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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Cris Carter wasn't needed after all.
Carter kept his starting streak alive despite a severely
sprained right ankle, but his services weren't really needed because Randy
Moss was all over the field.
|  | | Randy Moss performs his version of the Metrodome dive. |
Moss caught five passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Green Bay Packers 24-20 Monday night.
Moss also atoned for his fumbled punt that led to a Green Bay
touchdown by hauling in a 36-yard pass from Jeff George that set up Leroy Hoard's 1-yard run for the winning score with nine minutes left.
"Randy Moss ... made a big difference in what happened to our
football team," Packers coach Ray Rhodes said.
The Vikings (8-6) snapped a two-game skid and moved within a game of NFC Central leader Tampa Bay. The Packers fell to 7-7, tied with the New York Giants, Dallas and Carolina in the wild-card
logjam.
The Packers had one last chance after Minnesota turned the ball
over on downs at the Green Bay 22 with 45 seconds left. The Packers
drove to the Minnesota 27, before Brett Favre was intercepted by Robert Griffithin the end zone on the final play.
"With the game tight like that, he's the last guy you want to
see have the ball," Griffith said.
Favre had beaten the Vikings in the closing seconds earlier this
season, when he hit Corey Bradford with a 23-yard TD toss on fourth
down at Lambeau Field in September.
George's two touchdown tosses to Moss and the longest scramble
of his 10-year career staked the Vikings to a 17-13 lead after
three quarters.
But rookie Basil Mitchell, who forced two fumbles that led to 10 points, jarred the ball loose from Moss on a punt return and Tod McBride recovered for Green Bay at the Vikings' 37.
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GAME NOTES |
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Randy Moss set a Vikings team record with his sixth 100-yard receiving game.
The piped-in music at the Metrodome was louder than it had been all season, especially in the final five minutes.
Chris Doleman extended his Vikings record with his 33rd forced
fumble. |
The Vikings appeared to stop the Packers at the 9, and Ryan
Longwell came in for his third chip-shot field goal. But holder
Matt Hasselbeck, Favre's backup, threw a touchdown strike to tight
end Jeff Thomason for a 20-17 lead with 12:31 remaining.
Carter extended his starting streak to 111 games despite a
severely sprained right ankle that had him in a cast all week. But
he was no factor, playing just a few snaps in the first quarter and
not getting any balls thrown his way.
"If I could go, I would have went," Carter said.
Vikings coach Dennis Green said before kickoff he expected
Carter to be more than a decoy. Instead, all Carter did was keep
his streak alive.
"The only factor really is that the trainer says he might be able to go and if Cris says he wants to go," Green said. "You can accommodate any player on your team if he means enough to you, and Cris means enough to us."
The Packers led 13-10 at halftime on the strength of Dorsey
Levens' 1-yard run and two field goals by Longwell. Levens returned
to the lineup after missing two games with a cracked rib and gained
99 yards on 26 carries.
But the Vikings converted three third downs on their way to the
go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, including a 17-yard
scramble by George to the Green Bay 42, George's longest run ever.
After Levens bullied in from the 1 for a 7-3 Packers lead, Robert Tate fumbled the ensuing kickoff and rookie De'Mond Parker
recovered for Green Bay at the Minnesota 23, leading to Longwell's
26-yarder and a 10-3 lead.
The Vikings tied it on Moss's 57-yard touchdown catch with 4:17
left in the half. George had a great play fake to Leroy Hoard, then hit Moss, who blew past Tyrone Williams, in stride at the 25.
Tate, a converted receiver forced into playing nickel cornerback
when rookie Chris Rogers severely pulled a hamstring in warmups, also had a 15-yard face mask penalty, but he saved a touchdown when
he tackled William Henderson at the 3, forcing Longwell to try a 22-yarder, which he made with three seconds left in the half.
Gary Anderson, who had scuffed through a 10-miss season one year after becoming the first perfect kicker in NFL history, nailed a 43-yarder for a 3-0 Minnesota lead. Anderson had been 0-for-6 from 41 yards and out.
The archrivals fancied themselves as the NFC's best four months ago but are now scrambling just to make the playoffs. But both showed a spark on defense Monday night that they'd been lacking all
season.
All week, it was thought that the loser between the two
underachievers would miss out on the postseason party, but five
other NFC playoff contenders lost Sunday, leaving the logjam in
place.
"We've never been discouraged," Green said.
Packers receiver Antonio Freeman couldn't believe the Pack had blown yet another chance.
"This has been a redundant thing for us to say: We had
opportunities," Freeman said. "We could have done this, should
have done that, we practice all week and then go out there ... and
just don't get it done."
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Green Bay Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
As usual, Moss marvelous against Packers
Week 15 wrap-ups
Week 15 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 15
PrimeTime Players
Week 15 stats leaders
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jeff George says the receivers made the big plays.
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