Steel City Blitz
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...
