MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Cornerback Corey Chavous intercepted Joey Harrington in the end zone with 17 seconds remaining Sunday as the Minnesota Vikings rallied and then hung on a 31-24 triumph over the Detroit Lions.
It was the first victory for Minnesota Coach Mike Tice.
"I'm a little winded," Tice said. "I have been yelling and screaming with the family. This is something we thought we would have a couple of times already this year.
"This is a big win because we came from behind. We scored a bunch of points in the fourth quarter. We held them when we had to, made the big play when we had to. That is a great way to finish a game."
Minnesota (1-4) faced a 14-0 deficit just 5 1/2 minutes into the game and trailed at halftime, 21-10. But the Vikings rallied behind Daunte Culpepper and tied the game at 24-24 on a screen pass to Michael Bennett that the running back took 45 yards into the end zone with 5:25 remaining.
After the Vikings got the ball back, Culpepper escaped pressure in the pocket, ran toward the left sideline and saw embattled receiver Randy Moss improvising a route toward the goal line.
Culpepper threw across his body 27 yards to Moss at the two-yard line and running back Moe Williams plowed over center on the next play for the winning score with 2:12 to go.
"The receivers broke their routes off and boom, Moss makes a great adjustment off the scramble," Lions cornerback Todd Lyght said. "Good throw, good catch."
Culpepper finished 27 of 36 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and Bennett had 137 all-purpose yards for the Vikings, who were coming off a bye week following an embarrassing loss at Seattle.
Harrington went 25 of 41 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. It was the rookie's first 300-yard game and it came in his third start.
Detroit (1-4) also had a week off before the game. In the Lions' last contest, they upset NFC power New Orleans as Harrington threw for 267 yards and one score.
The Vikings have taken five of their last six meetings with the Lions.
Detroit got on the board 4:10 into the contest on a 41-yard pass from Harrington to tight end Mikhael Ricks. Only 1:11 later, linebacker Chris Claiborne gave the Lions a two-touchdown advantage when he intercepted Culpepper and ran 20 yards for a score.
Minnesota got within 14-10 on a 42-yard field goal by Gary Anderson and a one-yard pass from Culpepper to tight end Jim Kleinsasser before Harrington countered with a 20-yard touchdown toss to Az-Zahir Hakim 71 seconds before the half.
Culpepper's seven-yard run up the middle just over five minutes into the second half made it 21-17. Jason Hanson nailed a season-long 49-yard field goal to extend the Lions' advantage to seven points with 6:07 left in the third quarter.
"That was a tough loss," Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg said. "We made some mistakes in the fourth quarter, especially in the middle of the quarter. Our execution lacked toward the end of the game."
"We executed today and we played with confidence," Harrington said. "We showed that when we got the ball with two minutes to go and drove the field. It's disappointing to lose, but that's the reality of the game."
