Final twist goes Vikings' way

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It was the subtlest of fist pumps, the kind usually delivered when you finish cutting the grass or pick the fastest checkout line at Target.

Nothing animated. Not too euphoric.

Still, it was the most appropriate way Leslie Frazier could find to celebrate Sunday when a hooked 31-yard field-goal attempt by Carolina's Olindo Mare sent the Vikings back home with a gift-wrapped 24-21 victory.

Frazier, as usual, seemed so reserved. Tranquil even. But to know how he was feeling inside, all one had to do was look at the players trampolining around him as Mare's miss with 26 seconds left ruptured a Vikings piñata filled with jubilation and relief.

And the most appropriate message of the day? That came from left guard Steve Hutchinson, who stepped away from the chaos and grabbed Frazier.

"See that, Coach?" Hutchinson said. "We're not cursed."

The Vikings stole their second victory Sunday not so much because they came up big when it mattered most but more so because in the game's final minutes they made one fewer gaffe than the home team.

As dejected Carolina quarterback Cam Newton assessed: "It's the old saying: Some do, Some don't. Some come through in the clutch. Some don't."

Newton's Panthers fell into the latter category. Their final drive ended with Mare's miss, but it took its costliest turn moments earlier when a Steve Smith holding penalty negated a Newton run to the 8-yard line that had Carolina knocking on the door of a dramatic victory.

Instead, the Vikings watched the Panthers bury themselves, escaping even after allowing Newton to convert on fourth-and-15 with 1:09 left. That play, a precise pass from Newton to Brandon LaFell, covered 44 yards.

From the press box at Bank of America Stadium, it sure looked as if the Vikings might step right onto the loser's trap door for a seventh time this season.

But ...

"To face the type of adversity we faced throughout the ballgame and to rise up and continue to play hard, it really gets me excited about our team," Frazier said.

Sunday's rally required all sorts of composure from rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, who was far from magnificent but steady and energetic just the same. Ponder threw for 236 yards. None of his completions netted 25 yards. But he was close to mistake-free.

With Ponder in control, the Vikings' two second-half scoring drives covered 90 and 72 yards, the latter ending with Ryan Longwell's tiebreaking 31-yard field goal with 2:43 left.

As calm as Ponder was, Adrian Peterson delivered the biggest punches. Bottled up in the first half -- he had 14 rushing yards on eight carries -- Peterson finished with 162 yards from scrimmage.

Thirty-nine of those came on receptions in the final minute of the first half, with his 19-yard touchdown grab tying the score 14-14.

"Adrian is a beast," defensive end Jared Allen said. "Watching him honestly makes the game fun. It's a good thing I'm not a coach. Because between him and Percy [Harvin], they'd get the ball 99 percent of the time."

Allen played his part, too, recovering a Newton fumble in the first quarter and forcing one in the second. The Vikings turned both takeaways into touchdowns, pivotal moments for a team that has had so few.

No, the defense didn't shut down either Newton (22-for-35, 290 yards, three touchdowns) or Smith (seven catches, 100 yards). But the Vikings posted a shutout for the final 26 minutes and forced Carolina into three key consecutive three-and-outs in the second half.

That, Frazier felt, demonstrated his squad's resolve.

And the Vikings finally caught a few huge breaks, too, none bigger than Mare's chip-shot miss that could have forced overtime.

Suddenly and refreshingly, the Vikings locker room seemed like a party scene out of "Old School."

Meanwhile, Newton was left at a podium to explain the shock of the twist ending.

"I would bet my last dollar every time in that situation that he'd make it," Newton said. "But things happen."

Now it just so happens that the Vikings head for their bye with a blast of positive energy.

Playoff bound? Not so much.

Not cursed? Hey, it's a start.

"You got to have a little levity, I guess," Hutchinson said. "It's a joke. But it's not. You put your heart and soul into this. And for the person out there just reading the boxscore, saying, 'Oh, the Vikings lost again,' you don't realize how hard the guys work around here. It's not like anybody has given up or said, 'Woe is me, the season's over.' There's a lot of work that goes into this."

Sunday, that work was rewarded.

Dan Wiederer • dan.wiederer@startribune.com