OPENING LINE -- Steelers by 7. RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Vikings 3-7; Steelers 7-2.
SERIES RECORD -- Vikings lead 8-4.
LAST MEETING -- Vikings beat Steelers 44-24 on Sept. 24, 1995, in Pittsburgh.
LAST WEEK -- Vikings lost to Bears 13-6; Steelers beat Titans 34-24.
VIKINGS OFFENSE -- RUSH (23), PASS (9), OVERALL (9) Gained 316 yards, 124 rushing. RB Michael Bennett had 12 carries for 75 yards. QB Daunte Culpepper was 26-for-46, 1 INT and 209 yards. TE Byron Chamberlain had 7 catches for 56 yards.
STEELERS OFFENSE -- RUSH (1), PASS (25), OVERALL (4) Had 377 yards, 130 rushing. RB Jerome Bettis had 73 yards on 23 carries and leads league with 991. QB Kordell Stewart had a 48-yard TD run and was 19-for-31, 0 INTs, 2 TDs and 254 yards. WR Plaxico Burress had 8 catches for 114 yards.
VIKINGS DEFENSE -- RUSH (23), PASS (23), OVERALL (28) Gave up 235 yards, 142 rushing. Had 1 sack. LB Jim Nelson had 7 tackles. DB Dale Carter had 5 tackles and 2 assists.
STEELERS DEFENSE -- RUSH (1), PASS (2), OVERALL (1) Allowed 405 yards, 324 passing. Had 2 sacks. LB Earl Holmes had 9 tackles and 1 assist. LB Kendrell Bell had 6 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS -- VIKINGS: PK Gary Anderson had 2 FGs (44, 21). KR Nate Jacquet had 4 returns for 82 yards. STEELERS: PK Kris Brown had 2 FGs (39, 37). KR Troy Edwards had 3 returns for 145 yards.
KEY MATCHUP -- Vikings WRs vs. Steelers secondary.
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -- Meeting is between two longest-tenured coaches in NFL. Minnesota's Dennis Green and Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher have both been with their respective teams since 1992. ... Green has never lost to Steelers (2-0). ... Culpepper is Vikings' leading rusher with 349 yards. ... WR Cris Carter, who caught his 50th pass of the season last week, has 11 50-catch seasons, third in NFL history. ... WR Randy Moss has 21 catches for 291 yards and 4 TDs in last 3 games.
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