"So this is why the Vikings paid Bernard Berrian all that money.

With the Lions leading 10-2 late in the third quarter and the Metrodome crowd beginning to turn on the home team, the former Bears wide receiver took a short pass from Gus Frerotte and ran 86 yards for a touchdown.

The score changed the complexion of the game, and very possibly the Vikings' season as Minnesota came back to win 12-10.

"What a pretty game," Frerotte said with much sarcasm.

A loss would have given the Vikings a 2-4 record. Losing to a 13-point underdog also would have shaken their confidence with a Sunday date in Chicago against the Bears looming.

With seven minutes remaining, fans started bailing out of the Metrodome in droves. Some of those who remained did so to express their displeasure. "Fire Childress!" they chanted.

Hours later, they were toasting the Vikings' coach instead. By Sunday night the Vikings and their fans could laugh about a close call over beers that seemed a little colder than usual.

The Vikings now have a share of first place in the NFC North, tied with the Bears and Packers.

"One minute we were going to miss the playoffs and everyone was fired," Vikings center Matt Birk said. "Now we're in first place."

It would not have been possible without Berrian. On his 86-yard touchdown, he ran an "option" route and decided to cut inside instead of outside based on coverage.

He caught a pass of about 4 yards, cut underneath a linebacker, took an angle to beat cornerback Brian Kelly and played off a nice downfield block from running back Chester Taylor.

It was the second-longest pass play in Vikings history, and the longest in 46 years.

Given $16 million in guarantees by the Vikings in the off-season, Berrian has had two straight 100-yard receiving games for the first time in his career.

He is on pace to finish with 1,163 receiving yards this season, which would be a career best.

Berrian said he "can't wait" to play in Chicago on Sunday and hear it from the Soldier Field hecklers.

"It's definitely going to be a tough game in a hostile environment," he said. "We definitely can't go out there and play like we did today. They're way too good for that."

Berrian was playing with turf toe and an injured knee that required painkillers, but the Lions sure didn't notice."