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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) -- Randy Moss told Daunte Culpepper just to
throw the ball high because he was the only one who was going to
come down with it.
|  | | Minnesota's John Davis lifts Randy Moss after he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass. |
Good advice.
Moss caught scoring passes of 61, 50 and 17 yards from Culpepper
as the Minnesota Vikings stayed unbeaten with a 31-24 victory over
Detroit on Sunday.
The Vikings (4-0) took command of the game with two touchdowns
in a 2:26 span midway through the final quarter.
Moss, who went into the game with one TD catch this season,
caught seven passes for 168 yards despite being double-covered.
Culpepper was 17-of-29 for 269 yards.
"Daunte and I hooked up on some things we've been talking about
since training camp," Moss said. "I had at least 300 friends from
my home state (West Virginia) here. I just had to put a show on for
them and the whole Silverdome."
The third touchdown pass to Moss, tying his career high, put the
Vikings ahead for good with about nine minutes left. The 6-foot-4
receiver was double-teamed on the play but leapt over Terry Fair
and Corwin Brown to come down with the 50-yard touchdown reception.
"That's why they call me 'The Freak,' " Moss said.
Robert Smith helped create a balance of the run and pass with
134 yards on 16 carries. His 65-yard touchdown run gave Minnesota a
31-17 lead with just over six minutes left.
But well after the game, he was still in awe of Moss' third
touchdown.
"I've seen Randy do a lot of impressive stuff, but that was one
of the most impressive things I've ever seen him do," Smith said.
"It was like he was saying, 'That's my ball."'
Detroit (3-2) misfired on what turned out to be its final chance
in the game with 6:35 left.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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This is a big win for the Vikings in the NFC Central. But they didn't take control until midway through the final quarter.
The Lions' biggest problem was that they couldn't cover Randy Moss. One of the things the Vikings said they wanted to work on during the bye week was getting the ball to Moss, and they were certainly effective doing that.
Detroit finally got the running game in gear. This was James Stewart's best game as a Lion.
Still, the Lions defense couldn't control the Vikings offense. Besides Randy Moss, RB Robert Smith had a big game for the Vikings (16 carries, 134 yards).
QB Daunte Culpepper seemingly has had an answer for every challenge placed in front of him. It was clear that Culpepper had the ability to succeed as an NFL quarterback, but it's impressive that he's been this successful this quickly. Culpepper didn't play at all last year, so essentially he's doing this as a rookie.
Minnesota has definitely established itself as one of the teams to beat -- both in the NFC Central and in the NFL.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director of football operations.
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Trailing 24-17, Detroit coach Bobby Ross decided to go for it on
a fourth-and-8 from the Minnesota 35.
Batch threw an incomplete pass and on the next play, Smith
busted through a hole and sprinted down the sideline for his
touchdown, with a little help from a Moss block near the goal line.
"That was a huge stop for us," Robert Griffith said. "We were
able to gain some momentum from that play and then we put them
away."
The Lions consistently created room for James Stewart to run for
the first time this season. But it didn't matter in the end because
their defense couldn't find a way to cover Moss and the offense
converted on just 2-of-11 third downs.
Detroit entered the game ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing with
64.3 yards a game. The Lions surpassed that total in the first half
alone, and Stewart finished with a season-high 123 yards on 20
carries.
Charlie Batch was 24-of-44 for 239 yards and threw a touchdown
pass, ran for a score and threw an interception. He capped a
seven-play, 69-yard drive with a 5-yard run to tie the game at 17
with about 12 minutes left.
"It's always tough to lose at home because winning here should
be a no-brainer for us," Batch said.
Detroit is 1-2 at home, where it's been a tough team to beat,
and 2-0 on the road, where it has struggled historically.
Germane Crowell led the Lions with eight receptions for 85 yards
and had a 9-yard touchdown catch that gave Detroit a 7-0 lead on
its first possession.
Minnesota scored on the ensuing possession when Culpepper
connected with Moss for a 61-yard touchdown after he easily
sprinted past free safety Kurt Schulz for the second time.
The Lions went ahead 10-7 on Jason Hanson's 21-yard field goal
with about four minutes left in the first half.
The Vikings tied the game 6 seconds before halftime on Gary
Anderson's 20-yard field goal. They went 62 yards on 11 plays in
just 1:57 to score, but squandered an opportunity to go for a
touchdown.
Minnesota took a 17-10 lead when Culpepper and Moss connected
for their second score. Culpepper lobbed a 17-yard pass to a
leaping Moss in the back corner of the end zone.
Perhaps Moss jumped a little higher this game because he was
motivated by criticism he received on ESPN's "NFL Matchup" show.
Former NFL running back Merril Hoge said Moss jogged or didn't run
off the line on many plays this season.
"That was the first time I've ever heard somebody criticize
me," Moss said. "At the same time, I didn't let it get into my
head, but I did think about it."
Suzy Kolber, the show's host, said Hoge analyzed Moss using the
same game film that NFL coaches use.
"I guess it got him going, didn't it," Kolber said.
Game notes
Detroit lost three starters _ OT Ray Roberts (dizziness),
DT James Jones (bruised knee) and S Ron Rice (sprained neck) to
injuries. Jones is expected to play next Sunday against Green Bay,
while Rice will have tests early this week to check for any serious
damage. The Lions were not sure what caused Roberts' dizziness. The
Vikings didn't lose any players to injury. ... Jason Hanson has
missed three of four field goal attempts in the last three games.
Hanson hasn't missed more than six in an entire season since 1994.
... Moss' three touchdowns tied his career best, set against Dallas
and Chicago in 1998. Moss has had 125, 155 and 168 yards in his
last three games against the Lions.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Randy Moss says Daunte Culpepper should just let him make plays.
wav: 155 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Daunte Culpepper says he listened to Randy Moss.
wav: 123 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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