Packers Slip By in Wet, Wild Finish

Forget the Lambeau Leap. Now the Green Bay Packers have the Freeman Fluke.

After Minnesota botched a game-winning 33-yard field goal at the end of regulation, Antonio Freeman’s freakish 43-yard touchdown catch 3:39 into overtime gave the Packers a thrilling 26-20 victory over the Vikings on Monday night.

“I’m just so glad to catapult this team to a much-needed victory,” an exhausted Freeman said. “We needed a lucky break.”

Brett Favre launched a deep pass to Freeman, who slipped on the wet grass as cornerback Cris Dishman deflected the ball at the 20-yard line.

The ball bounced off the back of Freeman’s left shoulder as he rolled over, and he tipped it into his chest with his right hand before it hit the ground.

Freeman grabbed the ball, jumped up, juked safety Robert Griffith and rumbled into the end zone.

Both teams already were scattered across the field when the officials finally announced the play stood as called.

It was the first time the Packers (4-5) had the lead all game against the stunned Vikings, who lost their second in a row after starting 7-0.

“We wanted to show the world we weren’t a 3-5 team,” Freeman said.

In the commotion, Favre didn’t even know who he was talking to.

“During all the mayhem, I asked him, ‘Hey, did you catch it?’ ” Favre recounted. “It was (receiver) Donald Driver who I asked. He said, ‘I don’t know if he caught it.’ When I got to Free, he said, ‘I caught it.’ ”

Despite five turnovers to none for Green Bay and 11 penalties for 129 yards, the Vikings were in position to win it on Gary Anderson’s 33-yard field-goal attempt in a driving rain on the final play of the fourth quarter.

But holder Mitch Berger couldn’t handle a poor snap by Mitch Palmer, and Tyrone Williams picked off Berger’s desperation pass at the five-yard line as time expired.

Had Berger spiked the snap instead of jumping up and rolling right, the Vikings would have had at least three seconds left for another attempt.

“If I wasn’t an idiot, I would have spiked the ball to get another shot at it,” Berger said. “For some reason, it didn’t cross my mind.”

The Vikings had moved into position thanks to curious play-calling by the Packers, who got conservative when they had the ball at their 20 with 1:40 left.

Ahman Green ran two consecutive draws, gaining three yards, and Viking Coach Dennis Green called timeout with 1:07 left. On third down, Favre badly misfired a pass deep downfield to Driver.

Topping it off, Josh Bidwell punted only 25 yards, giving the Vikings the ball at the Green Bay 48 with 52 seconds and all three timeouts left.

Randy Moss, who had six catches for 130 yards, caught a 19-yard slant pass that gave the Vikings the ball at the 15 with eight seconds left.

Minnesota’s Robert Smith rushed for 122 yards on 24 carries and caught two passes for 67 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown.

The Packers scored just three points off five turnovers, but took advantage of Daunte Culpepper’s third interception to tie it at 13-13 on Ryan Longwell’s 31-yard field goal in the second half.

The teams scored touchdowns 28 seconds apart in the third quarter.

On third and 17, Smith took a short pass from Culpepper along the left sideline and blew past arm tackles by Tod McBride and LeRoy Butler for a 45-yard score and a 20-13 Viking lead.

Allen Rossum returned the ensuing kickoff a career-high 90 yards before Kenny Wright caught him at the two. Two plays later, Green ran over Wright for the game-tying touchdown.

Green--starting in place of halfback Dorsey Levens, who missed his fourth game of the season with a knee injury--cradled a five-yard under-handed touchdown pass from Favre in the second quarter.

As blitzing linebacker Ed McDaniel got Favre in his grasp and began tugging him down, the quarterback shoveled a perfect spiral to Green, who cradled it while diving across the goal line to tie it at 10-10.