(CNN)The Minnesota Vikings endured a late Pittsburgh Steelers rally to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 36-28 victory on Thursday Night Football.
Having surged into a commanding 29-0 lead by late in the third quarter, the Vikings found themselves inches away from an embarrassing final-play collapse — Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s incomplete pass to Pat Freiermuth in the end zone quashing a potential comeback for the ages.Vikings safety Harrison Smith flew into tight end Freiermuth to force the incompletion, sparing Minnesota blushes and lifting his team to 6-7 on the year.Roethlisberger was keen not to put any blame on the 23-year-old rookie, who was said to be devastated by his dropped catch.“He’s taking it pretty hard,” Roethlisberger told reporters.“I pulled him next to my locker and talked to him a little bit at the end. I got a lot of faith and belief and trust in that guy — he’s got a lot of heart.“He’ll eat this for a while and he shouldn’t because it’s not on him.”
Source: Thursday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings narrowly survive Pittsburgh Steelers fightback – CNN
