Steelers dodge bullet at Heinz
PITTSBURGH -- Quiz time, NFL fans.
"Les Miserables" is:
a). A world-famous musical that just closed a two-week run at the Benedum Center.
b). The mood of thousands of Steelers fans whose entrance to Heinz Field was delayed Sunday because of stricter security measures examining patrons.
c). The 2001 Minnesota Vikings, who participated in the NFC Championship Game last January but most likely were eliminated from playoff contention despite a close 21-16 loss to the Steelers.
d). The Steelers' defense in the fourth quarter as they came close to blowing an 18-point lead in the final 6:44.
e). All of the above.
The Steelers dodged a huge bullet by winning a game after complacency almost cost them dearly in the AFC Central standings.
Despite the presence of stars Cris Carter, Randy Moss and sore-kneed Daunte Culpepper, the Vikes generated little offense as the Steelers opened up a 21-3 lead in the third quarter.
Bouman stars: But when Vikings coach Dennis Green substituted Todd Bouman for the ailing Culpepper, things became wacky at Heinz Field as Moss finally lived up to his star billing.
And the Steelers received a reality check that has them lucky to still be atop the AFC standings.
Bouman brought the Vikings back to life with a screen pass to Michael Bennett that turned into an 80-yard touchdown.
Moments later, the Vikings scored again, marching 74 yards on four plays, the big one being a 62-yard completion to Moss that once again burned cornerback Chad Scott.
"He's so deceptively fast," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "I don't think you can ever overthrow the ball to him. You just can never relax against him."
Safety Lee Flowers admitted that the Steelers "let up early, we got comfortable. We kept Moss in check for three-and-half quarters, then he exploded on us."
Right to end: The Steelers' victory wasn't secure until the final seconds when Bouman failed to connect with Moss in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-down play.
Cornerback Dewayne Washington was the hero as he tied up Moss enough to keep the wide receiver from getting to the underthrown pass that bounced off of Washington's back.
Washington knew Moss was the Vikings' primary target.
"I was thinking that the ball would be high and outside because that's where they normally try to get him the ball," Washington said of his coverage. "I was going to try and go up with him, go up high to get the ball, and fortunately I was able to make a play."
Moss was hoping for a pass interference flag but didn't get it.
"In past years, we've been on the other side," Washington said of blown leads. "We've lost games where we've became somewhat complacent. It's good to get a win -- we're 9-2 and we're looking forward, not backwards."
Edge to Steelers: Flowers said, "The difference between this year and last year is that we didn't have an edge last year. There's a fine line between a winning team and a losing team, and right now we've got the momentum.
"For whatever reason, we've got the edge right now. This is our year."
Maybe.
When the NFL schedule was released last spring, the Vikings were expected to one of the three toughest opponents coming to Heinz Field's debut season (the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens were the others).
What no one knew then was how the Vikings' season would disintegrate after offensive lineman Korey Stringer's death from heat exhaustion in the opening days of training camp.
Despite their disappointing season, the Vikings came within inches of knocking the Steelers back to the pack in the AFC playoff hunt.
"What a game, huh," Cowher said. "We certainly made it interesting in the end. The bottom line is that it's a win."
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.