Continued: Vikings tie NFL record, give up sixth special teams TD

The Vikings' problems on special teams continued during their 28-27 victory over Green Bay on Sunday at the Metrodome.

Will Blackmon's 65-yard punt return for a touchdown was the sixth touchdown Vikings special teams have given up. That ties the NFL record for special teams touchdowns surrendered in a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The 1980 Detroit Lions are the only other team to give up that many scores on special teams since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

"You don't like to see it, period," coach Brad Childress said of Blackmon's second punt return for a touchdown against the Vikings this season. "I couldn't tell you until I look at it, who got out of a lane and exactly what happened. I had no reason to believe that any of those were going to come back up the field."

Blackmon's decision to replicate the Lambeau Leap after scoring was a smelly one. The Packers return man made it into the stands but was met with a shower of beer from the home crowd.

"The whole game, I kept smelling my jersey," Blackmon said. "I thought one of the coaches was drinking. But that was the beer they dumped on me."

Defensive end Kenechi Udeze, who underwent a bone marrow transplant in July after having acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed in February, was the Vikings' honorary captain for the coin flip.

"I had to wear a mask for the first 100 days after my transplant, so everywhere I went, if I wasn't inside the house or driving in a car, that's the only time I could really not have the mask on," he said.

Udeze was at the game with his brother, Thomas Barnes, who served as the donor for the transplant.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be back around the guys and the game, and I really feel glad that I'm back and part of it," Udeze said. "I was blessed enough to get out of the hospital and be on my road to recovery."

Udeze said he sees doctors once a week but he thinks that will change to once a month "because everything is going so well."

He is on the reserve/non-football illness list and being paid by the Vikings this season. "I'll be back next year," he said. "The one thing that's slowing me down right now is my feet kind of being slow, a lot of the treatment that's going on. But everything will be just fine."

Bernard Berrian caught a touchdown pass in four consecutive games and eclipsed 100 yards receiving three times in that span. But he finished with no catches Sunday.

"I'm only disappointed if we lose," he said.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said the Vikings thought the Packers would press Berrian at the line so they altered their game plan.

"We tried to go some other places with the ball," Bevell said. "We were going to pick our spots and go to those guys. We threw a couple of deep balls to [Berrian] and didn't come up with them."

The Vikings took advantage of a knee injury to Packers middle linebacker Nick Barnett in the third quarter. Barnett was replaced by Desmond Bishop, and the Vikings went right at him.

Gus Frerotte hit running back Chester Taylor on a check down near the sideline. Bishop had man coverage and went flying out of position when Taylor stopped suddenly. That left Taylor with a clear path for a 47-yard touchdown.

Bevell said Frerotte went through his progressions, but they were aware that Barnett was out of the game.

"We do point those things out," Bevell said.

Taylor was the Vikings' leading receiver with four catches for 84 yards. He entered the game leading all NFL running backs in third-down receptions.

Wide receiver Sidney Rice made a note to himself when the Vikings went over their red-zone plays in a meeting Saturday night. Rice circled a certain play and wrote "TD" on top of it.

"I knew it was going to be a good play," he said.

It was. The Vikings executed the play perfectly for a 3-yard touchdown pass on their first possession of the game. Split wide right, Rice gave a hard fake to the outside and then cut inside. Frerotte pump faked and hit Rice for the touchdown.

Rice had to play a little defense on the previous play. Rice said he and Frerotte had some miscommunication on a fade pass. The ball was thrown short and inside, and cornerback Tramon Williams looked as if he might intercept it in the end zone. But Rice batted the ball out of his hands and prevented the turnover.

Nick Collins' 59-yard interception return for a touchdown was the Packers' sixth defensive touchdown of the season. That ties the franchise record set by Vince Lombardi's 1966 Super Bowl I champions.

Collins said the interception was "easy. Frerotte just stared down the receiver. When a quarterback does that, I can make a move, get inside the receiver, make the pick and take it back."

Collins said there was no secret to shutting out Berrian. "We didn't change a thing," he said. "[Cornerbacks] Al Harris and Charles Woodson play physical at the line of scrimmage."

• Packers kicker Mason Crosby's 52-yard attempt with 26 seconds left was just a tad wide right. "The snap, the hold, the protection all seemed great," he said. "It was one of those I hit it well. It was unfortunate it moved right and didn't come back."

• There was a bit of a stir after the Vikings' season-opening loss at Green Bay when Childress did not shake hands with Packers coach Mike McCarthy. Green Bay had filed tampering charges against the Vikings for "inappropriate contact" with then-Packers quarterback Brett Favre. As Sunday's game concluded, Childress jogged to midfield to exchange a handshake with McCarthy.

• Veteran receiver Robert Ferguson was inactive for a second consecutive game. Ferguson, who played six seasons with Green Bay before joining the Vikings last year, declined to comment Sunday when asked if he had requested a release.

JUDD ZULGAD, MARK CRAIG

and CHIP SCOGGINS