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MINNEAPOLIS -- Randy Moss had another huge game against the
Green Bay Packers.
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Moss, after struggling in his previous two games -- both
Minnesota losses -- had five receptions for 131 yards and two
touchdowns in the Vikings' 24-20 win over the Green Bay Packers on
Monday night.
With Cris Carter hobbled by an ankle sprain suffered in last
week's loss to Kansas City, Moss and Jake Reed were responsible for
catching 204 of Jeff George's 258 passing yards.
In four career games against Green Bay, Moss, a second-year
receiver, has 20 catches for 487 yards and six touchdowns.
"He's that type of player. He seems to always hurt us with big
plays," Green Bay linebacker Bernardo Harris said.
"I like big games. I come out here and play good when big games
come, and with the fact that Cris went down, and I give him all of
the credit in the world," Moss said when asked to explain his play
against the Packers.
Carter started the game and kept his streak of 111 consecutive
starts intact, but was ineffective in limited action.
Moss also was the Vikings' primary punt returner for the second
straight game, and also had a key fumble on a punt return for the
second week in a row.
With the Vikings leading 17-13 and the Packers stalled at their
own 21, Moss took a punt at the Vikings 32. While Moss was trying
to reverse field, Basil Mitchel hit Moss, the ball popped straight
up, and Tod McBride plucked it out of the air.
That set up a Green Bay touchdown when Matt Hasselback threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Thomason on a fake field-goal attempt.
"The guy hit the ball head on, and throughout my whole career I've been taught to put the ball on the outside arm. That time I tried to reverse field and didn't reverse the ball," Moss said.
Carter said Moss' fumble could be excused because he had no
other errors in the game.
"On the punt, that was really the only major mistake he made.
He's trying to make something happen," Carter said.
Moss also kept Green Bay's offense off the field when he turned
a short pass into a 28-yard pickup in the fourth quarter with the
Vikings leading 24-20 and trying to run out the clock.
"That was designed. I tried my best to stay inbounds, but with
so many people coming, I just tried my best to get what I could. I
really wasn't thinking about wasting the clock," Moss said.
Although it's unlikely that the Vikings and Packers would play
again this season, Moss said he'll be ready to play a fumble-free
game against the Packers.
"I really wasn't in the game, to be honest. I was just moping around and just waiting for my game to come to me," Moss said. "I wasn't really as hyped and focused as I was in the last Green Bay game."
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