Vikes Rip Ravens In Record Style

On a record-setting day, only one mark really mattered to the Minnesota Vikings -- 13-1.

The Vikings took advantage of six Baltimore turnovers to win a franchise-best 13th game Sunday, getting six field goals from Gary Anderson and two touchdown passes from Randall Cunningham in a 38-28 victory.

Minnesota (13-1) scored 26 points off the turnovers and remained a game ahead of Atlanta in the race for best record in the NFC and homefield advantage in the playoffs.

"We're playing for pride, we're trying to be the best and we're trying to secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs," Vikings coach Dennis Green said. "That's what we want to accomplish."

Anderson has kicked 34 straight field goals, breaking the NFL record of 31 set by the Vikings' Fuad Reveiz in 1995. Anderson, who is 29-for-29 this year, connected from 43, 31, 45, 24, 46 and 20 yards.

"That's an unbelievable record set by a buddy of mine," Anderson said. "You hate to break a buddy's record, but that was a high standard."

The teams also set an NFL record with three kickoff returns for touchdowns, including two by the Ravens (5-9), who used a 5-yard return by Corey Harris and a 97-yarder by Patrick Johnson to go up 14-6.

By halftime, though, the Ravens lost four fumbles and Minnesota held a comfortable 25-14 lead. In all, Baltimore lost five fumbles, was intercepted once and ran only 42 plays compared with 91 for the Vikings.

"We know that you can't have turnovers like that, especially against a team like Minnesota," said Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who had 15 solo tackles. "They nickled and dimed us with field goals."

The Ravens found little consolation in returning 10 kickoffs for an NFL-record 367 yards, in part because the five fumbles were also a team record.

"You can't win in this league and make as many mistakes as we did. You can't give the ball up that much," said Baltimore coach Ted Marchibroda, who almost certainly will lose his job after the season.

Cunningham went 32-of-55 for 345 yards. Randy Moss (6 catches, 89 yards and a touchdown) set a record for yards receiving by a rookie (1,209), breaking the mark of 1,132 by Terry Glenn in 1996.

Minnesota's Cris Carter had 11 catches and scored his 100th NFL touchdown on an 11-yarder in the third quarter. It was his 99th touchdown catch, tied for third on the career list with Don Hutson.

Baltimore played the entire game behind a patchwork offensive line that's missing three starters because of injuries. Jim Harbaugh went 16-of-26 for 212 yards and Floyd Turner had 10 catches for 147 yards and a score, but it wasn't nearly enough offense to overcome the giveaways.

After Minnesota got a field goal on its opening possession, Harris got the track meet started with the Ravens' first kickoff return since the franchise began playing in Baltimore. History would soon repeat itself.

The Vikings converted a Priest Holmes' fumble into a field goal before Johnson took the ensuing kickoff all the way.

David Palmer caught the following kickoff at the 12, eluded two tacklers and outran kicker Matt Stover in Minnesota's first kickoff return for a touchdown since Herschel Walker did it in 1989.

Anderson broke Reviez's record with a 46-yard field goal following a fumble by Baltimore tight end Eric Green. Harris then fumbled the kickoff, and three plays later Cunningham hit Moss for a 17-yard score to make it 22-14.

Harbaugh fumbled a snp that the Vikings turned into another field goal, and the trend continued in the third quarter when Anderson scored four plays after Holmes' second fumble.

Carter's touchdown, which followed an interception by Corey Fuller, made it 35-14.

"One more win and we have homefield advantage," Carter said. "All we're trying to do is keep rolling along."

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