Vikings pillage Bengals to clinch playoff berth

Published January 08, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Adrian Peterson rushed for two touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings clinched a playoff spot with a 30-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in a clash of NFL division leaders on Sunday.

Peterson rushed for 97 yards and Brett Favre threw for 192 and one touchdown as the Vikings (11-2) bounced back from last weekend's road loss at Arizona for their seventh consecutive home win.

They lead the NFC North by two games over the Green Bay Packers (9-4), who won their fifth in a row on Sunday with a 21-14 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Cincinnati (9-4), despite 11 penalties and only 94 yards passing by quarterback Carson Palmer, held on to the AFC North's top spot.

The Bengals pulled back to 10-7 in the second quarter but Minnesota scored the next 13 points, including two field goals in the quarter's final 35 seconds after a Cincinnati fumble.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Ian Ransom)

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