Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Minnesota 34, Pittsburgh 27
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 29, 2013
Where: Wembley Stadium, London
Temperature: 54°
Head Official: Clete Blakeman
Attendance: 83518

Vikings 34, Steelers 27:
Adrian Peterson ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns in London as Minnesota earned its first victory and kept Pittsburgh winless.

Matt Cassel started in place of Christian Ponder and went 16-for-25 for 248 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings (1-3), who held an opponent under 30 points for the first time this season. Greg Jennings caught both scoring passes from Cassel while Jerome Simpson led the receiving corps with seven catches for 124 yards.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 36-of-51 passes for 383 yards and a score but lost a fumble at the Minnesota 10-yard line with six seconds left. Rookie Le’Veon Bell ran for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his NFL debut as the Steelers (0-4) remained winless through the first four games for the first time since 1968.

The Vikings took a 10-0 lead early in the first quarter when Jennings caught a short pass on the left side, broke one tackle and cut to the middle before racing to the end zone for a 70-yard score. Peterson went the opposite way early in the second quarter, cutting to the right side for a 60-yard touchdown to help the Vikings take a 20-10 lead into the locker room.

Cassel’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Jennings with 5:11 left in the third quarter pushed the lead out to 34-17. Roethlisberger found Jerricho Cotchery for a 15-yard score early in the fourth and Pittsburgh's Shaun Suisham added a field goal with 3:37 left, but the Steelers could not convert on the final drive.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
The only team to ever begin the season 0-4 and make the playoffs was the 1992 San Diego Chargers. … Ponder (fractured rib) was inactive for the game but is expected to get the starting job back following Minnesota’s bye week. … Bell is the first rookie RB to have two TDs in a game for Pittsburgh since Bam Morris in 1994.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Pittsburgh   Minnesota
Le'Veon Bell Player Adrian Peterson
16 Attempts 23
57 Yards 140
3.6 Avg Yards 6.1
2 Touchdowns 2
11 Long 60
Receiving
Pittsburgh   Minnesota
Jerricho Cotchery Player Jerome Simpson
5 Receptions 7
103 Yards 124
20.6 Avg Yards 17.7
1 Touchdowns 0
36 Long 51
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Pittsburgh 434 77 357 3 2 0 1.0 1
Minnesota 393 145 248 4 2 1 5.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Vikings have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against N.Y. Jets. The Steelers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.