some of Brett Favre's worst early-career
performances, wasn't good.
Trailing 10-7 early in the second
quarter, Rodgers dropped back and had the ball swatted from his
hand by Kevin Williams. He retreated to pick it up in the end zone
and chucked it underhand, drawing a penalty the officials later
confirmed was for intentional grounding penalty and an automatic
safety.
Then with less than one minute left
before the half, Jared Allen — listed as doubtful on the latest
injury report due to a sprained shoulder — blew by Chad Clifton
and sacked Rodgers in the end zone for another two points to make
it 14-7.
"It was a combination of we
didn't do the fundamentals the way we know how to and me probably
holding the ball a little too long," Rodgers said. "They
did a great job. You've got to give them credit."
He finished 15-for-26 for 142
yards, no turnovers and no touchdowns. The NFL's leading passer on
third downs entering the game, Rodgers completed only one
third-down throw that moved the chains, and the Packers went
1-for-11 in those situations.
Outgained 126 yards to 9 in the
third quarter, the Packers scored two touchdowns and took the lead
on those returns. Childress was asked if he found himself fretting
after that.
"I don't ever feel like that
because I've got a group of fighting fools on that football
team," he said. "They don't judge quarters. They don't
judge plays. They just play the next one."
