Carter Has Nose for Ball, Referee

Cris Carter’s competitiveness left both him and an official red-faced Sunday.

Carter joined the elite 900-reception club and had two touchdown catches as the Minnesota Vikings held off the San Diego Chargers for a 35-27 victory to remain in a tie atop the NFC Central with Detroit and Tampa Bay.

But Carter’s big game was tarnished by a first-quarter sideline tantrum in which he spiked a football that struck an official in the nose. Carter was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, but not ejected.

“That was an accident, he [Carter] didn’t try to hurt anybody,” said Jeff George, who tied a career high with four touchdown passes in leading the Vikings (7-4) to their fifth consecutive victory.

Carter, who didn’t comment on the incident, had 11 catches for 136 yards and joined Jerry Rice, Andre Reed and Art Monk as the only NFL players with 900 receptions.

The teams combined for 900 yards of offense. George was 28 for 43 for 363 yards, and Jim Harbaugh was 25 for 39 for 404 yards and one touchdown.

The Vikings had their 21-point halftime lead cut to four at 28-24 before George and Carter teamed up for a 34-yard play for a touchdown with four minutes left in the third quarter. Carter has 10 touchdown catches in the 22 quarters George was been Viking quarterback since taking over for Randall Cunningham.

The Chargers (4-7) were driving for the tying score when Robert Griffith intercepted Harbaugh’s wobbly pass at the Minnesota one with 4:29 left in the game, and the Vikings ran out the clock.