When Minneapolis-St. Paul applied for an NFL franchise in the sixties, they decided to adopt the team as a Minnesota one and not from the Twin Cities. They determined that a team that embraced the state would attract a bigger fan base.
Naming the team as the Minnesota Vikings became easy for a state proud of its ancestry.
The Vikings entered the NFL in 1961, and they currently edge the Steelers 9-10 in games played. Those figures include 1-1 when games are played on neutral territory. The Steelers won Super Bowl IX 16-6 but lost the regular season game 24-27 in London 2013.
The Vikings went to the Super Bowl four times in their first 16 seasons. They lost all four and have not returned since 1976.
The Steelers 2004 season finished in the AFC Championship game against their usual adversary, the New England Patriots. Rookie Ben Roethlisberger threw three interceptions while Jerome Bettis lost a fumble. Tom Brady had a passer rating of 130 which won the game.
Pittsburgh selected Heath Miller in the 2005 draft to provide Roethlisberger with an additional weapon. The Steelers rated Miller as the number one tight end in the draft and were happy to find him still available to use their 30th overall pick.
Miller would be joined on offense by Bettis, who decided to postpone his retirement for one last shot at winning a Lombardi.
Roethlisberger assured SteelersNation there would be no “sophomore slump” for his second season. “I don’t believe in that,” he told the media. “I’m coming out to do the best I can this year and just trying to improve.”
After opening the season 2-0, Pittsburgh lost again to New England. No team can overcome giving up 425 yards to the Patriots. The Steelers didn’t and lost 20-23.
Before travelling to Minnesota, the Steelers suffered four more defeats, including two in overtime. Their 8-5 record placed them two games behind the Bengals.
In the NFC North, Minnesota had been struggling at 2-5 when they lost their quarterback, Daunte Culpepper, to injury. The team turned to veteran Brad Johnson to replaced him. Johnson led the team to six straight wins. Minnesota moved to within one game of Chicago. Now on the same mark as the Steelers, it was a big game for both teams who were clinging on to playoffs ambitions.
The (8-5) Steelers at the (8-5) Vikings; December 18, 2005
After the Steelers received the opening kickoff, Ben Roethlisberger began well moving the chains to Minnesota’s 2. The drive included completions to Heath Miller of 8 and 50 yards, but it stalled when Roethlisberger fumbled. He recovered the ball to enable Jeff Reed to kick a 21-yard field goal.
The teams exchanged possessions. After the Vikings punt, Antwaan Randle El muffed the punt return gifting Minnesota the ball on Pittsburgh’s 3. With the Vikings pressing on a third and goal, Larry Foote tackled Minnesota’s running back Ciatrick Fason for a one-yard loss, forcing the Vikings to kick a field goal. Paul Edinger’s 20-yard kick tied the score.
In the second quarter, Minnesota again moved the ball into the red zone. The drive stopped on Pittsburgh’s 5 when Joey Porter intercepted Johnson’s shovel pass as it glanced off the shoulder of Koren Robinson.
The teams changed possessions again when Randle El made up for his previous turnover, returning a punt 72 yards. Roethlisberger made swift work of the short 14-yard field finishing with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Minnesota took the subsequent kickoff. Finding his receivers, Johnson moved them into the red zone. On third down and thirteen on the Steelers 19, Johnson under pressure from Porter and Bryant McFadden, attempted a pass to Marcus Robinson. The pass was picked off in the end zone by Deshea Townsend.
The Steelers took a 10-3 lead into the locker room at half time.
On their first series in the third quarter, Minnesota attempted a 32-yard field goal. The attempt was blocked by Kimo von Oelhoffen and recovered by Ike Taylor.
Starting on their 15, Roethlisberger guided his team to Minnesota’s 19, helped by a Willie Parker run of 49 yards. After the drive stalled, Reed added a field goal from 41 yards.
Minnesota’s Fason muffed the kickoff return and Pittsburgh’s Tyrone Carter recovered on the Vikings’ 29. The turnover saw Reed kick a 21-yard field goal to increase the Steelers advantage to 16-3.
As the game went into the final period, Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton joined his defensive teammates in the fun. He drove Minnesota’s center Cory Withrow into the backfield. The move enabled Larry Foote to tackle the ball carrier, Michael Bennet, for a safety adding two points to the Steelers score.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 18 at the Minnesota Vikings 3
“We got into the red zone four times and came away with three points,” said Minnesota’s guard Adam Goldberg. “That’s embarrassing.”
With Cincinnati also winning, the opportunity of an 18th division title for the (9-5) Steelers looked remote, but they needed to keep winning to earn a wildcard. Thrashing the Browns 41-0 and a 35-21 win over Detroit saw them succeed to go into the playoffs as a wild card. It was the fourth time the Steelers made the playoffs as a wild card. Their record in their previous wild card games was 1-3.
Ben Roethlisberger’s passer rating for the season of 98.6 broke the team record he set the previous season. Roethlisberger had certainly proved there was no such thing as a sophomore slump.
During the playoffs, the Steelers set another NFL record. They became the first team to get to the playoffs and win as a wild card.
Wins in Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver took them to Detroit. Jerome Bettis embraced the opportunity to win a Super Bowl in his hometown. The Steelers won their fifth Lombardi to allow Coach Cowher to retire as a winner.
